Man-Thing #8

Will La Hacienda house the Fountain of Youth? Schist and Hargood certainly think so! Man-Thing must defend Lorena from an opportunistic plot. The Man-Thing’s muck is siphoned off, and the creature slowly becomes more man than thing. Could this be the return of Ted Sallis?

“The Gift of Death” concludes a story arc reaching back to Adventures into Fear #16 with F. A. Schist taking a central role. The scene opens with Professor Wickham and F. A. Schist speeding through the on an airboat when they suddenly collide with the Man-Thing. The swamp buggy catches fire and explodes, leaving the two men to wade through the swamp in search of a “fountain of youth.”

The Man-Thing returns to the moss-covered doorway (see

Man-Thing #7) to the secret La Hacienda and enters. He is followed by Schist and Wickham who are puzzled at what might be behind the mysterious door. Trying not to be discovered, Schist and Wickham sneak into the Hacienda by climbing vines and scaling a wall.

Meanwhile inside, the Man-Thing is greeted by a trio of characters whom he met in the previous issue. They want to help him by applying the mystifying rainbow water to his body—the same water that caused his swamp hand to become human again. The trio of characters lead the Man-Thing through a narrow shadowy passageway into the heart of the Hacienda. Deep within, the passageway opens to a large room where two mysterious characters, known as the fathers, greet the swamp creature.

The Man-Thing is then hooked up to an apparatus that pumps the life-giving rainbow water through his swampy body. A transformation begins to take place as his body becomes more human and less swamp creature. During the process, Schist and Wickham burst into the lab and stop the transformation before it is complete, leaving the Man-Thing partly human and partly creature. A deadly brawl ensues and is finally stopped by the Man-Thing.

Standing in the presence of the fathers, Schist demands to have access to the rainbow water that brings eternal youth. The two fathers meet for a private counsel and then emerge, agreeing to give Schist a vial of the fountain water as a gift. Schist quickly drinks and water and the results are not what he expected. Schist is not happy with the results and starts a skirmish, which the Man-Thing brings to an end.