Abigail Arcane
Eric S. Brown
Any fan of the Swamp Thing, or DC Comics, knows who Abigail Arcane is. At the mention of her name, one thinks of the swamps of Louisiana and her trademark snow-white hair with its two black stripes. She made her comic book debut in the 3rd issue of the original Swamp Thing series in 1973.
Her uncle, Anton Arcane, is the Swamp Thing’s greatest enemy. Anton is a being of pure evil, possessing great power, who never fails to return from the dead to plague the Swamp Thing repeatedly. Abigail is no villain, however. She is the epitome of a down-on-her-luck woman who has lived a hard and difficult life. Abigail herself has changed many times over the years. She’s been a normal woman, a psychically sensitive empath with possible telekinetic and telepathic powers, all the way to a full-fledged avatar of the Rot.
Alec Holland, the Swamp Thing, and Abigail Arcane are star-crossed lovers who, despite all they have endured, find each other. During Alan Moore’s run on the Swamp Thing, Abigail and Alec even got married – in a manner of speaking. And they view each other as husband and wife no matter what the outside world might think.
Abigail Arcane is such a key part of the Swamp Thing, and his story, that it is difficult to think of one without the other. She has appeared in both Swamp Thing movies, and in the low budget TV series from many years back – though these appearances have failed to do justice to who she is. In the upcoming DC Universe live action series, actress Crystal Reed, of Gotham and Teenwolf (the series) fame – will bring her to life once more. Many fans hope that this latest incarnation of Abby will finally convey the depths of her character.
It’s exciting to see the Swamp Thing, and Abigail Arcane, return to a live action format. We can only hope that this time they get her right.
