We begin with The Phantom Stranger in "The Man with No Heart" by Len Wein and Jim Aparo. Answering the call of Broderick Rune, the Phantom Stranger finds himself knocked out with a powerful spell. Rune, who has heart disease, then has his men perform a heart transplant, using the Stranger's very own heart. However, when his goons go to dump the body, they are shocked to find that the blanket they were carrying the Stranger's body is empty and that the Stranger is very much alive.
The Stranger then begins to haunt and stalk Rune everywhere he goes causing him to panic and flee to his second estate. There the haunting continues, and so they try mystical means of ridding themselves of the Phantom Stranger, this also doesn't work. Finally, the Stranger appears and chases Rune out into a field where he dies of a heart attack. When his aides can finally get to him, they are shocked to find that Rune doesn't have a heart in his body.
The backup is Dr. Thirteen in "The Spectre of the Stalking Swamp" by Len Wein and Tony DeZuniga. Dr. Thirteen is called into Bayou country to investigate reports of a strange swamp monster dubbed the Swampster, who is supposedly responsible for the disappearance of people in the area. What they stumble upon is a plot by Professor Zachary Nail, who has built a secret city untainted by the destruction the human race is doing to the planet. People who have gone missing have been mentally conditioned to do Nail's bidding.
When Dr. Thirteen is captured and put under this process, however when ordered to capture his wife, Thirteen shakes off the control. During his fight with Nail, the swamp suddenly and inexplicably begins crushing the domed city, forcing everyone to flee as the domed city is destroyed.
The entire issue was reprinted in Showcase Presents Phantom Stranger Vol. 1 TPB (2006).
Edited by Joe Orlando.
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