Swamp Patrol


A tale of modern vigilantes, urban living, and growing up different.

The Swamp Patrol was the brainchild of Ted Brock and Paul DeSanto from when they were in high school. When Ted discovered rec.arts.comics.creative, he decided that RACC was the perfect place to write stories about the Patrol. Paul soon joined him, first being the Patrol's co-writer, and then taking on the title altogether with #5. When neither Ted nor Paul could keep up the title, it passed to Jamie Rosen, who took over the title with #10 and continued even after Ted dropped off RACC, concluding the series with #24.


Swamp Patrol Ashcan Edition
This teaser, written in-between the scenes of #1, was posted not to RACC, but to alt.comics.lnh, where it was believed lost until quite recently.
#1: Ghosts of Dead-Man's Swamp
Corruption strikes the heart of Allentown, Pennsylvania's third-largest and fastest-growing city. One enterprising young man, Frank Stolid, along with his brother Ted, gather a few friends to try and fight this corruption.
#2: Needle in a Haystack
The Lehigh Valley is a large place, with plenty of places for someone to hide a police officer's family.
#3: Firearms
The climax of the first story arc, as the Swamp Patrol assists Inspector Caruthers take down the skinheads who kidnapped his family for a local crime boss.
#4: Four Thefts and a Wedding
A cat burglar named Alley Cat is stealing items from all over the Valley, as the Swampers try and predict her next move and figure out her motivations.
#5: Scents You Mentioned It...
The investigation continues, and Alley Cat's mysterious client is revealed.
#6: Uncertain Circumstances
The older Swampers try to help Ted gain some finesse with his powers, as Alley Cat robs a jewelry store downtown. Plus, things are picking up with Carter Stevens, the man who had hired Alley Cat for several thefts some issues before, and Dr. Kay, who Stevens hired to save his wife from certain death.
#7: A Day in the Life of a Swamper
Brill tries a different tactic in training Ted, using the boy's comics collection as targets. (This issue is notable for its in-universe use of Eleck and LNH titles as actual comics.) Janice Deerfoot and her mother try and get along on a shopping trip, and Dr. Kay betrays Stevens.
Special Edition: When The Law Is Not Right
This was written in response to a vaguely-worded "Internet indecency" law passed by Congress back in 1996. Shelly assists in defending a friend who was arrested under the law, testifying against the law in Federal court.
#8: Information Age
Carter Stevens, now a living bio-computer for Dr. Kay, searches for someone to aid him in escaping his plight, while Alley Cat delivers information to the Swampers about the man who hired her.
#9: (Untitled)
The Swampers and the police head to Carter Stevens' estate, and are not prepared for what they find there.
#10: Brief Glimpses, Quiet Whispers
Change is in the wind, as a man named Michael is hired by remote to kill the Swampers, and Kay continues to use Stevens for his own ends.
#11: Eighteen Hours in a Young Man's Life
A brief look at the life of Michael Srinivathan and his younger sister as they prepare to move to Allentown so he can kill the Swamp Patrol.
#12: Ghosts From The Past
Part 2 of Family Ties, crossover with Blood Ties
Encountering the vampiric vampire hunter Michael Jocasta outside a fraternity party in Bethlehem, Brill recounts how he had to kill his sister in Fresno after she was turned into a vampire.
#13: Transfiguration: Book 1: Genesis
Ted, having stalked out the door a few issues ago, comes under the influence of a being calling himself Redemption, as his friend Donna tries to find him. Michael, meantime, tries to mend his relationship with his sister.
#14: Transfiguration: Book 2: Numbers
Redemption visits Carter Stevens and pulls Ted deeper into his thrall. Michael, meantime, attempts to assault Frank and Donna at Frank's place.
#15: Transfiguration: Book 3: Exodus
Reluctant hit-man Michael encounters Redemption, as Frank receives a mysterious email regarding his missing brother.
#16: Transfiguration: Book 4: Judges
The Swampers encounter the transformed Brother Theodore in Dead-Man's Swamp, as Stevens pays Michael a visit about them.
#17: Transfiguration: Book 5: Revelations
The truth about Redemption is revealed, and Ted may never be the same!
#18: Continuity Breakdowns, Part 1: The Swamp Patrol Revenge Squad
A group of the Swamp Patrol's greatest enemies team up to take them on. There's only one catch: none of the Swampers know who these enemies are!
#19: Continuity Breakdowns, Part 2: Subterranean Homesick Blues
Unnatural earthquakes reveal an underground kingdom underneath Allentown. What is going on?
#20: Continuity Breakdowns, Part 3: The All-New, All-Different Swamp Patrol
More change, as the Swamp Patrol suddenly find themselves replaced by a full super-team. Since when was Caruthers bald and trapped in a wheelchair?
#21: Continuity Breakdowns, Part 4: Going Out of My Head
The Swamp Patrol find themselves trapped in a mental institution, where they are told all their adventures to date are part of a shared psychosis. But where is the night staff?
#22: Continuity Breakdowns, Part 5: Wish You Were Here
Trapped in a gray space of nothingness, the Swampers hitch a ride on the Gilded Danish, sister ship to the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship with a literal skeleton crew.
#23: Continuity Breakdowns, Part 6: Deep in the Heart of Texas
The Swampers find themselves deposited in a town on an island in the gray wastes which resembles something out of Jurassic Park crossed with a John Wayne Western. Are they going to stick together to get out of there? Do they even want to at this point?
#24: Continuity Breakdowns, Part 7: Not a Hoax, Not a Dream!
The entity which has been manipulating the Swamp Patrol since Redemption's defeat is revealed as God, or an entity which claims to be Her. Powerless, with the rest of the Swamp Patrol dead, Ted must face this being alone. The twist at the end raises even more questions.