Man-Thing #7

F.A. Schist may have abandoned his plan to build an airport, but now he’s dead set on a new goal- to find the Fountain of Youth! What begins as fanciful imagination may end in death. But for who?

F. A. Schist Construction Company has been trying to drain a portion of the Florida Everglades for several issues of the Man-Thing. But the demand for crude oil has dropped off considerably and the need for another airport has evaporated, so Schist is preparing to pull out of the swamp in pursuit of another project.

Schist and his friend Professor Wickham have words regarding the Man-Thing and how he delayed Schist’s construction project and evaded Wickham’s death traps. Now they must move on, but Schist mentions his shattered dream of an “eternal youth.”

Slithering back into the swamp, the Man-Thing is attacked by a group of men dressed like Spanish Conquistadors. They trap him in a huge net and as he struggles to get free, he is bogged down. The men think they have succeeded in capturing the Man-Thing until he oozes through the netting, evoking fear in them.

The scene shifts to , where Richard Rory, Ruth Hart, and Ayla Prentiss are standing outside of a radio station. WNRV has just hired Richard for the late night shift as a D. J. and Rory expresses his desire to settle down with Ruth and start a new life together. Ruth is not ready for a relationship and kisses Richard goodbye, leaving him and Ayla to contemplate the future.

Meanwhile in the swamp, the Man-Thing continues his battle with the “Spanish Conquistadors.” Fear provokes the men and they flee from the Man-Thing heading deeper into the swamp. Man-Thing follows close behind them until he reaches a doorway of sorts which leads into a beautiful Shangri-La with a flowing fountain in the middle of a courtyard. A young maiden recognizes the creature’s inner torment and pours the life-giving water from the mysterious fountain on the Man-Thing, hoping to bring him inner peace. Immediately he falls to the ground, writhing in pain.

Crawling out of the courtyard and back into the swamp, the Man-Thing encounters Schist and Wickham in a hovercraft. They are shocked to see that the Man-Thing now has a human hand! The water from the fountain has caused a transformation. What will be the outcome of this event?