Secrets of the Swamp is the fourth arc of the horror anthology comic series Goosebumps. It was published between September 2020 and February 2021. The trade collection was released on May 5, 2021.
Blurb
Issue #1
When twelve-year-old Blake is shipped away to stay with her weird aunt in Fever Swamp for the summer, she expects her weeks to be filled with video games, mosquito bites, and a whole lot of nothing. Instead, she finds herself in a spooky turf war between wolf-hunters and werewolves. With monsters on both sides, it's up to Blake to use all of her gaming skills to escape alive.
Issue #2
Blake was worried that summer break with her weird aunt in Fever Swamp would be b-o-r-i-n-g, but it's quickly become more intense than she ever could have imagined. Lost in the swamp with her gaming rival Lily and surrounded by werewolves, Blake could use a lot less danger and a little more boring right about now!
Issue #3
After a close encounter with some werewolves in the swamp, Blake is separated from her new friend Lily and all alone. But a stunning discovery will make her wonder just who Lily really is... and who the real monsters are!
Issue #4
Blake thought things were bad enough when she found herself lost in a werewolf-infested swamp, but when the hunters become the hunted, she'll have to figure out just whose side she's on. This is NOT how she expected her summer to go! The wild werewolf nightmare continues.
Issue #5
It was supposed to be just a nighttime adventure into a spooky swamp, but now young Blake is caught in a clash between a pack of misunderstood werewolves and the angry townspeople hunting them! Blake is used to these kinds of adventures in games, but the danger's about to get too real in the amazing conclusion to Goosebumps: Secrets of the Swamp.
Gallery
Trivia
- This arc consists of five issues, the longest in the comic series. The first three arcs were made of three issues.
- On the video game leader-board near the start of the story, the names "Marieke" and "Yasmin" are visible, a reference to Marieke Nijkam and Yasmin Flores Montanez, the comic's writer and artist.
- Werewolf hunting was previously a plot point in the Goosebumps Series 2000 book, The Werewolf in the Living Room.
- Blake's aunt mentions a Mr. Tucker, likely a reference to either Micheal Tucker or Grady Tucker.
- Additionally, there is a popular hangout called "Cassie's Curiosi-teas," a possible reference to Cassie O' Rourke. Lilly's appearance and general personality is also similar to Cassie.
- Blake has a prosthetic arm, making her the first disabled protagonist in Goosebumps media.
- Just like the previous comic story, the trade does not have an introduction by R.L. Stine.
- Unlike the previous comic stories, the cover of the trade is from one of the variant covers and not any of the official covers of the 5 issues.
References to other Goosebumps media
- The Werewolf of Fever Swamp: Fever Swamp is the setting for this story. Both stories notably involve werewolves as antagonists. Additionally, Blake's name is most likely a reference to Will Blake.
- Werewolf Skin: The third issue introduces several werewolf pelts one of which Blake goes on to wear in order to scare away the werewolf hunters. By the end of the final issue, it is revealed that the pelt she wears is a Wolf Skin, with the pelt having started causing her hand to switch back and forth between human and werewolf, while the skin can apparently come alive and jump towards Blake at a moment's notice.