The following story and photos are from Giant Panda King's book,
Gotham 1919-1939 by Russall S. Beattie, available from www.giantpandaking.com.
Viewer discretion is advised.
Gotham City’s sordid past had already led to numerous problems for its citizens. Whether it was
organized crime running rampant, nursery rhymes regarding deadly secret organizations, or costumed
criminals parading themselves about, Gotham had seen its fair share of excitement. It also had a
proclivity for dramatic and theatrical locations, with equally exorbitant names; Crime Alley,
the Cauldron, and Slaughter Swamp. Slaughter Swamp had numerous stories and rumors surrounding it,
and was located in the Gotham everglades. There was the nursery rhyme regarding the Killer Croc
living by Gray Rock, a landmark just outside the swamp. Even more notable than that were
the rumors that a family cult existed within Slaughter Swamp, guilty of deplorable acts.
Children would tell each other ghost stories about the swamp, attempting to scare one another.
These stories usually included someone who had wandered in and gotten lost, only to be attacked
or murdered by a creature - or creatures - that were horribly deformed and terrifying to look at.
These creatures were alleged to be human; alleged products of incest,
and horrible to encounter. While there was never any concrete evidence to support this,
there was one case that seemed to lend credibility to it.
There are records of a family that lived within Slaughter Swamp, wanting a life somewhat secluded
from the busyness of Gotham City. There was a child that they kept locked away there - a son
born from incest - that they were ashamed of. This shame made them stow the child away in a shed,
away from prying eyes. This child, while possessing a low intelligence,
was very physically formidable. As he grew older, he also grew in height.
He was over seven feet tall, and possessed a strength that could almost be considered
inhuman. He also had the twin conditions of albinism and methemoglobinemia. The albinism
gave him a pale complexion and light hair, while the methemoglobinemia gave his skin a bluish-gray
tinge. This - coupled with other deformities - gave him a rather frightful appearance,
though his demeanor was timid and subdued. His family treated him terribly, subjecting him to
verbal and physical abuse. They berated him for his lack of intellect and brutish nature.
This abuse served to make the child very timid and unsure of himself.
One day, while one of his family members was subjecting him to lashings with a belt,
he lashed out in self-defense. Not realizing the full force of his strength,
his attack sent the family member tripping back, falling and snapping their neck on a rock.
Upon seeing his dead relative, the young man realized something.
His quiet and subdued nature gave way to anger and vindictiveness.
Entering the family homestead, he proceeded to murder the rest of his family in retribution
for his treatment. For the first time, he felt as if his life made sense; the answer to any
abuses he faced was to simply rid himself of the problem through his brute strength.
The man ventured out from Slaughter Swamp, finding residence in the homeless camps just
outside of Gotham City. These camps sprang up in the late 1920s to early 1930s as a result
of the joblessness during the Great Depression. These camps existed throughout the US and were
satirically referred to by some as “Hoovervilles.” This was in reference to the criticism surrounding
President Hoover, as many held him responsible for the Depression. The others living in this homeless
camp didn’t pay the strange man much heed, other than the occasional question about his origin.
His only response to these questions was that he had been born on a Monday. Most of the people at
the camps thought this response somewhat odd, but one of them was reminded of something. There was
an old nursery rhyme from 1842 coined by James Orchard Halliwell. It detailed the life of one
Solomon Grundy: Solomon Grundy, Born on a Monday, Christened on Tuesday, Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday, Grew worse on Friday, Died on Saturday, Buried on Sunday, That was the end,
Of Solomon Grundy. This nursery rhyme stuck. The occupants of the homeless camps began referring
to the man as Solomon Grundy - or just Grundy - as they had no other name for him. The man
liked this name, and also began to use it himself. While he still mostly kept to himself while in the
confines of this “Hooverville,” Grundy eventually found his desire growing to enter the city proper;
a place that seemed full of life and intrigue that Grundy had never experienced before.
Sure enough, he began making night visits to the city outskirts, wanting to see it for himself.
Grundy’s decision to venture into Gotham did not go well. His appearance terrified almost
anyone he came across. The people of Gotham had seen a number of terrifying sights already,
and Grundy - with his height, musculature, and skin pigmentation - seemed to add to that list.
Some of the people who encountered him began to throw rocks and other objects at him. This
reminded Grundy all too much of his experience with his abusive family and, again, he lashed
out. At the end of this encounter, two people were dead, and a third injured. Grundy fled back into
the outskirts of the city. The police were baffled with the reports given of the over seven-foot
figure who had gone on a rampage. Some people gave accounts of his pale and bluish-gray skin color.
The Gotham Gazette, upon hearing of this, jumped on the story, wildly speculating that a “zombie”
was loose in the city. The stories around Slaughter Swamp became enlivened again, with
even adults buying into the sensationalism of it. Meanwhile, Grundy remained in the homeless camps.
This didn’t stop him from making more trips into the city. He began to gather what he considered
to be souvenirs on his trips; shiny objects stolen from shop windows, a hat from a passerby,
flowers from a child living on the street. If anyone attempted to stop him,
they were met with either death or severe injury. Soon, the Bat-Man became involved with the case.
The Bat noticed that most of these attacks were occurring just barely within the city, and paid
close attention to the outskirts. He was aware of the “Hooverville” outside the city proper, and
suspected that the culprit might be taking refuge there. Sure enough, another attack transpired.
Seeing a tall, lumbering figure attacking a nearby street-goer, the Bat-Man
intervened. He was greeted by the horrifying countenance that was Solomon Grundy’s face.
Roaring loudly, Grundy attacked the Bat-Man, and the vigilante found himself outmatched physically.
Every impact on his person caused the Bat-Man to go reeling.
Even though he fought as best he could, Grundy eventually got the upper hand.
He was poised to strangle the Bat-Man, lifting him off the ground, until a gunshot sounded. The
bullet hit Grundy in the neck. A nearby policeman had been on patrol and witnessed the encounter.
Grundy dropped the Bat to the ground, retreating into the homeless camps. The Bat-Man followed him,
giving instructions to the policeman to call for reinforcements. He gave chase, following
the trail of discolored blood through the camps. It eventually led outside the camps, towards
Slaughter Swamp. The Bat-Man hadn’t ventured here before, and the sights and sounds that greeted him
were foreign. He had heard the stories surrounding it, originally writing them off as tall tales.
Now - as he wandered into their depths - he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been wrong.
After following the trail left by the giant man, he eventually stumbled across
a shack in the middle of the swamp. Staying on guard, he cautiously moved toward the house,
and opened its door. Inside, he was greeted by the still form of Solomon Grundy, clutching at his
neck where he’d been shot. The Bat-Man checked his vital signs, realizing that the alleged “zombie”
was dead. Just as suddenly as Grundy had appeared in the public eye, he was gone.
Within the shack, police discovered correspondence and diaries detailing some of the origin of
Grundy; his being born from incest, his family name, Gold, and the shed they had kept Grundy
in as a boy. They kept the story as quiet as they could, leaving the rest of Gotham to wonder what
had happened to the supposed “zombie” that had attacked and killed numerous people.
Grundy’s body was buried in Slaughter Swamp by the police. Some of the residents of the homeless
camps came to see him buried, but no one else. His story had been one of misfortune, tragedy,
and poor circumstances. He had been misunderstood, mistreated, and had snapped. The Bat-Man saw the
case as resolved, though it was one of the more truly troubling cases he had encountered thus far.
He was a year or so from his confrontation with the Court of Owls at this point in time.
While Grundy’s body had been laid to rest, the stories surrounding him had not.
His appearance only served to fuel the stories circulating Slaughter Swamp. The nursery rhyme
began to circulate through local ghost stories, and people began reporting that they had
encountered the zombie while exploring the swamp. No evidence was ever provided for these claims.
Grundy became an urban legend, living on in the memories of Gotham’s citizens. Some say that
you can still hear Solomon Grundy if you visit Slaughter Swamp, and that if you’re unfortunate
enough to encounter him, you may become the next in a long line of people to disappear.