"I, Monster!" (1998/08/01) from Amazing Spider-Man 437 (August 1998)

Reader Rating: Average;Thunderbolts Interest: High

Summary: Seeking revenge for an earlier defeat at the hands of Generation X, Plantman sprays Synch with a pollen that transforms him into a monster. Spider-Man's attempts to help result in his being mutated, too.

Unfortunately for Plantman, the mutations don't stop Synch and Spidey -- it just makes them creepier. They defeat him, subjecting him to his own mutation medicine.

Continuity: Let me quote Sam here: "The time has come for me to finally get my revenge on Generation X. Losing to those annoying kids the first time we fought was bad enough -- but their lack of respect was even more irritating! They mocked both my costume and my powers!" And a footnote says "See Generation #25." But, as noted in "Suffer the Children" (Previous/Smithers), that story has nothing to do with Plantman. Sam is either delusional, or he is talking about an encounter that has never been documented.

Sam's mutation into a tree creature near the story's end is temporary, but it will trigger his transformation into Blackheath in "Becoming Heroes" (2002/08/01).