We start with the last page of Animal Man #22, story by Grant Morrison, art by Paris Cullins and Steve Montano. With Buddy's family dead, he's borrowed a time machine from Rip Hunter to fix things (and changed his outfit to a ridiculous black leather number). Unfortunately, the malfunctioning unit has rendered him little more than a ghost, slowly skipping backwards in time until he finds himself stranded in the '60s, lost and alone. Fortunately, a compassionate stranger takes note of him.
A compassionate Phantom Stranger.
We continue with seven pages from the next issue, with art by Chas Truog and Doug Hazelwood. Stranger's headed to a meeting with a few other immortal-types, so he brings Buddy along. Stranger ends up mostly listening while Immortal Man and Jason Blood talk to Buddy about his problems.
So, on to Stranger's part in Solomon Grundy! We start with three pages from the Faces of Evil one-shot, story by Geoff Johns, with art by Scott Kolins. Solomon Grundy has had a rough week. Getting in a car wreck, resurrecting in a morgue, having a fight with Killer Croc (wearing a silly trenchcoat that makes him look like the Lizard), and all this turning human business. The guy just needs a rest, so he makes his way to Slaughter Swamp. But someone is watching him!
We pick up the story with even pages from Solomon Grundy #1, with Scott Kolins trooping through both story and art duties. Stranger opens the issue with a story that seems almost reminiscent of the possible origin Alan Moore wrote for him (though that angel looks maybe a bit more like The Spectre), but is actually the history of Slaughter Swamp.
A few pages later, Cyrus runs into Stranger and Alan Scott again after being a jerk to some innocents.
We don't see Phantom Stranger again until #4, when Cyrus is getting desperate after finding his old knife in the swamp.
Nobody tells him, but Amazo comes in having some things to say. They are not nice things. Anyway, there you have it!