Comic Title: Roots of the Swamp Thing #5
Publisher: DC
Cover Date: November 1986
On Sale Date: July 31, 1986 Newsstand Date July 31, 1986
Source: DC Releases, #30

Shipping Date July 8, 1986
Source: Amazing Heroes, #98

Shipping Date July 8, 1986
Source: DC Releases, #30

Copyright Date July 8, 1986
Source: Library of Congress, Copyright Office 1986
DC publication dates beyond April 1981 listed by the LoC
represent shipping dates NOT newsstand sale dates

Cover Price: $2.00
Page Count: 48
Editor: Robert Greenberger

See Also: The Guide to DC Giants

Title: "The Stalker from Beyond"
Pages: 20

Feature(s):
Swamp Thing (of Earth-1)

Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Bernie Wrightson

Reprinted From:
Swamp Thing #9 (1974)

Feature Character(s)

• Swamp Thing (last appearance in Swamp Thing #8; next appearance in Swamp Thing #10)

Supporting Character(s)

• Matt Cable (last appearance in Swamp Thing #7; next appearance in Swamp Thing #11)
• Abigail Arcane (last appearance in Swamp Thing #7; next appearance in Swamp Thing #11)

Villain(s)

• Brad Samson (a captain in the U.S. Military; no further appearances)
• Optik, O'Reilly, Trumbo, and Twichett (Samson's team; no further appearances)
• Rufe and Elmo (two muggers; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• An alien (see comment below; dies in this story; no further appearances)
• Smithers (Matt Cable's associate; no further appearances)

Comments:
This is the only Earth-1 appearance of the alien, who dies in this story. However, in the post-Crisis universe, the alien's mate, Widowsweed, finds the wreckage of the ship which crashes at the end of this story in Swamp Thing #81. Swamp Thing then meets Widowsweed, her mate, and their child in the realm of the dead in Swamp Thing #96.

Synopsis:
Swamp Thing returns to the Louisiana bayou where he was created. He finds the barn that was once used as Alec Holland's lab. He hopes to find equipment inside that he can use to cure himself. Instead, he finds an alien spaceship. The alien has taken the ship into the barn for repairs. A fight ensues between Swamp Thing and the alien. The ship crashes down on top of Swamp Thing knocking him out. The alien carries Swamp Thing back into the swamp and leaves him in the bog.

Matt Cable and a team of military men are dispatched to the bayou after a report of a crashed UFO. They also find the alien in the barn and capture it. A fight then ensues between the men over whether to kill the alien or take it in alive. While the fight rages, Swamp Thing revives and releases the alien.

The alien reaches its ship and takes off. However, the ship is too damaged to properly fly. It crashes back to Earth in a fireball.