Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #11

 Hi everyone,

Today's focus is Marvel's eleventh issue of ROM: Spaceknight. We are once again treated to a colorful Michael Golden cover, with ROM in a fiery mess. He's threatened by someone who looks awfully familiar if you read previous issues. The story is titled "Standoff!" and the issue was published in October 1980.

The action begins with the silver Spaceknight being held floating in the air by a powerful beam fired from a wraith weapon at Project: Safeguard. ROM was captured in issue #10, and we see Rachel Sweet (a Dire Wraith in disguise that we've seen before in previous issues) commanding the troops in the room. ROM summons his energy analyzer from subspace and uses its beam to reveal that Sweet is a wraith. 

Sweet orders the soldiers to stop ROM, and a particle beam's rays are infused into his stasis field, which quickly defeats our hero. A guard tries to make sure that Sweet is all right, not knowing that she is an alien wraith who was responsible for hellhounds taking ROM's neutralizer to Project: Safeguard's Ultralab facility. 

On the next page, we see ROM affixed to a circular table while Wraith officials examine his structural makeup. The Dire Wraiths in human guises are interrupted by the Most High One, a blue-skinned humanoid in pink and purple clothing whose face we never see. The leader mandates ROM's demise and points to their previous failure of trying to graft a human being into Spaceknight armor, which is the weakened Archie Stryker who debuted in ROM #3. 

The Most High One also ordered the destruction of ROM's neutralizer, which was still encased in its green protective sphere. Sweet protested her commander's orders until he placed a pale blue palm upon her forehead and stressed the importance of following what the council of the first born decreed. The leader then left the room, but not before Sweet and her counterparts agreed to follow his commands. The wraith scientist prepared a solution that would administer a deadly dose of cyber-bacilli that would destroy ROM's human cells and leave his silver suit of armor an empty shell. 

Sweet was hesitant to inject ROM, but before she could do so, her colleague, Doctor Daedalus' cry of pain distracted her. She turned to see him writhing in pain at the hands of Stryker, who was still stuck in the Firefall Spaceknight armor. Stryker used the living flames to incinerate the wraith scientist. As Sweet moved to attack him, ROM broke free from the table that held him. He hurled broken pieces of the table toward Sweet, one of which struck a control panel that locked them inside Ultralab.

ROM flew forward and demanded that Sweet release the stasis field that held Stryker. Stryker did so, but also turned on the intercom and spoke so that guards outside the room thought that she was under attack. Stryker is surprised by ROM's request, knowing that he initially tried to kill the silver Spaceknight. ROM explained that the attack wasn't his fault and that he had been duped by the Wraiths. Thinking that he would be trapped in his armor for the rest of his days, he asked ROM to call him Firefall. ROM replied that wraith science could free him from his armor, just like they could free his nearby neutralizer from its stasis field.

As the spaceknights conversed, Sweet continued to speak near the console, which continued to make the guards on the other side of the door prepare to open the entrance by force. Stryker soon realized that Sweet was stalling for just that purpose. ROM then smashed the console with his fist, even though the humans had heard everything and were preparing to blast the door open with their weapons. 

ROM vowed not to kill Sweet, but he didn't want to harm the humans who would soon breach the room, because they had no idea that their superior was actually a Dire Wraith. Stryker chose to sacrifice himself and hurled his body at ROM's neutralizer, which disintegrated the force field that surrounded it. He died in ROM's arms, and ROM grabbed his neutralizer just minutes before the door was melted.

By that time, reporter Ace O'Connor had joined the crowd of humans on the other side of Ultralab. She wanted to know more about what was going on, but was not convinced that what the soldiers were doing was legitimate. The soldiers soon saw Sweet in ROM's grasp. She whispered to him how this would look to the humans, but ROM, after glancing at his comrade Stryker's lifeless body, chose to vanquish Sweet to limbo. After firing his neutralizer, ROM then turned to face the soldiers, stating that he had removed the wraith menace from the room and that he was willing to take on anyone who did not believe him. 

This story was really focused on ROM for the most part, and I liked that. We will see more of Steve Clark, Brandy Jackson, and other members of the supporting cast in future issues. There was also a nice moment of redemption for Archie Stryker, the former criminal who eventually came to his senses and learned the true threat of the Dire Wraiths. Nicely done by Mantlo, Buscema, and company. There were a few rough sketches by Sal, but otherwise, the art was very effective. 

Next time, I'll write about the twelfth issue of ROM: Spaceknight, where we find out if the soldiers chose to attack him, and we see him interact with an established character from the Marvel Universe for the first time. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #10

 Hi everyone,

I hope that you're all having a nice, relaxing holiday. Today, I'll be writing about the tenth issue of ROM: Spaceknight. The cover, once again illustrated by Michael Golden, is wordless, but features the silver Spaceknight locked in combat with Army aircraft over what appears to be the U.S. Capitol. The story was titled "Warrior Over Washington!" and the issue had a cover date of September 1980.

In the very first panel, we see ROM soaring in the atmosphere, his energy analyzer in his hand. Our hero is on his way to retrieve his neutralizer from Project: Safeguard in Washington, D.C., after it had been stolen away from him by wraith hellhounds. He is sidetracked from that mission when his analyzer detects his friends Steve Jackson and Brandy Clark, who were being held at the Clairton County Jail in connection with the death of their friend Artie Packer, a city police officer who perished as the quartet fought a wraith thornoid in the lab where Clark worked.

The sheriff and his deputies didn't believe the truth that Clark and Jackson told, as they still had yet to believe that ROM had arrived on Earth to save it from his mortal enemies, the Dire Wraiths. Clark recounted how the Spaceknight had gone to find out what the wraiths had done with his neutralizer when ROM himself broke open a wall of their cell and freed the couple. ROM then used his energy analyzer on the crowd, revealing that no wraiths were in the facility. He was incredulous that the law enforcement officers did not believe their claims, but Clark told him that in their eyes, ROM was the alien enemy. ROM, Clark, and Jackson then left through the gaping hole in the prison wall, soaring off into the air to land just outside the city. 

As dawn broke, the trio looked out once more, and ROM told his companions that he had learned where his neutralizer had been taken, but that he did not know where Project: Safeguard was. Clark drew him a rough map in the dirt with a stick, and the Galadorian was on his way. Before he left, Clark warned ROM of the dangers that he might encounter, and for a brief moment, ROM saw a vision of his beloved Ray-Na in her face. He softly wiped tears from her eyes and rocketed off. We then saw a sly look in Jackson's eye, as he confronted his girlfriend, that made me wonder if it was actually Steve.

ROM made the 200-mile trek by air to the nation's capital, at one point passing a train that contained two supporting characters. One of them was the Clairton County coroner, Silas Lane, who was on his way to check birth records of citizens who had supposedly died during ROM's battles in their town against the Central Bureau of Records. The people in question all had the exact same birth date, which raised suspicion for the coroner. The person sitting across from him on the train was Washington Weekly News reporter A.C. "Ace" O'Connor. She was on her way to Washington when she saw the Spaceknight zoom by the train window, thinking that what she saw might just be her next news exclusive.

Soon, ROM neared his destination. His analyzer detected the location of his neutralizer, but failed to warn him of the approach of a pair of intercontinental ballistic missiles, which had been activated by local radar operators who interpreted the unidentified flying object that is ROM as a possible threat. Jet fighters soon followed after the supposed intruder. ROM evaded the missiles and even coaxed several of them to fly right into the path of one of the army planes. He was then attacked by machine gun fire emanating from another fighter jet. The Spaceknight wasn't fazed by the bullets and eventually caused all three planes to be destroyed, with their pilots safely ejecting and parachuting to safety before their jets were wrecked. 

Just as ROM observed that the pilots were human, he was stunned by a neuroshackle blast from a decidedly different-looking aircraft and taken away by tractor beam toward Project: Safeguard. One of the vehicle's passengers removed her helmet and exposed herself as Rachel Sweet, one of the project's leaders, who was actually a Dire Wraith in human disguise. 

Back in Clairton, Jackson drove off to find help for the couple. Unbeknownst to Clark, the real Steve Jackson was still locked in the county jail, and the person that she had just embraced was another wraith posing as her boyfriend, one who now decided that there should only be one Steve Jackson in Clairton.

Overall, I felt that this issue did a good job of moving the story along, although the pace was a bit slower than other Marvel comics. The first page warned us that there were going to be different letters, as production manager Danny Crespi, who was originally tasked with that chore, was ill and several of his coworkers stepped in to fill in for a few pages at a time. The inconsistency of the lettering caught my eye, but it wasn't a major concern. Mantlo and Buscema spun a tale that was well worth purchasing, as usual. 

Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about ROM: Spaceknight issue #11, where we find out if ROM will ever find his neutralizer and what's waiting for him at Project: Safeguard. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #9

 Hi everyone,

Today I'm writing about the ninth issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight. The cover features our hero (brilliantly drawn by Michael Golden), unknowingly trailed by a menacing-looking reptilian. The story, "The Stalker in the Night!" had a cover date of August 1980.

The first panel shows ROM standing at the bottom of a deep cavern, after falling through an empty grave while fighting Dire Wraiths in the previous issue. The Spaceknight discovers that his rocket pods are malfunctioning, and he cannot fly out of the chasm. He quickly recalls the series of events that led to this predicament, which began with his trailing wraiths in disguise as they led a funeral procession in the rain toward the Clairton cemetery.

ROM exposed the ruse, tearing open an empty casket, and was soon attacked by a shadowy deathwing that was conjured by a wraith sorcerer. The flying foe eventually consumed the sorcerer, but interfered with ROM's circuits enough to distract him, and he fell deep within the Earth itself.

Before the sorcerer met his demise, he revealed that ROM's neutralizer, which had been stolen by wraith hellhounds a couple of issues earlier, was on its way to their Project: Safeguard headquarters in Washington, D.C. The silver Spaceknight vowed to find and retrieve his weapon, and soon summoned his energy analyzer to find out that the cave was full of energy from an unknown source. Determined to find its source, ROM moved on deeper into the cavern.

Far above, at the lip of the empty grave, an orange reptilian humanoid stood by himself. He decided to crawl down into the hole, curious about the silver being that had dispatched his fellow enemies and wanting to know more about the neutralizer that some of the wraiths had talked about, in the hopes that he could use it to vanquish them as well. We then learn that this creature goes by the Stalker of the Night, or Serpentyne.

At Clairton General Hospital, ROM's human friends Brandy Clark and Steve Jackson wait with several others, anxiously awaiting news of their friend Artie Packer's status. Packer was seriously wounded during their battle with the wraith-created thornoid in issue #7. Clark's boss still wanted to know more about the attack that happened behind locked doors, and Clark told him and the sheriff about ROM's attempts to save the town from the alien Dire Wraiths. 

As expected, their companions didn't believe Clark's story. One of the officials accused the couple of aiding a murder, and the sheriff went so far as to put handcuffs on the pair before the surgeon arrived, with the grim news that Packer had expired on the operating table just minutes earlier. The group shuffled away quietly, not knowing that the surgeon was actually a Dire Wraith in human guise. We only find out that the surgeon isn't who he appears to be when we see a ghostly alien visage appear above him after the county coroner arrives and announces that he is going to Washington, D.C. with the birth records of other citizens that ROM "murdered" who coincidentally have the exact same birth date.

Meanwhile, in the cave, ROM walks on until he finds piles of ash left behind by wraiths along with skeletons. He starts to wonder who slew his enemies and is startled by the sound of Serpentyne's voice behind him. The reptilian proclaims that he is Serpentyne, the one-eyed, the stalker in the night, and the last of his kind. He tells the Galadorian about the history of his kind. 

Serpentyne begins his tale with a nuclear bomb test in the desert, whose radiation caused several reptiles in the area's evolution to accelerate drastically. They became humanoid in form and gained intelligence. Some of the evolved reptiles chose to fight the human military members who invaded their realm, and battled until they were stopped by Ms. Marvel (aka Carol Danvers, as recounted in issues #20 & 21 of her first comic). Danvers convinced the reptiles to free the humans that they had captured, after hypnotically erasing the memories of the skirmish from their minds.

However, not all of the freed humans were indeed human. At least one wraith was in the group. Unaffected by the hypnotic erasure, he reported what he had seen to his colleagues. This led to a wraith attack on the reptiles' home. Many of their kind fought valiantly, but lost their lives in the process. After that, Serpentyne embarked on a personal mission to vanquish Dire Wraiths in retaliation for the lives of his companions that were taken in their battles. 

ROM then told Serpentyne why he came to Earth to protect the planet from the wraith threat. He went on to explain that his neutralizer banishes wraithkind to limbo, and does not destroy them. Seeking the neutralizer for his own, Serpentyne lashed out and attacked the Spaceknight, catching him off guard. ROM didn't wish to fight Serpentyne, and noted that they both sought the same end goal. He went on to express concern for the potential for great harm that could happen if his powerful weapon were wielded by anyone else.  

The two tussled underwater in a small pond until ROM's rocket pods functioned once more, and he drove them up into the air and back on land again. Serpentyne decided that he had no other alternative but to kill his opponent, and fired his blaster up at the ceiling, bringing down a sizable portion of the cavern. ROM caught the rock fragment and hurled it at his attacker, a piece of which knocked the pistol from Serpentyne's hand. 

ROM hurled himself at the reptile, stressing how they could be partners instead of enemies and battle against a common foe instead. Aggravated by Serpentyne's resistance and flat-out refusal to listen to reason, ROM reached his breaking point and flung Serpentyne through a nearby stalagmite. The reptile quickly recovers and takes the broken stalagmite into its hands as a new weapon. He fails to heed ROM's words until it is too late.

As he charges, Serpentyne trips on a skeleton and falls forward, impaling his chest with a piece of the stalagmite that broke off and pointed itself up toward him. The Spaceknight ran to his foe, who came to his senses in his dying moments. ROM wished that Serpentyne rest in peace and acknowledged that he understood just how his former adversary felt.

Writer Bill Mantlo was great at reintroducing older (and often lesser-known) characters from other titles, although I wish that Serpentyne had stayed around for more than just a couple of issues. It would have been nice to see more of his kind survive and join the fight against the Dire Wraiths. It was another great issue that was full of action and continued to move the main and sub-stories further along. 

Next time, I'll write about ROM #10, when the silver Spaceknight begins his journey toward Project: Safeguard and the goal of freeing his neutralizer from the Dire Wraiths' clutches. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #8

 Hi everyone,

Today I'm writing about the eighth Marvel issue of ROM: Spaceknight. The cover was once again drawn by Michael Golden, and it shows the titular character being attacked by what appear to be wraith-like spirits over an open gravesite. We see a tombstone for the Spaceknight just to his left and two unknown figures behind him. The story was called "Deathwing!" and the issue had a cover date of July 1980.

The first page shows the aftermath of the last issue's attack by the thornoids, a strange pink many-tentacled creature created by ROM's mortal enemies, the Dire Wraiths. It attacked our hero and his companions, Brandy Clark, Steve Jackson, and Artie Packer, in a lab where Clark works. Jackson cradles Packer in his arms, fearing that his injuries in the battle may have killed his longtime friend.

Jackson starts to express doubt in their involvement in ROM's conflict with the wraiths, which his girlfriend, Clark, protests. ROM is silent until he decides to share a story of wraiths invading Angelica, a formerly peaceful planet that his homeworld of Galador had initially settled. ROM and his fellow Spaceknights were unable to save that planet's residents, who unfortunately perished in the wraith ships' attacks. He explains to Clark and Jackson why it's so important to not let the same such tragedy happen to Earth.

Moments later, several of Clark's coworkers start inquiring about the commotion that went on from the other side of the locked door. ROM's friends start to panic, not knowing how to explain what happened to those who wouldn't understand the conflict. ROM summons his energy analyzer from subspace and learns that Packer still faintly clings to life, and could recover if he receives immediate medical assistance. He then departs to find his neutralizer, which wraith hellhounds had locked in an impenetrable force sphere a couple of issues earlier.

Brandy's coworkers break the door lock, just in time to find her and Jackson cleaning up from the thornoid battle. She tells her boss to get Packer to the hospital while she and Steve still try to figure out just how to explain the mess. Carting Artie away postpones the explanation for a while, but the lovers realize that their friend won't be able to corroborate their story. 

Later on in the day, we find out that ROM hasn't strayed too far from Clairton. He watches over a funeral procession and uses his analyzer once more, this time to determine that several individuals in the group are not human at all, but Dire Wraiths in disguise. ROM could quickly send the wraiths to limbo if he had his neutralizer and decided to head toward the crowd, thinking that some of the wraiths could tell him where his weapon had gone.

At the county coroner's office, the coroner examines the records of Clairton citizens (who were really Dire Wraiths) who seemingly died during ROM's attack at the mine in the third issue. He notices an odd coincidence: all of the citizens who passed away during that battle were born on the exact same day. He shares that information with a coworker who is secretly a wraith. The wraith leaves the office, thinking about how to resolve that issue, when a dark, clawed hand reaches out from the shadows and grabs him. In the next panel, we see a somewhat animalistic shadow of a creature who seemingly slays the disguised wraith. The human leaves the same office a little while later, having no idea of what has happened to his coworker or the threat that he unknowingly faced. However, he does not head home unobserved. 

The focus then shifts to the funeral ceremony in the steady rain. A priest leads an unusual ceremony, where patrons talk about their hated enemy, ROM. No sooner is his name spoken than the silver Spaceknight arrives. He takes a couple of coffins to reveal that no remains are inside them. He tosses them aside before the wraiths in their human guises pull out pink ray guns (drawn uniquely as only Sal Buscema could draw them) and open fire on their foe. ROM is slightly injured by the initial attack, which allows time for the priest to conjure up a deadlier opponent. In a few minutes, the gathered aliens see the dreaded deathwing that the wraith priest has brought forward. Its first blow knocks ROM backward into an empty grave. 

ROM quickly reaches out to grab the wraith priest by the throat and watches it change into several sinister-looking forms before resuming its human appearance. The priest eventually reveals that ROM's neutralizer has been taken to Project Safeguard in Washington, D.C., just before the deathwing returns for another attack. The spaceknight releases his prisoner, who is quickly snatched by the deathwing's talons and flown away from the scene. 

However, the battle isn't a total success. ROM starts to feel numbness from the deathwing's first strike, causing him to fall back into the open grave and even further down into the earth below. Moments later, only one being remains on the scene: an orange, scaly sentient creature. The one who attacked the wraith outside of the Clairton coroner's office and watched the coroner after he left earlier in the evening wonders who the silver armored being was, and thinks that he must have his neutralizer to slay the Dire Wraiths. This goal is foremost on the being named Serpentyne's mind. 

This was another great action and suspense-filled issue. Mantlo was great at creating plotlines that would gradually unfurl details and introduce new characters over the course of a year or more. Buscema was the perfect artist for this book, a sentiment I also felt about the duo's run on the Incredible Hulk that was going on at the same time. 

Next time, I'll write about issue #9, where we learn more about Serpentyne (whose race was shown in earlier issues of a more recent Marvel book) and why he wanted to dispose of the Dire Wraiths. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #7

 Hi everyone,

Today, I'll be writing about Marvel Comics' seventh issue of ROM: Spaceknight. This issue features a beautiful cover illustrated by Michael Golden, who also pencilled the first 12 issues of writer Bill Mantlo's Micronauts comic. It features Steve Jackson and Brandy Clark distraught over what appears to be an unliving silver Spaceknight, with ominous green tendrils reaching out at the trio from inside and outside their location. Its cover date was June 1980.

The story titled "As I Lay Dying!" lets the reader know early on that the title blurbs are a bit of an homage to George Lucas' Star Wars franchise. We begin with Jackson using an acetylene torch on the underside of a hydraulic lift upon which the unconscious ROM rests. Jackson's police officer pal Artie (whom we met last issue) lifts the tarp to check in on his friend. 

Jackson admits to his friend that he is helping the alien that most of the town of Clairton, West Virginia, had presumed to be a killer (not knowing that the ones he had attacked were Dire Wraiths whom he had banished to limbo). Artie is about ready to turn his old comrade in when he sees the form of a strange (and somewhat Jack Kirby-esque) hellhound who passed on during his battle with ROM last issue. Jackson also showed him ROM's neutralizer, still frozen in its force field. Jackson still doesn't know how to revive his silver savior, and decides to call his girlfriend Brandy Clark (who was the first townsperson to encounter ROM shortly after his arrival on Earth in the debut issue), and convinces Artie to help him load the heavy Spaceknight into his patrol car.

Jackson, Artie, and ROM leave the scene, not knowing that the coast wasn't clear. We soon see three telepathic hellhounds enter from the nearby foliage and go to Jackson's garage. They find their deceased companion and mourn him quickly, before they and another wraith in human disguise find ROM's neutralizer, still encased in the protective force sphere that one of their companions constructed. The hellhounds leave the scene with the neutralizer, and the remaining wraith transforms into a bird, on his way to inform his elders about ROM's departure. 

Meanwhile, at the top-secret Project Safeguard headquarters in Washington, D.C., wraith agent Rachel Sweet informs the Most High One that their enemy's neutralizer will soon be on its way to them. The blue-skinned alien (whose face we never see in the comic) waves one hand above a mysterious crystal, as he takes in the news and starts to conjure forth another deadly enemy. The leader also decides to let the as-yet-unknown thornoids take care of the incapacitated Spaceknight. 

The focus then shifts to ROM, Jackson, Artie, and Clark in the pharmaceutical laboratory where Brandy works. The trio of humans wheel ROM, resting silently on a cart, toward a nearby lab for analysis. They soon find an empty room and start efforts to revive their alien friend. At the same time, rain begins to fall outside, and with it, seeds begin to drop from the upper atmosphere, but these are seeds that no one on Earth has ever seen before.

The seeds soon sprout strange-looking pink tendrils that grow rapidly and sprout thorns. These are the thornoids that the Most High One mentioned several pages earlier. Clark connects ROM to an electroencephalogram and thinks that the Spaceknight is emitting some brainwave activity from reading the screen. Jackson fills Clark in on their skirmish with the hellhounds at his garage. Artie keeps watch, knowing that their peace won't last for very long.

Jackson helps his girlfriend operate the machinery while Artie looks on, still not quite believing what he's seeing. Jackson expresses doubts in their abilities to revive ROM, which sets Clark off as she tearfully defends the Spaceknight and accuses Steve of jealousy.

Just as Clark throws herself at the silver suit of armor, one of the windows breaks, and a long, thorned tentacle enters the room. Several more tendrils join the first one, and the thornoid emits an eerie wail. The humans are startled, and Artie draws his service revolver to defend his friends, but he soon finds his gun hand ensnared by one of the tendrils. Jackson throws a chair at the thornoid, but both of their efforts do little to affect the wraith-made terror. 

The thornoid then attacks Clark, and she finds that the beaker of acid she tossed at it is effective. The tendrils soon backed Clark and Jackson into a corner. All looks hopeless, until ROM rises up to defend them. He rips at the thornoid with both hands and manages to tear off several tendrils. He is ensnared by more tendrils until he lowers his armor's temperature and simply breaks the frozen limbs, freeing himself in the process.

Jackson and Clark take advantage of the moment to strike back at the thornoid. Jackson grabs a fire extinguisher and points the foam at ROM s opponent. The combined assault proves to be successful, and the wraith creature is easily defeated. As they look at the wreckage that the battle created, the trio can relax for a minute. ROM explains how Jackson was able to help him reactivate his armor, but they soon find that Artie may have been a casualty of the skirmish.

This was another action-packed issue, full of growing suspense and excitement. Unfortunately, this was the only appearance of thornoids in this comic. It would have been nice to see them again, but they were just one of many wraith menaces. 

Next time, I'll write about ROM: Spaceknight #8, where we learn Arnie's fate and find out just what kind of evil the Most High One was conjuring at Project Safeguard. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight#6

 Hi everyone,

I'm taking some time today to write about Marvel's 6th issue of ROM: Spaceknight. The cover drawn by Marvel artist/writer/editor Al Milgrom features the titular character under attack by "Hell Hounds of the Black Nebula!" The issue had a cover date of May 1980.

The story titled "Dog Day Afternoon!" begins with ROM leaving the back of his friend Steve Jackson's truck in front of the small automotive garage that Jackson owns and operates. He and his girlfriend Brandy Clark brought their Spaceknight friend to a place where the trio thought they would be at least safe from Dire Wraiths, ROM's mortal enemies who had infiltrated our planet. 

Clark still seems a bit shellshocked after seeing people she once knew fade into ash, even though ROM reminded her that those individuals were actually wraiths in disguise that he had banished to limbo. Jackson departs momentarily before returning with sandwiches and coffee from a nearby convenience store, not knowing if the Spaceknight even eats or drinks. ROM reveals that his suit instead consumes energy, and reaches up for an overhead lightbulb to refill his circuits' energy supply. ROM is shocked to learn that humans must pay for energy after hearing how expensive his energy replenishment efforts would be to his friend in the long term.

Jackson offers to drive Clark to her job, as ROM turns on his armor's rest mode. While the suit recharges and makes necessary repairs, his mind drifts back to his love, Ray-Na, back on Galador. On the way to his car, Jackson and Clark stop to talk with Clairton police officer Arte, who asks the couple if they've seen anything suspicious or odd recently, like he has. ROM's friends quickly say no, but wonder briefly how safe their silver savior will be in the garage. 

Back at the top-secret Project Pegasus base in Washington, D.C., a research department led by Dire Wraiths in human disguises starts to analyze the failed Stryker in the Firefall Spaceknight armor. Stryker screams out in pain, knowing that he is still bonded to the alien armor. Agent Rachel Sweet pierces the armor with a strange device that pumps a sedative into Stryker's blood system, causing their test subject to instantly fall asleep.

Sweet and SHIELD agent Kraller then depart for a board meeting with other wraiths, including their leader, the Most High One. Even though we don't see their leader's face, readers can tell by his ominous appearance that he is not pleased with his underlings' failure. He reaches out a blue hand and emits twin beams from his eyes that hypnotize Kraller. The faux government agent walks slowly toward his own demise, a shadowy Deathwing that devours the wraith in a matter of moments.

The wraith leader then announces that their group will no longer have any association with Earth's Supreme Headquarters for Strategic Intelligence and Law Enforcement. Instead, Dr. Sweet will coordinate their efforts. Her face starts to clench after having witnessed the ultimate penalty for disappointing their leader.

Not far from Jackson's garage, a pair of what used to be Doberman Pinschers search for ROM. The animals have been tainted by wraith magic to serve as their telepathic tracking scouts. After they begin to howl, the collars around the dogs' necks start to glow, and they transform into hooded alien entities that can phase through solid objects, like the trees in the forest they had just been searching. 

The former dogs glide in the air until they find ROM's location. Thankfully, the Spaceknight is alerted to their presence before they begin to phase into the wall behind him. However, just as he summons his neutralizer from subspace, one of the hellhounds disrupts his circuits by trying to phase through the silver armor. ROM learns how wraith magic and science have twisted man's faithful companions into evil emissaries for their cause. 

A short battle ensues, one that forces ROM to drop his neutralizer after being attacked once more. The hellhounds place an invisible force sphere around the weapon that the Spaceknight can't break open, no matter how hard he tries. They roar and use their magic abilities to send tires and even a car hoisted up on a lift in the garage down on their opponent.

ROM fights off these attacks and eventually charges at one of his foes. The duo smashes through the back of one of the garage walls, just as Jackson witnesses the altercation, having just returned from dropping Clark off at her workplace. Even as he battles, ROM warns Steve about the hounds from the Dark Nebula. One of the aliens springs toward Jackson, who sprays it with gas from a nearby pump and flicks his lighter, and hurls it at his opponent, setting his assailant ablaze and howling in pain. 

At the same time, ROM continues to wrestle with his own foe. Finally having unentangled himself from the power cords that they were both tied together in before crashing through the wall, the Spaceknight ends the skirmish by lifting and tossing the hellhound (who still had part of the cable twisted around its body) into an open vat of water, electrocuting the beast and ending its tortured life. 

ROM pauses for a moment to rest on a soda machine before telling Jackson that his armor absorbed more electrical current than it could hold, and he then crashed to the ground, seemingly unconscious or even dead. Jackson is left there stunned, not knowing what to do next.

I really enjoyed this issue. I felt that it introduced a new element and was the first of many such wraith deviations that writer Bill Mantlo would devise. The only complaint I had was that we never get to see the Most High One's face, and that character actually fades into obscurity after significant events that happen later on in the comic's run. It was still a great story full of action and suspense. The letters page even has a nice bio of "our pal," artist Sal Buscema, following the profile on Mantlo in issue #5.

Next time, I'll write about the seventh issue of ROM: Spaceknight, where we learn if he will recover and what happened to his neutralizer, which was seemingly forgotten after being encased in an impenetrable force sphere by the pair of hellhounds. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #5

 Hi everyone,

Today, I'll be reviewing the fifth issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight. The cover was something that longtime Marvel readers might associate with some of the publisher's previous horror or monster comics. It teased an appearance of Doctor Strange, and the issue was published in April 1980.

The story titled "A House Is Not A Home!" began almost immediately after ROM's confrontation with Archie Stryker, who donned a suit of Spaceknight armor that had previously been occupied by ROM's fellow Galadorian Karas, also known as Firefall. ROM, Brandy Clark, and her boyfriend Steve Jackson hide behind a tree while police officers and their canine units search the area in an attempt to discover the source of the damage that the road sustained. 

While the humans confide in each other, ROM thinks about how Clark reminds him of his beloved Ray-Na and the night they spent together before he donned his cyborg suit of armor and left his home planet to battle the dreaded Dire Wraith menace. 

A few minutes later, officers find the wrecked Spaceknight armor with the unconscious Stryker still inside. A few more familiar agents then intercede and float the armor into an awaiting vehicle. One of the agents looks inside the wrecked car and finds the nearby piles of ash that sat where their former Wraith comrades once were. The wraiths posing as government officials request that the area be blocked off. 

ROM notices the wraiths' actions just before one of them brings a pair of dogs from the back of a van. The dogs quickly pick up the Spaceknight's scent and are about to lead the villains to the heroes until ROM flies off, carrying Jackson and Clark with him. The dogs bark angrily, and several wraiths pull out strange-looking guns which they fire at the escaping Galadorian and his companions. 

ROM deftly evades the enemy fire, but his escape only arouses suspicion among the humans who don't know about the wraiths. One of the wraiths, in his guise as SHIELD Agent Kraller, continues to agitate the humans before he and another agent (posing as Agent Rachel Sweet) take off in their van. They talk about their interactions with the humans, not knowing that Stryker is awake and listening as they discuss how they deceived him.

As the wraith fan departs, the human officers find their actions and words a bit odd, but nothing out of the ordinary, apparently. ROM flies on, thinking for a moment about how Clark makes him long to be loved as a human once more, before landing near an old, abandoned house. They go through the open door and look around. Jackson lights a candle before sitting down to rest next to Clark. ROM sits in a nearby chair and rests. Not long afterward, he sees images of a human (who we know as Doctor Strange) in this very house. He calls out to the dweller in the shadows, proclaiming that he knows its secret.

Puzzled, ROM looks around, seeing mists swirling around him, and looks down to find his legs bound by several strands of mist that quickly become solid. Soon, he sees a pair of arms growing from the wall, whose hands are about to grab his sleeping friends. ROM strikes angrily, breaking the bonds that tied him to the chair. 

ROM's neutralizer then appears in his right hand, and he pulls the trigger, shooting a beam of energy at the attacker, who shrieks in pain after being hit. This causes the ghoulish hands to retreat back into the wall, but then ROM is attacked from behind by the table that he had just sat in front of a few minutes earlier. The table crushes down onto the Spaceknight's back, and he is momentarily trapped, while he sees Clark and Jackson being carried off by mists.

ROM rises and breaks the table, and reaches up to grab his friends, awakening them in the process. Once he knows that the humans are safe, he summons his energy analyzer, who identifies the being as the House of Shadows, which debuted in Strange Tales #120 way back in 1964. He then replaces the analyzer with his translator, and the apparition tells ROM the tale of his battle with Earth's Sorcerer Supreme.  

The being also revealed that Dire Wraiths had freed him from limbo during an attempt to save their colleagues from that otherworldly dimension. The dweller swore to never return to limbo and tried to burn ROM with magic flames as he strove to save Clark and Jackson. ROM retaliated by attacking the dweller with his neutralizer. 

As the house soon burst into flames, ROM flew off once more, bringing his friends outside before using his neutralizer one final time to banish his foe once more to limbo, where he had just sent several Dire Wraiths to in earlier issues. The house disappeared and the trio was safe...for the moment. 

This issue had even more of the 1950's and 1960's science fiction suspense that I grew to respect and appreciate. Mantlo and Buscema's efforts were excellent as usual. It also marked the first of many appearances by Marvel Universe characters in this magazine. Since ROM was a licensed property, it wasn't a sure thing that they would or could even be able to allow other well-established heroes and villains interact in this magazine. 

Next time, I'll review issue #6, where we see the a wraith deviant for the first time. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #4

Even though I wasn't initially impressed by the cover for ROM #4, it was well worth buying to see the conclusion of the battle between ROM and Archie Stryker, a human who was grafted into the Firefall armor. The story was called "The Fire, The Friend and the Foe," and had a cover date of March 1980.

The issue began with another trademark Sal Buscema action image, this time of ROM locked in combat with Stryker in Earth's atmosphere. For the first several pages, both combatants seem evenly matched, although Stryker seems to be fighting with rage in his heart, wishing to avenge the humans that he mistakenly thought ROM had killed, not knowing that the beings in question were actually Dire Wraiths disguised as humans that ROM had dispatched to limbo.

As the battle raged on, we see Brandy Clark riding in a car with two government agents. One of them notices the living fire of Firefall and uses a strange-looking device to communicate with others. Clark then realizes that her companions in the car aren't from the government, and tries to take the steering wheel. A brief struggle ensues until one of the wraiths posing as a government agent manages to use chloroform on Clark to send her drifting off into sleep. Undaunted, the wraiths drive on, not knowing that Clark's boyfriend Steve Jackson has been following them in his own car.

The attention then turns back to the battle between Stryker and ROM. At first, ROM seems to be knocked out, and he falls back to Earth, landing near an entrance to the hidden base that he discovered in the previous issue. He no sooner gets to his feet when he is attacked by more wraiths in human guises, whom he quickly sends to the limbo dimension with his neutralizer. 

Stryker lands close by after seeing what he thinks is the murder of more human beings, and he recalls his first experience witnessing ROM's neutralizer in action and the events that led to his donning Spaceknight armor. He renews his attack on ROM, and the living fire is pitted against neutralizer ray. ROM then uses his energy analyzer and learns that Stryker has been biologically grafted to his old friend Firefall's Spaceknight armor. Stryker continues to fight back, and the battle continues.

Meanwhile, Jackson's car catches up with the one driven by the wraiths, with Clark now their unconscious passenger. Their car speeds up, and one wraith fires an alien weapon at Jackson's vehicle. The ray misses the car, but after it strikes a nearby ridge, Steve discovers that the weapon wasn't man-made. He then starts to believe Brandy's story that ROM had been attacked by the alien Dire Wraiths. He presses his foot down harder on the gas pedal, renewing his pursuit. In the leading car, the wraiths move on to their destination, not knowing as they prepare to fire again that Clark was just faking her unconsciousness.

At the same time, ROM can effect the repairs to his armor and dispatch the living flame rings that Stryker threw at him. He goes on the offensive and manages to knock Stryker down to the ground, just a few feet in front of the wraiths' car. Brandy manages to knock one of the wraiths out of the speeding car and can distract the wraith driver enough for him to crash the vehicle into the side of the road. Then she jumps out and into the arms of her boyfriend. Both of them watch in astonishment as the driver's body turns to gray ash, just like the other wraiths that Clark witnessed ROM send to limbo.

ROM stands feet apart from Stryker and recounts a story of him and the original Firefall years before they were Spaceknights on their home planet of Galador. They were swimming, and ROM recalls how his friend Karas saved him from drowning and later became the first Galadorian to inhabit the Firefall armor. Karas soared into battle to meet the oncoming Dire Wraith fleet during their first encounter as Spaceknights, and ROM did not see him again. He thought that his friend had perished in the attack. Stryker crudely dismisses the story and doubts ROM's good intentions. This angers the silver Spaceknight, who opts to use his fists to settle the conflict.

Our hero is driven to such rage that we've never witnessed before. While Jackson shields Clark from the fight with his body, ROM mercilessly pummels the less experienced Spaceknight until Stryker's armor is nothing but a battered mess. A punch to the face ends the skirmish, shattering Stryker's clear faceplate. ROM is clearly the winner. 

ROM, Jackson, and Clark take a few moments to reflect after the battle. ROM seems to have impressed himself at not slaying his opponent, even though Jackson pointed out that Stryker would surely have slayed him if he were able to. ROM expressed sorrow for his opponent, who realizes in the last panel that he can't remove the Spaceknight armor that was grafted to his body. 

Going into this issue, I knew that the action would intensify, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Mantlo, Buscema, and company kept things rolling along at a good pace all the way until the battle's ending. I saw a side of ROM that I didn't expect, and he rallied a couple of formerly skeptical people to his side. Those themes would resonate throughout a good portion of the title's run. 

That's all for now. Next time, I'll review ROM: Spaceknight issue #5, when ROM encounters a character that most Marvelites hadn't seen for quite some time. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #3

 Hi everyone,

Today I'm writing about ROM: Spaceknight issue #3, which features an excellent cover drawn by Frank Miller and inked by Terry Austin. The cover shows ROM dispatching multiple Dire Wraiths to limbo. The story is called Firefall, and the issue has a cover date of February 1980.

The story begins with several people assembled in a conference room as a S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law Development) agent narrates a video presentation that shows ROM appearing to be attacking civilians. In reality, the footage is of the Spaceknight battling wraiths disguised as humans. 

One of the audience members is Archie Stryker, who was introduced last issue. He becomes visibly agitated by the scenes unfolding on the screen. One of the government officials in attendance offers to drop Stryker's charges in exchange for his cooperation in a project that the agents have been working on. 

Meanwhile, ROM stands on a quiet ridge and broods, replaying the acts of the last several days on Earth in his mind. He also thinks back to the day that he decided to forego his humanity and have his body grafted to his armored shell. 

Just after he recounts the first time he looked upon himself after the procedure, ROM brings forth his energy analyzer and detects wraith presence in the nearby vicinity. He flies off to investigate.

At the same time, young Brandy Clark remembers her first encounter with ROM (from the debut issue) as she drives home, weary once more after another long day. She's stunned to find her apartment ransacked and a couple of strangers in her home. The two men identify themselves as government agents and ask Clark what she knows about ROM. 

Next, we see Stryker run through a danger-filled obstacle course. Stryker completes the course unscathed and impresses the government agents who were observing his progress. They lead him to a nearby building, where a surprise awaits: a suit of glowing, empty Spaceknight armor. The scientist in charge and the agents express their intent to have Stryker occupy the suit of armor. 

We then see ROM fly into a vast tunnel, where he finds a secret hidden laboratory. Summoning his energy analyzer from subspace, he soon learns that Dire Wraiths are operating the complex machinery. He calls out to them, startling several wraiths. ROM sends a couple of wraiths to limbo, but the remaining aliens decide to fight back. One wraith tries to ram a forklift into the Spaceknight. He is quickly sent to limbo, and then ROM hurls the wrecked vehicle into the nearby satellite dish, destroying it. The damage instantly affects local television reception, phone lines, and other electronics.

Brandy's parents and her boyfriend Steve Jackson's car are impacted by the destruction. At first, some think that an electrical storm caused the issues. Jackson overcomes his car's problems as he rushes to find Brandy. Unfortunately, he arrives at her apartment building only to find her apartment trashed and his girlfriend nowhere in sight.

As ROM continues his assault on the wraith stronghold, another opponent enters the fray silently: Stryker in the golden Spaceknight armor. He attacks ROM with the living fire that his suit's former occupant was well known for on ROM's home planet of Galador. Recognizing the fire, at first, ROM assumes that his old friend Firefall is attacking him. He dispatches the artificial flames and asks his Spaceknight comrade to cease his attack.

The issue ends with the revelation that Firefall does not occupy the Spaceknight armor. Instead, Stryker has taken over the armor and intends to slay the silver Spaceknight, in retaliation for what he believed was the murder of several of his fellow humans. 

Ending on a cliffhanger and a bonus ROM pinup page were nice touches. I liked how the suspense was built after only three issues. After reading this issue for the first time, I wanted to know more about Firefall, Stryker, and the wraiths that ROM discovered in their secret hideout. This was just one treat for me at the time, as Mantlo and Buscema were writing and drawing both this title and the Incredible Hulk at the same time. It really was a great time to be a comic book fan. 

Next time, I'll write about ROM: Spaceknight #4, which concludes the ROM/Firefall conflict. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM Spaceknight #2

 Hi everyone,

It's time for me to write about the second issue of ROM: Spaceknight #2. This issue was titled "Second Coming!" It has a cover date of January 1980.

The issue begins with ROM breaking through a window, just as thieves are attempting to break into a company's vault. ROM quickly summons his energy analyzer from subspace to determine if any of the individuals are his hated enemies, the Dire Wraiths.

Only one of the crooks is actually a wraith, who manages to call his fellow alien beings while his companions keep the Spaceknight occupied. ROM quickly destroys a laser cannon that was operated by Archie Stryker to subdue the hero. The wraith soon sought refuge in the vault, but ROM tore open the vault door with his hands. The wraith used his laser weapon against the Spaceknight, to little effect, as he was soon banished to limbo by ROM's neutralizer. 

Before disappearing to the otherworldly dimension, the wraith managed to press the master control button that set off the rest of the laser cannons in the facility. Having vanquished his foe, ROM soon flew off, having completed his mission, just as the complex was surrounded by police officers, who took the remaining crooks (including Stryker) into custody.

The next day, Brandy Clark's boyfriend Steve Jackson arrives at her parents' home to comfort her after her encounters with the Spaceknight. The family doctor is already there and has diagnosed Brandy with a mild case of shock. Brandy tells her boyfriend about what happened and expresses support for the armored alien, even though her parents seem to doubt her. 

Frustrated, Brandy runs outside to the backyard, where Jackson once more offers his consolation. After his departure, Brandy and the family dog Tempest walk quietly along the property until they discover someone is hiding in the gazebo. It turns out to be ROM, who has returned to update Brandy on his latest experience with Dire Wraiths. Unbeknownst to both of them, Jackson secretly watched their conversation in shock and disbelief.

We then see a wraith who had fled the small town of Clairton, West Virginia, in the last issue, who has since transformed into a bird, make its way to a secure chamber at the Pentagon, where other wraiths were waiting for her. On page 18, we see the first transformation of a Dire Wraith into its natural alien shape before transforming once more into the guise of a human being. The newly arrived wraith recounts ROM's arrival on Earth. The group of Dire Wraiths commits itself to their primary goal of destroying the despised Spaceknight. 

Back in Clairton, Jackson leaps from his hiding spot to try to rescue his girlfriend from the Spaceknight, whom he assumes has evil intentions. ROM quietly materializes his energy analyzer and points it at Jackson, who is bathed in light but unharmed. He explains to Brandy that he had made sure that Jackson was not a wraith. 

Before his interruption, Jackson called the local police, who are now surrounding the Clark homestead. In the back of one of the police cars sits captured crook Archie Stryker, who tells the officer (who he doesn't know at the time is secretly a Dire Wraith) about the Spaceknight that he encountered earlier. The officer reaches into the car's glove compartment and pulls out a strange-looking device while he dismisses his knowledge of ROM as ongoing military intelligence. 

Soldiers soon shoot at ROM, not knowing that bullets merely bounce off of his silver armor. Unfortunately, Tempest is caught in the barrage of bullets and dies. The unnecessary loss of life angers ROM, who reaches out to grab the empty gazebo and tosses it at his attackers. Some of the soldiers man a futuristic laser cannon and fire at ROM once. The Spaceknight is briefly stunned by the blast, but manages to fly up and land on the weapon, destroying it. 

Inside the police car that Stryker rode in, the officer depresses a button on the strange implement in his hand, which activates a sonic weapon that assaults ROM's senses. The Clarks and Jackson continue to watch the events as they unfurl, and Brandy is pleading for someone to help the Spaceknight while being held back safely in Jackson's arms. 

ROM eventually makes his way to the squad car, and brings forth his energy analyzer once more. He soon learns that the officer is indeed a Dire Wraith, and that his passenger in the back seat (Stryker) is human. ROM frees Stryker from the car and quickly tosses the car before using his neutralizer to send the wraith to limbo.

Having witnessed the banishment, Brandy's parents think that the Spaceknight murdered the police chief, not understanding that he was merely banished to another dimension. Jackson seems to agree with their assessment, and the quartet draws further away from ROM. The Spaceknight quietly soars away, while several of the humans on the ground, including Stryker, loudly curse him for his actions in the melee. 

Well, that's all for now. ROM #2 is another masterful example of quality storytelling from writer Bill Mantlo, penciler and inker Sal Buscema, colorist Glynis Wein, and letterer John Costanza. Next time, I'll write about the third issue of ROM: Spaceknight, in which we see ROM confront a different Spaceknight. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Retro Comic Review: ROM Spaceknight #1

 Hi everyone,

I know I haven't posted anything in a while - life's been busy. I finally have a break in my schedule where I can start a new series of blog articles. I wanted to begin this series with one of my favorite comic book characters, ROM: Spaceknight.

ROM was originally a toy robot produced by Parker Brothers. It had lights and sound, and included a translator, neutralizer, and energy analyzer accessories. You could even see a headshot of the robot with its red penlight eyes in an issue of TIME Magazine. Unfortunately, the toy didn't sell very well and was quickly forgotten by retailers and children.

The character was one of several licensed properties for which Marvel Comics created titles in the 1970s. They also created books based on Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, The Man From Atlantis (a short-lived TV movie and TV series starring Patrick Duffy), Logan's Run, Godzilla and the Shogun Warriors, and Micronauts toy lines.

Bill Mantlo was the primary writer on the series' entire run, which spanned 75 issues and 4 annuals. Sal Buscema was the main artist on this book for most of the run, before leaving in the early 1980s. Former Amazing Spider-Man and Doctor Strange artist Steve Ditko took over the penciling chores for the last year and a half of the book's run before it was cancelled.

Time to dig into the first issue, titled "Arrival." It featured an impressive cover by Daredevil writer/artist Frank Miller, and had a cover date of December 1979.

The splash page that was penciled and inked by Buscema was featured in several Marvel print publication ads and showed the silver Spaceknight's landing on Earth, in the fictional town of Clairton, West Virginia. To our knowledge, his arrival was only witnessed by Brandy Clark, a laboratory worker who was driving home from her job when ROM appeared suddenly on the highway. 

Panicked, Clark almost crashed her car until ROM saved her. Still in shock, Clark left her vehicle, not knowing what the alien would do to her. ROM summoned his energy analyzer from subspace to determine if she was a Dire Wraith, one of ROM's mortal enemies. Discovering that she was not, he left the young woman scared but at peace.

The next day, we get a glimpse of small town life in Clairton, which looked much like many other towns of its size in that era. ROM then reappeared in the middle of the town square and brought forth his energy analyzer once more. Finding his quarry, he then dispatched the analyzer to be replaced by his neutralizer. The crimson beam sang its song of banishment, as the Dire Wraiths in the milling crowd were sent off to limbo. Their seemingly human bodies were replaced by piles of grey ash.

Not knowing what had just happened, shocked citizens called the alien ROM a murderer. His actions were soon discovered by other wraiths who had already infiltrated the US government. 

After banishing the wraiths, ROM recognized Clark in the stunned crowd. He took her to a quiet locale outside of town and summoned his translator, which allowed him to understand and speak English. He explained that the people he neutralized were not humans, but indeed alien Dire Wraiths. He also told Clark about the origin of his people's crusade against the wraiths, which started 200 years ago near his home planet of Galador. 

His world had been a peaceful one until one of their starship squadrons was suddenly attacked by wraith ships and a hideous dark Deathwing. The Deathwing overtook and overpowered the Galadorian spaceships and left no survivors. Afterward, Galador's Prime Director realized the seriousness of the wraith threat and soon asked citizens to sacrifice their humanity to save their planet. ROM was the first person to volunteer for this task. 

Millions of Galadorians volunteered, but only a select few were chosen to become Spaceknights. These brave souls had their humanity grafted onto cold metal suits of armor. Their human genes were integrated with cyborg circuits. The suits were equipped with rocket pods that would allow flight into space, and each knight was given a unique weapon and/or ability. 

Once the first Spaceknights were ready for battle, they soared off into outer space to form a defensive front against the wraiths. A fierce battle ensued, with casualties on both sides. In the end, only ROM was able to defeat the Deathwing, and after leading his comrades to victory, was soon called the greatest of the Spaceknights.

After telling that tale, ROM explained to Brandy that the wraiths that she saw disappear could change their form and had been shunted off into an extradimensional limbo by his neutralizer. Clark was still skeptical about the spaceman's words, which he tried to defend until he was fired upon by members of the US military. 

The military and several concerned citizens were convinced that ROM was an alien menace. Those fears were goaded in part by the wraiths in the audience who spoke against the silver Spaceknight. Another battle ensued, and ROM was fired upon by weapons that were made by both Earthlings and Dire Wraiths. After being hit by a laser blast from a wraith weapon, ROM used his neutralizer to send his attacker to limbo.

More wraiths went to grab the fallen disruptor pistol and subdue Clark. Upon hearing Clark's cries for help, ROM turned and neutralized the wraiths, who would menace him no more. ROM seemed to have won the battle, but the war on Earth had really just begun.

Clark was left alone once more, as ROM soared off after the conflict. She was still confused by what had happened, but a seed of belief in the Spaceknight had been planted that day. It was also the start of the wraiths who had already assembled on Earth to take action against their Spaceknight enemies. 

This 18-page story is full of action and suspense. The first time I read it, I was reminded of old Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits episodes, where Earthlings were pitted against alien menaces from other worlds. Brandy Clark would go on to become a major character during the title's run, and Dire Wraiths have been included in the Marvel universe long after the title ended and Marvel lost the rights to the character.

ROM was also included in Marvel Two-In-One #99 and Power Man and Iron Fist #73, which was the first of a two-part story that continued in ROM #23. He also had a very brief cameo in the first Contest of Champions limited series.

In 2016, IDW published a new version of ROM that ran for 14 issues and 1 annual. It was followed by a few limited series (including crossovers with the Micronauts and Transformers and a 3-issue Dire Wraith miniseries) and one-shots. Buscema returned to ink a few backup stories that ran in IDW's ROM title before it was cancelled.

Not long after IDW's relaunch of the character, a 3/34" ROM action figure that came with a figure stand and neutralizer was released as part of a ComicCon exclusive pack with their version of Dire Wraiths. Earlier this year, Hasbro released a 6-inch ROM action figure that comes with a neutralizer, energy analyzer, laser blast attachment, 2 extra hands, and a small replica of the original ROM #1 comic book.

ROM was one of the first non-Star Wars Marvel titles that I ever read. I received a copy of ROM #19 (along with Marvel Two-In-One #76) when I was 8 years old, and was captivated by the story and artwork. I eventually went on to collect as much as I could about the character, one that I feel is very underrated. 

If you can't collect the original versions, Marvel has recently started releasing omnibuses and Epic Illustrated collections of these books, including a Marvel Tales one-shot that reprinted ROM's skirmishes with the X-Men and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. If you want something different and fun to read, I highly recommend them.

Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about ROM: Spaceknight #2, a story titled "Second Coming." It features ROM's battle in a laserium and another supporting character who would soon play an important role in the title. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.