Hi everyone,
Today I'm writing about Marvel's thirteenth issue of ROM: Spaceknight. The cover featured our hero in his shining armor, flanked by fellow Spaceknights in suits of armor that are a somewhat darker shade of gray. It marked the beginning of the Saga of the Spaceknights bonus story arc, and the issue had a cover date of December 1980.
The first page resumed the main storyline, and that tale was called "Peril, Thy Name Is Plunderer!" We see ROM's Spaceknight armor washed up on rocks on a coastline, where it caught the attention of a dog named Teaser and its owner, a young girl who hears ROM's soft cry for help. She throws out a fishing net and tries to slowly bring the alien to shore. She relies on the tide to help accomplish her task. ROM slowly rises on the beach, but doesn't know who he is.
The girl identifies the Spaceknight's condition as amnesia and guides him to a nearby cave, where he waits for her to return. While he sits, ROM's mind fills with images of people, including himself, whose names are foreign to him.
At the same time, reporter "Ace" O'Connor is in a photo lab at the Washington Weekly magazine, developing the pictures that she took during ROM's skirmish with the Jack of Hearts at Project: Safeguard. As she reviews her photos, one of them catches her immediate attention. That particular image shows Rachel Sweet, a former Project employee, and a strange, alien shape behind her human face. O'Connor starts to wonder if ROM wasn't lying about the people he banished, who were Dire Wraiths in disguise.
The focus then returns to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, where the silver Spaceknight was found in the vicinity at the beginning of this issue. Young Talley Lansing, who rescued ROM, is bringing dinner to her father, who has been busy manning his post. Talley then returns to the house and grabs a flashlight, telling her mother that she and her dog Teaser will be out for a walk. Her parents are unaware of their alien visitor or the purpose of their daughter's excursion.
Talley finds that the Spaceknight had been waiting as she had instructed. He soon grabbed her flashlight and consumed its energy. The cave was dark for only moments before another light source caught the trio's attention. This time, the light emanated from a large hydrofoil, which was leading several smaller boats behind it. The lead craft was commanded by the Plunderer. Parnival Plunder (whose brother is the hero Ka-Zar) had captured the vessels behind him and their cargo. Talley and ROM stood watching as the girl explained to the alien what was going on.
Describing the pirates' evil reminded ROM of another evil, one that he couldn't quite place exactly. ROM decided to take action against the pirates and advised his young friend to advise her father of the intruders. The Spaceknight then flew off to combat the invaders. Just as one of the Plunderer's guards told several captives of his boss' desire to own their boats, ROM stepped in. He tore the guard's gun apart with his bare hands, an action that caused the human guard to faint in disbelief.
Our hero then freed the boat owners and their crews and told them to leave. The humans explained that the underground channel they were in was the only way out, and expressed their desire to get their boats back. ROM chose to help the humans accomplish that goal, but not before one of the sailors warned him of the dangerous weapons the pirates possessed. ROM was determined to overcome the evil, and the boaters rallied behind him, following as he took off in search of the invaders.
ROM landed on the hydrofoil and was quickly shot at with laser guns. He was nicked by one blast and subconsciously brought his neutralizer forth from subspace. He instinctively reacted by returning fire at the gun that had just fired at him, destroying the laser cannon and drawing the attention of Plunder himself. Parvnival introduced himself to his foe and explained his intent of creating an impressive smuggling network. He also stated that he was searching for the powerful metal vibranium to fuel his weapons.
During the speech, ROM stated his observation that the small fleet was no longer under the pirates' control. Indeed, as Parnival turned around, he saw that the boat owners and their companions were rebelling against his crew. He then lashed out at the Spaceknight with his own hand cannon, whose blast went up against ROM's neutralizer ray. The neutralizer ray won the battle, but then Plunder fired his weapon directly at ROM's unprotected body. He cried out in pain, and in his agony, he remembered who he was.
Coast Guard sirens signaled the arrival of help, including Talley and her father on one Coast Guard boat. Plunder's henchmen were rounded up at gunpoint, but the villain still made a dash to escape capture. He sped away in his hydrofoil until ROM rose up to confront him once more. This time, Plunder's vibragun was no threat to the Spaceknight.
The hydrofoil was damaged by a jutting coral reef and the ensuing movement caused Plunder, who was in the process of firing his weapon, to aim the beam at the vessel's engine. The resultant explosion was seen from a safe distance by the Coast Guard boats and freed boat owners. Talley and her companions presumed that her silver friend had perished in the explosion.
The second story began the Saga of the Spaceknights. This tale began some 200 years ago on ROM's home planet of Galador, not long after the first Spaceknights were grafted to their suits of armor. The planet's Prime Director held up a globe of power and announced the beginning of the funeral rites for the valiant heroes who had sacrificed their lives while battling the dread Dire Wraiths.
We then see several fallen Spaceknights, encased in transparent coffins. Their loved ones climbed the steps to honor the deceased before the glowing globe that held the power of the planet's suns released the energy it contained and dispersed the living fire to absorb the fallen heroes. Their clear coffins then stood empty before the citizens who had assembled.
ROM briefly reflected on the cost their war had inflicted on their populace and bode them well in the afterlife. Family members continued to congregate around the surviving Spaceknights, including ROM's lady love, Ray-Na. The lovers embraced, but the Prime Director reminded everyone that their conflict with the wraiths had not ceased. Our hero protested, reminding his leader how he and his colleagues had driven their foes back into deep space. He declared the war to be over, but the Prime Director reminded him that the wraiths would still attack other worlds, including planets that needed the protection of the Spaceknights.
Incredulous, the silver Spaceknight asked why the struggle must continue, thinking that it was enough just for them to have given up their own humanity to defend their planet. His leader admitted that he could not order the warriors to continue the fight, and acknowledged that no one would chastise the first of the Spaceknights if he chose to give up his armor and return to his normal life. The words of his beloved, who reinforced the fact that other worlds were not as lucky as theirs, convinced ROM to continue the battle and encouraged his fellow soldiers to not give up until the war had actually been won.
The two-story approach was something that writer Bill Mantlo was also doing for the Micronauts title at the same time, and it reminded me of earlier split books like Tales to Astonish and Tales of Suspense. It's a concept that Marvel has revived briefly at various periods. Both stories were impressive, and Sal Buscema's artwork continued to shine. I didn't know much about Plunder except for his relation to Ka-Zar and having read an earlier story where he and his crew tried to take over the Baxter Building in an issue of the Fantastic Four after the quartet decided to split up, but it was an enjoyable read. It was also nice getting to know more about ROM's homeworld and their longtime conflict against the Dire Wraiths.
Next time, I'll write about the fourteenth issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight, where we learn more about the Galadorians and see ROM encounter two more fairly well-known Marvel characters. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment