Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #34

Hi everyone,

Today I'll be writing about the thirty-fourth issue of Marvel Comics' ROM: Spaceknight title. The Al-Milgrom drawn cover shows the title character ensnared by strange beings underwater, who are apparently under the command of the Sub-Mariner. The story was called "Some Day My Prince Will Come, Or...Enter: The Sub-Mariner!" The issue had a cover date of September 1982. 

The tale began with ROM and the young girl Sybil (whom the Spaceknight had saved from Dire Wraiths in the previous issue) standing together on a cliff. The Galadorian comforted the sightless youth, who saw through his cold cyborg armor to the kind heart of the man within. ROM rejected her claims of his humanity, knowing that the half of his humanity that Terminator stole from him perished on his homeworld when he did. Sybil wept at the thought of being left alone at her family home. 

ROM sympathized with the child after learning that wraiths killed her parents and replaced them, intending to experiment on the human. The silver Spaceknight realized that the child was afraid of living and decided to do something about her blindness. He summoned his neutralizer from subspace and focused a narrow beam on the wraith sorcery that caused it. Within minutes, Sybil was able to see again for the first time in years. The Galadorian decided to leave, but not after he used his neutralizer once more, this time to destroy Cliff House and take Sybil with him on his travels. 

While the pair searched for a new home for Sybil, in the legendary kingdom of Atlantis, its ruler, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner, summoned his followers so that they could hear the oracle of Lord Neptune. One of his subjects grimly approached his leader with news of potential upcoming misfortune for their land. The wizened citizen held the Neptune Nautilus in one hand. The bauble came from Neptune's cave and was often used to predict the future. Another subject noted that the item had never been wrong in its predictions before.

The elder Atlantean went on to say that the Nautilus had shown him visions of magic and spells in an alien language being uttered in an Atlantean cave, which unleashed unknown dangers. Enraged by this news, Namor swam off toward the source of this threat. On his way, he silently pledged to protect his nation and its people. 

Meanwhile, ROM had noticed that he and Sybil had been traveling for hours. Just then, Sybil awoke in time to warn the Spaceknight of wraiths in the area. The Galadorian was skeptical, since they were now flying over water, but they were soon confronted by a strange sea serpent that fired bolts of energy from its open maw. ROM's energy analyzer revealed that the being was an electric eel who had been transformed by wraith magic into its hideous incarnation. A quick neutralizer blast eliminated the threat, but the Spaceknight and his female companion fell toward the waters below after the victory. 

Luckily, the Sub-Mariner swooped down in time to save Sybil from splashdown. He asked the girl who she was, and Sybil explained that she and ROM had been attacked by a sea serpent that had been sent forth by Dire Wraiths. Namor put the girl in a bubble from a nearby bubble fish and instructed the animal to take her to safety, while he went to save the Spaceknight, as he had vowed to do. 

ROM was unconscious when his body hit the water. He continued to submerge deeper and deeper until he awoke and turned on his respirator. The Galadorian summoned his energy analyzer from subspace and went off to find Sybil. At the same time, Namor was searching for ROM. He reached out to a nearby fish, who informed him of an impending attack on Atlantis' most sacred shrine. While he swam to save his citizens, the silver Spaceknight followed his analyzer's lead until he located the source of the wraith magic. As he peered into the cave opening, he noticed several unusual-looking creatures swarming around an ominous black pearl.

The convocation was interrupted by the announcement of ROM's presence. The wraiths in disguise as underwater beings panicked. One of them was thrown by his colleague into the pearl, whose energies were soon used to focus a beam into Neptune's cave. ROM was soon attacked by the wraiths. Fearing that his mortal enemies had abducted Sybil, the Galadorian fought bravely and was able to ward off each one of his opponents successfully, until the toxic ink of one foe had him immobilized. 

The Spaceknight was freed from his imprisonment by the Sub-Mariner's assault on the alien being. Namor declared his identity to the wraiths and was ready to defend himself and the Galadorian. ROM's neutralizer soon sent several wraiths to limbo, but one of them escaped and sacrificed itself to the black pearl. The black pearl's magic was then utilized to bring forth a massive creature that had not been seen in Marveldom since Tales to Astonish issue number 71. 

Namor was one of Marvel's earliest superheroes, dating back to the 1940s. He was revived in the Fantastic Four comic and was a sometime Defender. He also had his own comic for about six years, after starring in Tales to Astonish before that title was named the Incredible Hulk, starting with issue #102. He's one of those kinds of characters that is featured every now and then and then goes dormant for a while. 

I liked this issue, even though none of the usual supporting characters were featured. I always enjoyed seeing ROM pair up with other well-known Marvel characters, because they brought relevance to the licensed character. By now, he had firmly established himself in the Marvel universe. Although I missed seeing Joe Sinnott's inks, Akin and Garvey embellished Sal Buscema's pencil art nicely.

Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about the thirty-fifth issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight. That issue wraps up the trilogy. We'll find out what the menace from the last panel of this issue was, and what happened to Sybil. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.