Hi everyone,
Today I'll be writing about the forty-first issue of the first ROM: Spaceknight ongoing comic book series. The cover featured the titular character next to Doctor Strange, with the three-faced head of the entity known as the Living Tribunal in the background. The story was called "The Dweller On The Threshold!" The issue had a cover date of April 1983.
The tale began with a single panel, well drawn by Sal Buscema, depicting the exterior of Doctor Stephen Strange's home in Greenwich Village in New York. On the second page, we see nine different sections of the home's interior. Readers are gradually led upstairs and through a semi-opened door into Strange's sanctum sanctorum. Here, the Sorcerer Supreme is levitating slightly above the floor, as he meditates and spells are formed. Stephen uses the Eye of Agomotto and focuses it on the orb standing in front of him to peer into the dark dimension that ROM was drawn into (at the end of the last issue).
Strange learns how the two beings locked in combat in that dimension came to be there. He is stunned to learn of the Dire Wraith presence on Earth, as he was previously unaware of their invasion. The good doctor is content that the children were saved, but decides not to remain neutral in the conflict. Strange soon transports himself into that same dimension and sees the Galadorian still locked in combat with the imposing alien. He observes that ROM's neutralizer has no effect on his opponent.
Before Doctor Strange can intervene, a voice from behind him warns him not to cast his spell. He turns toward the source of that voice, to find the Living Tribunal towering over him. Strange recounts his previous encounters with the Tribunal in his mind before speaking. The Living Tribunal reminded the sorcerer of his previous oath to keep the balance between good magic and evil magic, and announced that Strange had failed that promise, because his very existence kept black magic on the decline. Strange did not deny that fact, and countered the Tribunal's words by adding that he strives to protect innocent beings, and that doing so may unwillingly disrupt that balance.
Strange was not about to let the evil alien gain favor over ROM, if he could do something about it. The Tribunal deemed the sorcerer guilty, and pitted him against the In-Betweener. Strange was about to enter a battle he did not want to fight in the first place.
Even though he was quite a distance away, ROM heard part of Strange's conversation. He realized that there was more at stake than just wraith evil here. The balance between order and chaos stood in the balance. The Galadorian was not about to give up, though, even though he knew his neutralizer's rays had little effect on his opponent, and the dweller came closer to Earth with each passing moment.
The silver Spaceknight was soon touched by the Tribunal's power, as the entity reached out across the dimension. ROM felt himself being distorted, until he returned to the doorway. This time, instead of a menacing creature, he found a brown-haired male adorned in a white cloak, who talked to him calmly about his ability to grant the Galadorian's wish to become human once more.
Back in Clairton, West Virginia, the formerly peaceful small town was suddenly under attack. This time, it was from the power of the new Starshine, aka Brandy Clark, who was inhabiting the cyborg Spaceknight armor and obeying the commands of Doctor Dredd, a male wraith witch who merged the human with the suit of armor. Brandy's fiancé, Steve Jackson, and his friend, the superhero known as the Torpedo, were stunned by the betrayal. Jackson was especially hurt by the recent turn of events, knowing how much in love they once were. The Torpedo flew to meet Starshine's attack, but was defeated just before she and the wraith teleported elsewhere, presumably to fulfill Dredd's desire to slay ROM.
In the dimension between realities, Strange was distracted during his conflict with the In-Betweener by his concern for the Spaceknight. He noticed how ROM had been allured by the potential of being reunited with his late love, Ray-Na, Karas (the first Galadorian to wear the Firefall Spaceknight armor) and his world's Prime Director, among others. The man in front of the doorway convinced ROM that the wraith war was over, and that it was okay to follow him into a world of peace where he would be welcomed and rejoin his friends.
Strange watched the silver Spaceknight step through the doorway as he fought the In-Betweener, knowing that ROM was about to walk into a trap. The In-Betweener used that distraction to strike back at his foe, just as the spell over the Galadorian was lifted. ROM soon realized that he was back on Wraithworld, and the being with whom he had just been speaking was a wraith-spawned creature, ready to attack him.
This time, ROM's neutralizer was able to banish the Dweller on the Threshold to limbo. Afterwards, the Galadorian found himself in front of the Living Tribunal and the In-Betweener, with Doctor Strange's body lying next to him, after being defeated in battle. The Tribunal exclaimed that the balance between good and evil was once more out of balance. This time, the silver Spaceknight declared that wraiths tipped the scales of evil against humanity, and that he had arrived on Earth to help them regain the balance and let them deal with their natural opponents.
Before the Tribunal and In-Betweener vanished from sight, the Tribunal noted that he takes everything into consideration and told the Galadorian to either be victorious or face the consequences for not doing so. ROM was left next to the unconscious Stephen Strange and promised to succeed in his mission.
This was one of the first times that I'd read about the Living Tribunal and the In-Betweener. I didn't know much about them (until I read a What If issue about Korvac), but I found them both to be interesting characters. I was glad that Strange finally interacted with ROM and would continue to do so over the next few years. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised by how easily our hero believed the Dweller in disguise, but I knew that the wraith war did take its toll on the Galadorian from time to time, and he longed for its end to come sooner rather than later.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about the forty-second issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight. In that issue, we'll see what happens with ROM and Doctor Strange after the sorcerer has recovered from his battle. We'll also learn more about the aftermath of Clairton's attack by Starshine and Doctor Dredd, and see another well-known Marvel character, one who might just be able to grant ROM's wish of becoming human. Until then, have a great week, and don't forget to be kind to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment