Hi everyone,
Today I'll be writing about the fifty-sixth issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight comic. The cover features the titular character and Alpha Flight members Snowbird and Marrina, illustrated by John Byrne. The tale was called "Clear Waters Remembered!" The issue had a cover date of July 1984.
The story resumed after the incidents at Mercy Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, in the last issue. Military members were holding the line against the concerned pubic and members of the press. They wanted to know what had just happened. One of the military men was talking to Rick Jones, who knew it would be difficult to keep the wraith infiltration secret for very long. That secret was kept for far less time than expected, as one of the blankets on a stretcher in the front entryway slipped off, revealing a green monster underneath. The soldier was just trying to prevent chaos and panic. Jones confirmed his faith in his newfound friends, the Spaceknights, who were the planet's only hope to quell the wraith invasion.
Meanwhile, ROM and Starshine stood atop a cliff looking down at the town of Beaver Falls in northern Ontario, Canada. Starshine demanded to know why they were there. ROM replied that SHIELD (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law Enforcement Division) ESPers detected wraith activity in the area. Starshine grew angered at the mere mention of her hated enemies. ROM was reminded of how human he and Brandy Clark once were. Starshine thought about her own hometown of Clairton, West Virginia, a small hamlet not unlike this one before Dire Wraiths invaded it. She recoiled at the mention of her birth name. She stated that part of her was dead, and that she would not rest until their enemies were eliminated.
Deep in the waters of Beaver Lake, the Alpha Flight member known as Marrina dove until she found a glowing object in the watery ground. Snatching the object, she soon returned to her teammates, Doctors Walter Langkowski (also known as Sasquatch) and Michael Twoyoungmen (also referred to as Shaman). What Marrina had found were salmon eggs, very far from any known spawning grounds. The doctors were puzzled by their ability to grow in a town known for coal slurry contamination, or why the eggs glowed so brightly.
The trio was talking about their mission and the support of the Canadian government when another colleague, Snowbird, flew by. Shaman's telepathic link to her informed him that there was more going on in the village than just polluted water. He and his teammates rushed to the source of the disturbance in town, which was caused by Dire Wraiths. A swarm of dark creatures was heading towards the frightened townspeople. The mutant team members knew nothing about their opponents, except that they posed a significant danger and had to be stopped.
Shaman soon ascertained that the creatures were extraterrestrial in origin. He detected otherworldly forces in action that were concentrated on the black waters that he had just investigated. While he, Sasquatch, and Snowbird fought the aliens on land, Marrina led the defense in the water. She soon emerged from a whirlpool that tossed several more creatures about. She joined her companions in the fray just before the arrival of ROM and Starshine. The Galadorian explained that the creatures had been altered by wraith magic, and used his energy analyzer to reveal that one of his opponents had previously been a harmless fish.
Once that had been discovered, Shaman levitated over the lake and dispersed several mystic herbs as he glided over the water's surface. Marrina entered the water and began to spin rapidly to accelerate the herbs' healing abilities. The magic worked, as the fish returned to their former selves, but unfortunately, they began rising to the surface. ROM realized that in their previous incarnations, the fish could have easily sustained the polluted waters, something they could not handle in their original forms.
ROM, Starshine, and the members of Alpha Flight looked toward the Beaver Lake mining company headquarters. As they did so, several wraith witches began casting spells that set forth even more magically powered monsters. Before long, the sounds of the nearby dam rupturing alerted the heroes to a much larger danger than they anticipated.
Even though Sal Buscema didn't contribute, this was still an enjoyable issue. The Byrne cover caught my attention immediately, and it was good to see a few Alpha Flight members involved in the story. It showed more of Starshine's loss of her own humanity and the continued plans by the Dire Wraiths to take over our world.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about the fifty-seventh issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight monthly series. That issue will wrap up this story. We'll see how the heroes take on the dam break and how it affects the residents of the small Canadian town. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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