Hi everyone,
Today I'll be writing about the fifty-eighth issue of Marvel's monthly ROM: Spaceknight title. The Butch Guice crafted cover shows ROM, Starshine and Ant-Man stuck in what appears to be a pile of green organisms. The story was called "A Plague of Insects!" The issue had a cover date of September 1984.
The tale began with the astonishing Ant-Man riding one of his winged ants as they made their way over the destruction that had just happened in Beaver Falls, Ontario, Canada, last issue. They eventually flew into the medical tent, where Sasquatch and Snowbird from Alpha Flight were having their wounds tended to. I had thought that Marrina was feeling better, but on page 3, we see her teammate Shaman working to cure her of the wraith plague that had infected her when she entered the lake to combat the rising waters and the wraith-mutated fish that first attacked the townspeople (in issue #56). A vial of pure seawater helped to heal her, but she was still weakened.
Ant-Man and his ant Jezebel then flew on toward a table, where ROM and Starshine were talking with Rick Jones and General Merriwhether Locklin, leader of the Wraith Hunter-Rangers, a specialized task force that was developed to combat the wraith threat on Earth. The general demanded a status report from the Spaceknights. Starshine explained that she and ROM went to save a town that was eventually destroyed by Dire Wraiths' magic. The general wondered how to fight a war against something that man couldn't see. Jones reminded him that the conflict was being waged against an enemy that most of the general public purposely knew nothing about.
The quartet didn't know that Ant-Man was nearby, listening in on their entire conversation. The wraith war was news to him, just like it was to everyone else who had never been involved in it. Locklin declared that the only way to stop the people from panicking would be to win a battle against ROM's mortal enemies. The Galadorian agreed, but admitted that it was easier said than done. He reminded the general of the wraith spell that polluted the Beaver Falls waters and contributed to the dam's collapse and subsequent devastation. He went on to say that life itself had been altered by the spell.
Starshine explained how Dire Wraith sorcery had caused fish in the lake to mutate, and that the same or worse could happen to other animal, soil, or plant life. Just when the group seemed to be out of ideas, a small voice behind them chimed in. Ant-Man offered his assistance to the military man and his companions, although no one in the assemblage could see him and his winged ant mount until Starshine shone her light eye beams on him.
The hero replied that he received an Avengers call for help. Jones replied that he was the one who made the request. The Galadorian explained to Ant-Man (Scott Lang) what Dire Wraiths were and the dangers that they posed. Lang learned that the heroes wanted to shrink down to face the threat head-on along with him. Ant-Man was more than happy to oblige. He broke out a couple of vials of shrinking gas. One he used on himself. The other were analyzed by ROM's energy analyzer and Starshine's light eyes so that the Spaceknights could experience the same effect. Once the trio had shrunken down, Ant-Man led them into a nearby anthill. Jones wished them luck as they began their trek.
They hadn't gone far before Ant-Man started wincing as he felt the pain of several ants who were not far by. Starshine's light eye beams shone the way down the trail, where the heroes soon found a cadre of ants who were screaming in agony. ROM's analyzer revealed that the ants had been affected by the black waters, which had been tainted by wraith magic. No sooner had he uttered that than one of the ants transformed right before their eyes into a deformed monstrosity.
The mutated ant headed straight for Lang, who was quickly able to defeat it. ROM then explained how this mutation would affect the ecological balance of the planet itself. Infected ants would be eaten by fish, who were then consumed by birds, who are then consumed by larger and larger lifeforms until all living species eventually die out. Ant-Man began to realize how this was all part of the wraiths' plans to take over the planet, as he, ROM, and Starshine fought back against the other ants who had mutated into ghastly creatures. The Galadorian mused that the sorcerous infections might go down to the microscopic level.
Lang admitted that they could shrink down further in size, because he did just that not long ago (in Marvel Two-In-One issue number 87). He then used another shrink gas capsule that caused the Spaceknights to shrink down until they could no longer be seen by the naked eye. Ant-Man remained behind and made his way out of the anthill, only to find out that more insects were already attacking other humans. Meanwhile, ROM and Starshine started to combat the wraith evil at the molecular level.
This was penciler Sal Buscema's last issue of Marvel's ROM series, although he would ink a backup story in the IDW ROM title. His artwork in this and the Incredible Hulk monthly comics is initially what drew me to explore more Marvel titles that weren't Star Wars. He's still one of my favorite artists, and it's quite obvious how much he enjoys the characters that he draws. This was an interesting issue, one that started to show just how deep the wraith influence was, and on a much smaller level than most of us would have expected.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about the fifty-ninth issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight. It continues this issue's story, with the same writer, Bill Mantlo, joined by a new art team. Longtime Marvelites will recognize them from their contributions to many legendary comic book issues. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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