Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #60

Hi everyone,

Today I'll be writing about Marvel's sixtieth issue of ROM: Spaceknight. The cover borrows from the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock movie Strangers On A Train, as ROM and Starshine fly to meet their enemies, the Dire Wraiths, who had been overpowering passengers on a train. The tale was titled "The Eyes of a Child!" The issue had a cover date of November 1984.

The story begins with Rick Jones in the throes of a nightmare (not the villain Nightmare, who affected Bruce Banner's control over his alter ego, the Incredible Hulk, but a normal nightmare). He cried out after seeing an alien world that he was suddenly drawn toward. Dire Wraiths soon entered the fray, and Jones realized that he was on Wraithworld, as he looked up at their Dark Nebula in the skies above him. As he wandered, he came upon a familiar landmark: the Statue of Liberty, now half-buried in the ground, along with other nearby buildings (somewhat similar to the ending of the very first Planet of the Apes movie, starring Charlton Heston). He realized that he was on Earth and awoke with a loud scream. Although it was only a bad dream, it was a premonition of things to possibly come later.

Meanwhile, ROM flew through an unseasonal blizzard (thanks to the Casket of Ancient Winters being opened in the monthly Thor comic) until he found his love, Starshine (aka Brandy Clark), standing in a relative paradise. Clark was at a crossroads between her humanity and her responsibilities as a Spaceknight. She gave up her humanity to be closer to her love, and became very callous and cold after wraiths destroyed people that she loved. After having witnessed ROM's humane methods for combating wraith infection at the molecular level (in the last issue), she now wondered if she could ever truly become human again. 

While the two heroes confided in each other, a train rolled through, regardless of the harsh winter weather. Passengers were suddenly alerted to the shrieks of wraith Dreadwmings outside. The birds turned into female Wraiths once they hit the ground and began attacking the passengers who had exited the train. As they began conjuring their sinister spells, one of the wraith witches announced their plans to recreate their beloved Wraithworld here on Earth. 

ROM, Starshine, and Jones arrived on the scene after several humans had been killed both on the train and outside of it. The trio searched the train for clues as to why the grim incident had happened. As he wandered, Jones felt a twinge of pain, indicating that his cancer was just as much a threat to him as ever. Afterward, he found a young girl hiding. He called out to the Spaceknights, and the three of them tried to learn more.

Seeing the telltale burn of a wraith tongue on the terrified girl's forehead, Starshine exclaimed that she was a wraith and went to attack her. Jones leapt in front of the Spaceknight's light eye rays, just before ROM raised a cyborg palm and placed it over Starshine's eyes to prevent further beams from emitting. Jones' jacket was burned to shreds, but he remained otherwise unharmed.

The Galadorian then used his analyzer to ascertain that the girl was indeed human, albeit one who was deathly terrified of his mortal enemies. He convinced her that he meant no harm and asked what had happened. The girl went on to explain how the Dire Wraiths had boarded the train. Her father had pushed her and her mother to safety. A train door closed in front of them moments before wraiths attacked him. Minutes later, the wraith who had exterminated and assumed her father's identity came toward her. While her mother defended her, a wraith tongue reached into the child's forehead.

The young girl began to envision a terrible, dark world, not unlike the one from Jones' dream. Just then, her mother lunged forward with a knife and attacked the alien. The wraith eventually died, but its mind was still inside the girl. She was horrified by the visions that the wraith had envisioned, and worried that the dark and terrible things it saw might come true. 

This issue was inked by the late Tom Palmer, who was well-known for his contributions to titles such as Tomb of Dracula, Avengers, and Star Wars, among others. It definitely helped move the story along and made Steve Ditko's pencil work more defined. The girl would later be known as Cindy, and she would play an important role in the issues that followed, leading up to and after the monumental culmination of the wraith war on Earth. It was a fun standalone issue that introduced a lasting supporting character.

Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about Marvel's third ROM Annual. In that issue, ROM and Starshine meet yet another mutant team. We'll also see the return of a popular ROM foe, and their battle will determine the fate of one of the Spaceknights. Until then, have a great week, and don't forget to be kind to one another.