Retro Comic Review: ROM: Spaceknight #65

 Hi everyone,

Today I'll be writing about the sixty-fifth issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight. The cover promotes it as the final conflict with the Dire Wraiths. Our hero is depicted battling wraiths, alongside Beta Ray Bill, Captain America, Wolverine, Tigra, and Iron Man. The story was titled "Doomsday!" The issue had a cover date of April 1985.

The tale began with the silver Spaceknight encapsulated by a wraith spell. As he stood helplessly inside a now destroyed church, he looked on as the worldmerge continued to devastate the planet. The Galadorian felt like he had let everyone down who depended on him.

Out in space, Forge and Peter Henry Gyrich were waiting for ROM to use his neutralizer to power their weapon. They began to become concerned over his failure to appear, and wondered just what had happened to him. Gyrich's announced intentions to use the weapon on every super-powered being and mutant terrified Forge.

Back on Earth, a swarm of Dire Wraiths and hellhounds began to surround the Galadorian. It appeared that all was lost until the heroes of our world came to his aid. Members of the Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Defenders, Uncanny X-Men, Soviet Super Soldiers, and other heroes from various continents joined the fray. Among them were Rick Jones, Brandy Clark, Cindy Adams, and General Merriwether Locklin and his Wraith Hunter-Ranger soldiers. When they came across the Spaceknight, Adams observed how he had been held in place by wraith magic. A kiss from Brandy, not unlike a fairy tale from olden days, freed ROM from the curse. He was himself once more.

Feeling renewed, the silver Spaceknight joined the ongoing battle, and his neutralizer sang its customary song of banishment for many of the Dire Wraiths who had attacked him and the other heroes who had assembled. Before long, Cindy realized that this battle was intended to delay ROM from the true mission in outer space. Upon hearing that, the Galadorian soared toward Forge and the giant neutralizer. 

Gyrich was about to assume control of the weapon when ROM intervened. He used his neutralizer to power it. The giant neutralizer was eventually turned toward Wraithworld itself. The beam emitted from the large weapon intensified until the Dire Wraiths' homeworld was no more. ROM then declared the conflict to be over. With the wraith planet gone from the plane of existence, Earth and other worlds ravaged by their savagery could start to rebuild. 

This was a much-hyped issue back when it first came out. It was good to see so many heroes joining the cause, including many that penciler Steve Ditko had probably never drawn before. It would have been nice to see more battle footage, but since this wasn't a double-sized issue, I guess that the creators had to do what they could to make all of the plot points fit in this 32-page magazine. 

Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about the sixty-sixth issue of ROM: Spaceknight. The wraith war may be over, but that doesn't mean that the cyborg's adventures are over just yet. We'll find out what his plans are, as well as the fates of the remaining wraiths on Earth, and what Rick, Cindy, and Brandy will do next. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.