Hi everyone,
Today I'll be writing about the sixty-seventh issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight comic book. The cover shows the silver Spaceknight being attacked by a green humanoid creature, as the faces of dozens of people look on. The story was titled "Lifesong." The issue had a cover date of June 1985.
The story began back on Earth, as Brandy Clark stands alone, wishing that her love had not left. On a street behind her in the town that used to be Clairton, West Virginia, Rick Jones and Cindy Adams stare at their friend. They realize how much ROM and Brandy loved each other, as well as what Brandy sacrificed to the wraith war. Jones walked up to her and told her that she didn't need to feel alone.
Jones understood the love that she felt for the Galadorian. He went on to say that love reminded ROM of the fact that he couldn't regain his humanity. Clark replied that the silver Spaceknight was because all he knew as a Spaceknight was death, and that her life as she used to know it was a casualty of the wraith invasion. Jones reminded her that she wasn't the only one who had suffered and directed the conversation back to Cindy, who had lost her parents to a Dire Wraith attack and had the misfortune of a wraith dying with its mind stuck inside her head. Clark realized that he was right. She was going to do her best to make their new family work, but admitted that ROM would always remain in her heart.
In the depths of outer space, ROM recognized the fact that he was now a soldier without a war. He was thinking about the finality of the wraith war just before he started dodging a swarm of asteroids. As he flew around them, he thought back to the conflict and how the loss of his compatriot Terminator (who had stolen the half of ROM's humanity that he'd left behind on Galador) meant that he had no humanity left to return to. This was the main reason why he left Brandy Clark behind on her home planet.
The Galadorian finally breached the atmosphere of a strange world some 56 light-years from Earth. He initially found no life on the planet until he adjusted his video receptors to locate signs of life several kilometers in the distance. He flew through a rainshower over growing plant life, heading toward a mountain that had a pair of bright beacons emanating from it.
Little did ROM know that the source of light was protected by an alien creature. A tall green humanoid lashed out at the silver Spaceknight with its claws and tail. The battle went on until ROM used his universal translator to learn the being's language. Once that happened, the Galadorian admitted that he came to the planet because of his own curiosity and had no intention of harming anyone. Upon hearing that, the alien explained that he was guarding sleepers who were awaiting the time of awakening.
The alien then pointed one finger toward an opening. ROM ventured closer to see hundreds of humans gathered together. They were engaged in singing a wordless song. Their guardian went on to say that it was a song of thanksgiving, of people who were thankful to be living. The Spaceknight was impressed by the beauty of their planet. The alien admitted that it was like that before the dead time, when the planet's twin suns gradually dimmed, cooling their world in the process.
Their world was growing dormant, but its people preferred it anyway. They didn't give a single thought to leaving their home planet. The alien said that it awoke just once per millennium, when the planet was halfway through the warming rays of the suns. Its inhabitants could rejoice and plant life could grow, but it only lasted for less than a full day. No sooner had those words been uttered than the plants began to droop and the singing stopped. The people then retreated to the safety of their underground home nestled in the mountain. The large alien followed them, as he planned to protect them until the next time the world could once more grow and thrive.
ROM observed this quietly. He watched as large boulders fell from above and blockaded the entrance to the mountain retreat. The silver Spaceknight wished the planet's inhabitants a peaceful slumber, as he thought to himself that what he had just witnessed was an example of why life was precious and should never be taken for granted. With that in mind, he flew off toward his next destination, not knowing just yet what that would be.
I felt like this entire issue was a subtle message about life in general. It's an important lesson that still rings true today. Maybe if more people understood this, we wouldn't have quite as much hate, violence and division. I also know that there was an obvious mistake in the artwork, as Steve Ditko drew ROM's neutralizer in place of his universal translator. It's something that casual fans of the comic might not have picked up on, but longtime readers like myself and people who owned the original Parker Brothers ROM toy recognized right away. It's an oversight that was fixed in the next issue.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about the sixty-eighth issue of ROM: Spaceknight. Our hero will find himself in the middle of a battle that he was previously unaware of. We'll see which side he takes and how his actions affect the ongoing dispute. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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