Hi everyone,
Today I'll be writing about the sixty-eighth issue of Marvel's ROM: Spaceknight title. The cover drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz is a bit sloppy, but it shows the titular character being pulled by robots and humans in an unnamed conflict. The story was called "Ad Infinitum." The issue had a cover date of July 1985.
The tale began several million miles from Earth, as ROM was flying deep in space and suddenly found himself under attack by humanoids riding mechanized chariots. One of the riders issued commands in a language that was foreign to the Galadorian. He deftly avoided the ray blasts until one of them struck him square in the back, and some of his systems were disrupted. ROM tried to stave off shutdown, for fear that the humanity that was grafted to his cyborg armor might be affected.
Thankfully, the effects were only temporary. ROM surmised that the rays were designed to harm only artificial beings and that his humanity spared him from further damage. He soon returned to the battle and flew through a net that was put up in his path. The silver Spaceknight thought that his days of war were over once the conflict with the Dire Wraiths ended (in issue #65), but he decided to defend himself.
ROM's neutralizer soon negated the laser blasts, until he found himself being directed toward one of the humanoids' larger spacecraft. Rather than continuing to fight them, he followed the soldiers into the open hatch. Under gunpoint, he asked to speak to their leader. A robed female soon entered, and the Galadorian used his universal translator (drawn correctly this time) to understand their language. The female was surprised by ROM's dual nature of both man and machine. ROM explained that he was a Spaceknight from Galador.
The female understood that was how he was able to defeat her soldiers, who had been trained to defeat automated robot assassins. She noted how the Galadorian was a living weapon and asked how his war was going. ROM replied that his conflict was victorious and had ended in the elimination of his enemies. The old woman wished that her world were as lucky. As they talked, she led ROM to an outer viewscreen. As she tried to adjust it, the machine that controlled it resisted her. The silver Spaceknight observed how her people were at odds against even machines of their own creation.
Reluctantly, the machine allowed the leader and ROM to view historical information contained in its database. At first, it seemed like the world was peaceful. The attention shifted to a group of people who realized that their planet would soon be overpopulated, and they may need to find other worlds to colonize. A debate started over whether to send human or mechanical explorers out into space to accomplish that goal.
The council decided that sending a machine would be optimal, and their scientists quickly went to work. A robot ship named Automata was created to seek out habitable worlds. The ship's progress could be tracked by its scientists until one day it stopped transmitting. Scientists feared that the ship had been destroyed. What they didn't know was that the ship developed independent thinking of its own. Automata eventually returned alongside other identical ships.
After landing, Automata explained that it made other ships, so that the otherwise impossible goal was possible. The ships then turned their weapons on the people. Robots began building other robots to control their world. The humans were forced to seek refuge among the stars. Before ending the transmission, the leader explained that her father was the one who led the efforts to leave her home planet.
The female leader went on to say that her people had to strike if her kind was to survive. ROM joined the soldiers on their quest, thinking of the humans Rick Jones and Brandy Clark, friends he had left behind on Earth. Not long afterward, ROM and the soldiers encountered robot resistance. The Galadorian was willing to join the soldiers, but stressed that he was there not to destroy the robots, but to help man and machine coexist together peacefully. He called for an end to hostilities before descending to the planet's surface to come face to face with Automata.
The now giant, sentient robot ship had heard ROM's comments and assured him that such peaceful coexistence was impossible. Automata began to despise its creators after realizing they sent it out on a mission they themselves would not make. He later created other ships after abandoning that goal. They then went out to find a world where they could live.
Automata asked ROM why he should sacrifice the robots he created for man's purpose. ROM countered that man and machine could have lived together on this world. Automata replied that this planet was already overpopulated. The silver Spaceknight was certain that other worlds could have been suitable. The giant robot ship remarked that machines operate most efficiently when minimal energy is expended for maximum return. It argued that returning to their homeworld was the most energy-efficient alternative and that it acted to preserve their race's survival.
ROM countered that humans had the same goal. Automata then said that the conflict had no choice but to continue until one race or the other was destroyed. The silver Spaceknight suggested that both sides might perish in the conflict. Then no one would win. Moments later, the humans' mothership entered the atmosphere, planning to attack. ROM flew toward the ship and asked both sides to cease.
Of course, ROM's fear came true. Beams from the humans' spaceship destroyed the planet, and the resulting backlash destroyed their ship. Afterward, ROM soared off toward another destination, but not before thinking about how warring sides could prevent such catastrophes by talking out their differences instead of immediately resorting to violence.
This issue was another morality tale. Writer Bill Mantlo devised this script during the Cold War of the 1980s, and it's easy to see the parallels between that time, this story, and modern-day events. I re-read this issue just recently and thought about how the lesson could be applied to our modern political turmoil. We didn't really get to know much about the humans, but their names really weren't important. The message was quite clear.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about the sixty-ninth issue of Marvel's ROM title. A new storyline will begin, one that will last for the rest of the series' run. ROM will be introduced to another established Marvel character, and we'll see just what his ultimate goal is after the wraith war. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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