Tags
Bill Mantlo, Dire Weaiths, Marvel, Parker Brothers, Rom, ROM The Original Marvel Years, ROM The Original Marvel Years review, Rom The Spaceknight, Sal Buscema., X-Men
ROM The Original Marvel Years
Review by Paul Bowler
The long awaited ROM The Original Marvel Years collection is finally here at last! This first volume of the space knights adventures is a beautifully assembled edition that will begin the reprinting of the entire ROM comic run for the first time! Of course ROM The Space Knight originally debuted as an electronic robot toy in 1979 from Parker Brothers, although the toy itself wasn‘t that well received, it would go on to inspire and gain unprecedented success in comic form in the 1980’s when Marvel produced their ROM comic book series – beginning with ROM #1 (December 1979) by the legendary team of Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema.
At the time of ROM’s inception, Marvel was looking to build on the huge success of their licensed Star Wars comic series; which also conceded with Parker Brothers aiming to launch ROM as both a toy and a comic simultaneously. ROM ’s adventures and battles against the evil Dire Wraiths ran for 75 issues, earning a dedicated fan base, and it remains one of the most beloved and fondly remembered comic book series of the 80’s. Various rights issues have since sadly scuttled any attempts to reprint the original run, condemning ROM to limbo for decades, until now!
Now ROM’s iconic original adventures are presented in this deluxe omnibus allowing long-term fans and a whole new germination to enjoy a halcyon era of when the Marvel Universe received a visit from a gleaming cyborg from outer space – ROM the greatest of Spaceknights! Having pledged his life to protect his planet, Galador, ROM became a cyborg to protect his people from the evil Dire Wraiths. Now, ROM has tracked these vile shape-shifting creatures across the universe to Earth, where they have infiltrated the highest echelons of power – including S.H.I.E.L.D! Armed with his energy analyser, the only way ROM can see the Wraiths’ true form – and his neutralizer, that can blast them into Limbo, ROM is feared by the authorities who perceive him as an alien invader, but fortunately there are some humans he meets who will go on to become some of ROM’s closest friends and allies. ROM’s quest will see him encounter the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Jack of Hearts, Nova, and Power Man and Iron Fist, and when Galactus sets his sights on Galador, Rom and his fellow Spaceknights must fight to save their homeworld!
I was a huge fan of ROM comics as a kid, I still cherish those comics and the happy memories they hold for me. Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema created an amazing and enduring legacy with ROM, and this omnibus collecting: Rom (1979) #1-29 and Power Man and Iron Fist (1978) #73 is like a huge nostalgic trip down memory lane for me. I’m overjoyed to see ROM reprinted at long last, these were the comics that helped forge my life-long love of comic books, and I look forward to seeing the rest of the ROM series appearing in this deluxe format.
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook