Rom: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 1

Rom: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus

by Bill Mantlo, Jo Duffy, Steven Grant

He strikes from outer space…and nothing can stop him! Marvel Comics is proud to present the iconic early adventures of the greatest of Spaceknights - Rom! Centuries ago, Rom pledged his life to protect his planet, Galador, from the evil Dire Wraiths. Now, Rom has tracked these vile creatures across the cosmos to Earth, where they have infiltrated the highest levels of power - including S.H.I.E.L.D. itself! Armed with his energy analyzer, only Rom can see the Wraiths' true form - and with his neutralizer, he can blast them into Limbo! But what will Earth make of this armored invader? Will Rom's quest be aided or hindered by encounters with the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Jack of Hearts, Nova, and Power Man and Iron Fist? And when Galactus targets Galador, can Rom and his fellow Spaceknights save their homeworld from destruction? Collecting ROM (1979) #1-29 and POWER MAN AND IRON FIST (1978) #73.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fiction, Comics Manga

712 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2024

About the author

William Timothy Mantlo is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics.
(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rom was the first comic book I collected from the first to the end, issue #1 to issue #75, along with 4 double sized Annuals. The writing was surprisingly good that I just kept picking up each issue. On those rare occasions I missed an issue for lack of funds, I would ride around searching distinct comic shops to find back issues and put them on hold.

Bill Mantlo never received a lot of credit for his work. Clearly, he had a talent for writing action,
adventure, melodrama, and Rom was the perfect way to highlight that skill. He wrote every issue and was deemed worthy of other assignments that he completed with aplomb. His career was cut short by a hit and run driver that left him mentally impaired.

As for Rom, he became greatest of the Space Knights when his planet Galador was attacked by the Dire Wraiths, a race of shapeshifters that intended to conquer Galador. Rom was the first of a thousand to volunteer to don the armor of a Space Knight. When they turned away the Wraiths, the Space Knights decided to continue to seek out the Dire Wraiths until making the race extinct.

The comic books included in this collection run from Rom issue #1 to #29 along with Powerman and Iron Fist #73. Sal Buscema did a fantastic job with the art and Greg LaRocque with others filled in when necessary. These stories all revolve around the Wraiths attacking Earth. The X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Jack of Hearts, and Nova all guest star. Even Galactus and Terrax have a visit.

Clearly, I was a fan. Re-reading these stories fulfilled a certain sense of nostalgia. You forget how much these comics mean to you. There are memories tied to our collective libraries, and this one was especially important to me.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When shape shifting aliens infiltrate a small town, their only hope is ROM, Spaceknight of Galador!

This collects ROM #1-29 and Power Man and Iron Fist #73.

Before I became part of comics twitter years ago, I dismissed ROM as a shitty licensed title and ignored it. My fellow nerds got me curious so I sat on a gift card for six months waiting for this to be published after it was announced.

Written by Bill Mantlo of Micronauts fame and drawn by the legendary Sal Buscema, ROM is a blend of science fiction and 1950s body snatcher horror. The shape shifting Dire Wraiths have infiltrated every facet of human society and only cyborg warrior ROM with the help of his neutralizer and energy analyzer can stop them.

The paranoid tone and frantic pace set this apart from a lot of late 1970s, early 1980s comics. There's also the unrequited love between ROM and Brandy, which I'm sure will become requited by the end of the series. ROM goes from Clairton to Washington DC to Xandar and beyond over the course of the book.

ROM is one of the lesser known gems of the bronze age. 4 out of 5 stars.

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having completed the Romnibus (as it must be called), I'll say this: it's far better than it had a right to be given that it was based on a toy with zero backstory. But I am glad there are no graphic Rom/Brandy lovemaking scenes. Because that's one interface I don't need to see.

[Michael DeLong · Rating 5 out of 5]

The issues in this ROM-nibus were originally released between 1979 and 1981 but soon lost the rights to republish them. This was before comics were written in arcs so they could be resold as trade, paperbacks, Marvel told stories in a years long sweeping fashion. The X-Men’s Phoenix and Spider-Man’s Clone Sagas are other examples from this period. Forty years later Marvel reacquired the rights to ROM and I’m happy to report it really holds up. These books are as fun to read as they were when I was a kid. Drink them up.

[Dave Fuentes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel's lesser known '80s comic reads like a love letter to '50s science fiction films. I loved it as a kid and this collection (bogged down by licensing) is long overdue.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wraithwar stories in subsequent volumes are my favorites, but these are a nice setup.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a comic book that has aged rather poorly but remains enjoyable for the most part.

The story is quite good in concept and not too badly told at the beginning – a galactic hero misunderstood by Earthlings even though he has come to protect them – but it runs out of steam later on, particularly in the last third of the volume. Bill Mantlo overwrites as if his life depended on it and introduces Marvel characters who don't really fit in with Rom – Mole Man – or with out-of-place interactions – Galactus.

In short, it's rather poorly written and you really have to be nostalgic to fully appreciate it but the underlying story remains interesting.

What impressed me, however, was rediscovering Sal Buscema. Okay, designs are not his strong point – the spaceships are laughable – and his rendering of space and alien planets is dated, to say the least. But everything else is really good, and you can sense the old-school craftsmanship that delivers the product on time, not always with genius but always with an indisputable minimum level of quality.
And excellent inking. Sal wanted to be an inker at the beginning of his career, and his technical mastery is evident. When Sinnott takes up the brush around issue 20, you can immediately feel the difference.
Sadly, the sacred art of inking tends to be lost nowadays...

[Alberto Martín de Hijas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pese a tratarse de una serie inspirada en una franquicia que muñecos de acción, Mantlo y Buscema aprovechan la indefinición del material original para generar todo un mundo entorno a ella y dotarla de un statu quo que evoluciona y crece con los personajes. Mantlo era un guionista irregular, pero aquí se luce y saca algunos de sus mejores guiones, a la vez que Buscema (que también colabora en el guion) se luce con páginas brillantes (en alguna de las que también se entinta a si mismo)

[Nate Deprey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corny and among the most narratively dense comics I've ever read I still had a good time reading through this collection and getting to know the good people of Clairton, West Virginia and their numerous dire wraith imposters. Rom is really a more relaxed precursor to Secret Invasion that occasionally gets sidetracked into space opera. If that sounds like your cup of tea do I have the spaceknight for you!

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This omnibus collection of the original Marvel Comics series ROM (aka ROM: Spaceknight) collects together the first 29 issues of the famed 1980s series by writer Bill Mantlo and a host of other artistic talent including Sal Buscema, Greg LaRocque and more.

The story tells of Rom's arrival on Earth to defend it against an enemy the planet doesn't know it has...The Dire Wraiths! Shapeshifters who infiltrate society to bring about the planet's downfall and turn it into a new home for the Dire Wraiths.

Along the way, Rom has to battle the fear of aliens from the townspeople of Clairton, where he makes a temporary home as he fights the Dire Wraiths. He gains allies in Brandy Clark and others along the way.

The series features appearances by The X-Men, Power Man & Iron Fist, Galactus, The Incredible Hulk and more. While the majority of the series is set on Earth, you visit such places as Limbo Rom's home planet Galador where things aren't as they might seem. You learn about the history of Galador's war with the Wraiths, the legends of individual Spaceknight's other than Rom as well.

Rom is a 200-year old cyborg full of ancient nobility fulfilling a vow to end the threat of the Dire Wraiths across the universe. While that sense of nobility could tend to make some of his dialogue seem pedantic, Mantlo does a good job of fleshing the plotlines out so that you stay riveted by the whole story.

I remember buying the first few issues of the series off the newsstand when I was a kid but then I didn't have a source to pick up comics for a long time. This meant I missed a huge chunk of the series when it was being published. But I did get to become a regular reader again somewhere later in the run. I've been wanting to read the series straight through and when these Omnibus editions were announced, I had my chance.

With the first volume done, I can say that I still love this series as much as I did back when it was first published. There are two more volumes planned to collect all 75 regular issues plus the four Annual comics as well. I, for one, can't wait to get those in my hands so I can once again revel in the adventures of ROM: Spaceknight!

[OmniBen · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review)
A solid silver-ish age effort from a very solid bunch of creators. A character I had no previous affiliation with, nor any real knowledge of. Despite my distinct apathy when it comes to robots as protagonists, this was executed well enough as to dispel most of the concerns I usually hold in that regard.
Despite the unavoidable smatterings of silver age cheese, which will forever date and slightly diminish the enjoyment I would get out of it, and bogged down with far too much dialogue far too often. Still, Mantlo's chops shine forth enough to keep this from ever dragging for too long. The cosmic arc towards the end was the highlight of the book.
Buscema's art is good, but doesn't really hit its stride until the fabulous Joe Sinnot comes on as inker. Buscema inking his own work is incredibly hit and miss. And his messier style doesn't hold a candle to the far cleaner and more composed Sinnot.
If you're not one for the silver age, Rom isn't about to change those opinions. But for those that are, the Romnibus will be something well worth checking out. 3/5


OmniBen.

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many others I was curious how these stories, that were trapped in license hell, would turn out. They read like most other comics from the (very) early 80s, slow and dialogue heavy. Every issue has a dedicated summary and the origin of ROM is repeated so many times here.

On the other hand, the story does move forward, albeit slowly, and the town Clairton (where ROM first shows up) is not the only place in this book.

The book becomes more fun when other characters from the Marvel Universe get involved, but that only happens in the second half of this volume. I was super excited to see a Galactus story in here, only to be left disappointed with a weak resolution.

Sal Buscema's artwork is passable. I dislike the faces and the Aliens do not look scary enough (cloud monsters). Once the story shifts into space you can tell that he is no Jack Kirby or George Perez.

Overall I would say if you enjoy Bronze Age storytelling, this might be up your alley. If you do however want to read about ROM, because he was mentioned in a X-Men story before, you're not missing anything here.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really keen to get my hands on this when it was announced that Marvel were at last able to publish ROM again. I've heard lots of good stuff about.

And it WAS good! Good, fun stuff, that pushes the story forward with every issue.

Buscema's art is decent but won't blow any minds and with just Mantlo at the helm writing it, it's a very consistent, seemingly well planned book! Not a retcon in sight. Not in this volume anyway.

I'm looking forward to volume 2.

[Ángel Javier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tebeo decente, hecho con oficio y que va a más conforme pasan los números, hasta llegar a la Saga de Galador, cuando por fin el moñeco protagonista se pira del pueblo de mala muerte en el que mora y vuelve a su planeta natal, como todo lector con dos dedos de frente deseaba. Los primeros episodios son, para qué negarlo, un truñete; hasta Mantlo reconoció a posteriori que sufría de bloqueo de escritor, y Sal Buscema... pues, como siempre: buen narrador y mediocre dibujante (una especie de Frank Miller de saldo, para entendernos). Cuando Mantlo se hace con el personaje, y Joe Sinnot con el entintado, la serie gana muchos enteros. El encuentro con Galactus tiene un ritmo magnífico: en dos episodios pasan muchísimas cosas, y todas de enorme importancia. Lo que ahora tardarían 12 números, mínimo, en contar, vamos. Pero en esa época, los cómics se leían, tenían texto, eran densos. Y, claro, dos números daban para mucho. El tomo termina bien, deja buen sabor de boca y la impresión de que Mantlo tiene un plan para la colección. Asombra que un muñecajo birrioso que Hasbro sacó y luego olvidó llegara a alcanzar la cota de pequeño clásico en las viñetas. No alcanzo a comprender cómo los «genios» detrás de la compañía juguetera no aprovecharan el tirón del cómic para ampliar la línea (y hacer a Rom menos feo, que en el tebeo lucía imponente, pero el muñecarro... menudo espanto, por Dios): fabricar más caballeros del espacio y, sobre todo, Dire Wraiths, los malos malosos, que manda c*****s que Buscema no pudiera dibujarlos en su forma auténtica porque Hasbro se reservara el derecho a diseñarlos (cosa que nunca hizo). Creo que al final, Marvel se pasó por el forro todas estas tontunas (o llegó a un acuerdo con los jugueteros), y eventualmente se les vieron las pintas. En este primer tomo podemos contemplar su «forma de transición», que es algo así como una especie de bicho feo y cutrongo hecho de algodón. Pero bueno, esto no es culpa ni de Mantlo ni de Buscema (bueno, supongo que un poco de Buscema sí), así que quedémonos con lo bueno, que es bastante. Veremos si la cosa no decae en el próximo volumen, porque he de confesar que en su momento no me leí nada de esta serie, ni en Vértice, ni en Surco, ni como complemento de los Transformers, que nunca fueron santo de mi devoción. Por último, decir que la basura esa que concibió el inútil de Bendis hace ya unos cuantos años titulada Secret Invasion está totalmente plagiada del argumento de Rom, solo que mucho peor llevada. Otro hito del hombre que más ha hecho por destruir Marvel en la historia de la humanidad.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

ROM #17 was one of the first comics I bought myself as part of a collection. It led me to the X-Men, who have been a lifelong enjoyment. As for ROM, I continued reading it for a few years more (through ROM#42, it appears, with the exception of ROM #29, which I must have missed), and I have fond memories of them. Ever since the mediocre series from IDW in 2016 I've been hoping that we might see an omnibus reprint of the original, and I was thrilled last year when this was announced. So how did it hold up?

Fortunately, the answer is well. ROM is really a special hero. Mantlo takes the tropes of a deadly alien invader come to Earth and twists them around, so that his "deadliness" is a misunderstanding (as he banishes human-looking wraiths). This is played up heavily in the first dozen or so issues, which I hadn't previously read.

However, the comic also has a number of other highlights.

One is the plot. This is a comic that's going places. ROM's understanding of wraiths on Earth improves throughout the volume and then suddenly other concerns send him into space, where we have other major plot movements and revelations.

Another is the imagination. New comics like ROM often invent their own villains and they turn out not to be that intriguing. But Mantlo was in the zone for ROM. Characters like Mentus are terrific, but so are the wraiths themselves.

Finally, as I remember well from my original run, ROM is plentiful with intriguing characters. How unlikely of a story is it that a silver cyborg from space would find love and companionship on Earth? Yet, Mantlo makes it believable and makes those companions all real people.

The first several issues are a little rough as Mantlo finds his feet with this rather unique concept, but as soon as he really gets his feet under him, he's off and running.

(And to hell with that hit-and-run driver who destroyed Mantlo's life and cost us many more comics like this. I hope Mantlo is pleased to see one of his classics in this handsome new form.)

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never read this when I was a kid, when I was first starting out my comics reading career, and I wonder why? I used to love all the other toy spin-offs - GI Joe, Transformers, even Starriors - but not Rom. And I certainly should have. It has all the hallmarks of the great 80s comic: A tragic compelling hero and narrative, fast moving stories that build a continuing mythology, lots of great guest stars - including Galactus - and plenty of death. I don't know why I didn't read it, perhaps because I always thought the toy it was attached to was lame. But I wish I had.

The issues collected here - Rom 1-29 and Iron Man and Power Fist #73 - are the beginning of an 8 year run lasting from 1978-1986 which is damn decent for a toy tie-in series, most of which don't make it past 6 issues. Part of the reason was the steady storytelling by Bill Mantlo, who wrote the bulk of the series, if not all of it. He crafted a steady story telling style, an evolving mythology for the character which fit into the overall Marvel universe, created characters that he was not afraid to kill off, and kept a steady feeling of overwhelming dread, optimism, and tragedy throughout every issue. Additionally, I like the inclusion of the letters pages from each issue in the omnibus, they were always a fun part of the old time comics.

The only drawback I have from this book is a certain amount of repetition. As each issue was published a month apart, there was a need at the time to recap important events from previous issues. This got a little tedious over time as sometimes the recaps took up two pages of material. I understand it was part of the comics style at the time, but can be a little boring.

[Erik Wirfs-Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun late 70s/early 80s marvel book which doesn't quite reach the writing heights of a Frank Miller or Chris Claremont from the same time period but still comes across as a well thought out series. Taking the bare bones license of a cool robot toy and bolting on some 50s paranoia/invasion of the body snatchers type story beats, Rom is the story of a moody cyborg from another planet who gave up his humanity to fight the shapeshifting Dire Wraiths, and his adventures protecting the citizens of Clairton West Virgina from aforementioned Dire Wraths and assorted other monsters (of course fighting the occasional superhero when there is an inevitable misunderstanding). In a lot of ways pretty standard stuff, but Bill Mantlo gets the chance to build up the supporting characters of the town and weave in references to marvel continuity in satisfying manner, and while it's still a pg comic there is a gloominess, maybe even a nihilism that seeps through everything. Rom is not a happy dude whether it be blasting aliens or longing after his first human friend Brandy. Artwise-Sal Buscema just epitomizes workmanlike art, it gets the job done, but the cosmic vistas or alien monsters he is sometimes asked to draw come across as pretty underwhelming.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 40 years of infighting and lawsuits between Mattel and Marvel, we finally get a collection of the first 29 issues of Rom. Rom was a really cool toy back when I was a kid, one that also had a pretty cool comic.

I still remember those X-Men issues with the Hybrid freaking me out as a kid. Rom along with the rest of the Spaceknights gave up their humanity to battle the evil Dire Wraiths, shape shifters who could take any form and turned to dust when murdered. The book often has a real Invasion of the Body Snatchers vibe as you never know who is actually human and only Rom can see them through his neutralizer before dispatching them to Limbo. He's come to Earth to root out all the Dire Wraiths that are secretly permeating our society. The first year stays pretty isolated from the rest of the Marvel universe before eventually bringing in Jack of Hearts, the X-Men, Nova, Power Man and Iron Fist and even Galactus as guest stars. Sal Buscema's art is serviceable. He gets points for staying power though. 29 issues in a row here without missing an issue. The production here is great. The colors really pop and I love that they also included the letters page from each issue.

[Mh430 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema may not be classic names in the world of American comics but they both turned in some enjoyable work in their day. I had vague but pleasant memories of this series that I know I read forty plus years ago and it turned out to be even better than I expected. Yes, Rom started out as a kid's toy and yes, in his Marvel incarnation he has some undeniable similarities with the Silver Surfer. Fortunately though Mantlo has included enough original twists on the character to make it fresh and surprising. It's unfortunate that Sal Buscema will probably forever be overshadowed by his big brother John, but he happens to be an excellent artist himself and, here - especially when inked by the superlative Joe Sinnott - turns in some amazing work. Which means this 700+ page book is well worth your time.

[Davide Pappalardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the context of its time and readership, this is a good series with some great moments and concepts. Unfortunately, not everything aged too well here, and the fact this is an early 80's comic aimed to young readers leads to some naive melodrama, overly-expositional dialogues and ill-defined "super-science" somewhat less believable than magic. Maybe I'm too harsh for a comic that was born to advertize a toy and did much, much more, but I can't help it when confronted by a writing style and story elements that are very typical of a time before the "Watchmen Revolution". Add half a star to my rating if you want to take into account this is a mainstream superhero comic written more than 40 years ago.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely a comic from the 80s with all the dialogue but it's such a good story, especially since Rom was just a toy with no story and Bill Mantlo created everything about him. It also helps that the design of the SpaceKnights are just so cool, with Rom being the coolest and that the art is awesome. Just an insanely fun 80s comic that adds a lot of depth to what would've been an empty shell of a toy.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this for the first time, it's very much a time capsule of the era, with paranoia about communism, secret agents among us, and fears of robots and technology, all rolled into a soap opera drama that largely works- I'd say this book is for die hards only. Still, it's my third favorite run from the era, after X-Men and Tomb of Dracula.

[Shaun Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably wouldn't have read this, except there was a cruel crossover in x-men that showed ROM's arch nemeses, the wraith. Interestingly, in X-Men the wraith are terrifying--absorbing their prey absolutely to replace them. They are much more bungling and PG in this series. Overall the storyline is decent, though.

[David Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, this Romnibus was a blast, I’d read a few of these but mostly later issues, and they hold up great. Especially the Michael Golden covers, which are spectacular (particularly issue 10). On to Romnibus 2.

[David Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a couple of Rom issues in the 70s and always liked it. Thought I'd catch up on it. So-so. The writer, Bill Mantlo, also wrote Micronauts, another toy that became a comic. Poor guy suffered a severe brain injury decades ago and is still under care.

[Edward Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, the memories. A wonderful collection that makes me feel 12 years old again. Love it (even though it's very weighty).

[dromoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hybrid - ROM and X-Men team up is one of the best in the series. Issue 18..

[Jack T · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Raul Santiago Almunia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Está obra me ha sorprendido, me ha gustado bastante en el guión y el dibujo es buenísimo. Desconocía totalmente al personaje y ahora atesoro este ejemplar en mi biblioteca