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Rom: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus
ROM: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus vol. 3
Collects Rom (1979) #51-75 and Annual #3-4, and Incredible Hulk (1968) #296.
The epic climax of Marvel's classic saga of the Spaceknight! Rom has exposed the vile Dire Wraiths hiding in Earth's midst - but that only means his accursed enemies become more bold…and more deadly! It's a good thing Rom has allies, including his armored companion, Starshine, and fellow heroes including Nick Fury, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Alpha Flight and the New Mutants - but will perennial sidekick, Rick Jones, be his new best pal? As the Dire Wraiths scale up their invasion plans, seeking to merge their Wraithworld with Earth, Forge of the X-Men lends a technological hand - and, in the final fight to save the world, practically every Marvel super hero joins the fray! But, if Rom can complete his mission at last, what will that leave for the Spaceknight? Can he find his happy ending, back on Galador?
The epic climax of Marvel's classic saga of the Spaceknight! Rom has exposed the vile Dire Wraiths hiding in Earth's midst - but that only means his accursed enemies become more bold…and more deadly! It's a good thing Rom has allies, including his armored companion, Starshine, and fellow heroes including Nick Fury, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Alpha Flight and the New Mutants - but will perennial sidekick, Rick Jones, be his new best pal? As the Dire Wraiths scale up their invasion plans, seeking to merge their Wraithworld with Earth, Forge of the X-Men lends a technological hand - and, in the final fight to save the world, practically every Marvel super hero joins the fray! But, if Rom can complete his mission at last, what will that leave for the Spaceknight? Can he find his happy ending, back on Galador?
- GenresComics
752 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2024
5 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Bill Mantlo
1,392 books44 followersWilliam Timothy Mantlo is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics.
(source: Wikipedia)
(source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 28, 2024
I'm disappointed by how this series ended. The main storyline ended about halfway through this omnibus and carried on for about 10ish more issues that just kinda meandered and kicked ending the series down the road. It also didn't help that the characters kept switching personalities on a whim. I still really enjoyed this series but the ending makes me think it could've been tied up in 15 less issues. Rom Spaceknight still has such a cool design that Ditko did a great job of even coming in later in the series.
April 18, 2025
(Zero spoiler review) 3.25/5
This omnibus, just like the remainder of this series is a bit of a tough one to rate. The consistent star of the show has to be Bill Mantlo, whose writing prowess shines through on every single page. Sure, it suffers for the time period it was made in to a certain extent, wearing its bronze age heart on its sleeve on more than one occasion. If this was written during the halcyon late eighties early nineties period, this could be one of the greatest things to ever grace a comic book.
From what had been a metronomically reliable and consistent art team for the majority of this series, we get a change in either artist or inker every other issue it seemed. The loss of Joe Sinnot on inks to Mel Candido was a massive blow. Ditko coming on was a rock solid replacement for Buscema, although it really depended who was inking him as to how much I truly liked it. The colours just continued to get better and better as the book went on.
Most people on here seem to agree that the series went on just a little too long, with culmination of the series long arc ending two thirds of the way through, then the final issues seeming tacked on. I rather enjoyed these single issue type stories, until the final couple of issues where Mantlo/editorial felt the need to reopen what had been a mostly satisfying conclusion to give us another, more conclusive ending. Parts worked, other pats didn't, although the ever changing art team as well as the less focused storytelling here knocks it down from the four star book it really should have been. Three omni's is a big investment in time and money, though despite the flaws in volumes one and three, it remains a series well worth checking out. 3.25/5
OmniBen.
This omnibus, just like the remainder of this series is a bit of a tough one to rate. The consistent star of the show has to be Bill Mantlo, whose writing prowess shines through on every single page. Sure, it suffers for the time period it was made in to a certain extent, wearing its bronze age heart on its sleeve on more than one occasion. If this was written during the halcyon late eighties early nineties period, this could be one of the greatest things to ever grace a comic book.
From what had been a metronomically reliable and consistent art team for the majority of this series, we get a change in either artist or inker every other issue it seemed. The loss of Joe Sinnot on inks to Mel Candido was a massive blow. Ditko coming on was a rock solid replacement for Buscema, although it really depended who was inking him as to how much I truly liked it. The colours just continued to get better and better as the book went on.
Most people on here seem to agree that the series went on just a little too long, with culmination of the series long arc ending two thirds of the way through, then the final issues seeming tacked on. I rather enjoyed these single issue type stories, until the final couple of issues where Mantlo/editorial felt the need to reopen what had been a mostly satisfying conclusion to give us another, more conclusive ending. Parts worked, other pats didn't, although the ever changing art team as well as the less focused storytelling here knocks it down from the four star book it really should have been. Three omni's is a big investment in time and money, though despite the flaws in volumes one and three, it remains a series well worth checking out. 3.25/5
OmniBen.
October 30, 2025
The final stretch of ROM is a bit of a mixed bag, in my opinion.
It starts off well enough, with the Dire Wraiths upping their game and the authorities and also the wider Marvel Universe becoming aware of the threat and being drawn in to things.
Nick Fury, Doctor Strange, Alpha Flight, Ant-Man. All fun, well written appearances.
I'm not sure what was going on behind the scenes at this point, but I definitely sensed a sudden change with #61. Like Mantlo needed to start writing towards the finish line. #61 involves an Earth-ending threat from the Dire Wraiths and when they're defeated in #65 they are really defeated.
After an epilogue of sorts in #66 there's then handful of issues of ROM having random adventures on his way back to Galador. It almost seems like Mantlo was told he needed to stretch things out so they would end on #75. The pacing of this volume is odd.
But anyway, we eventually get to inevitable end point which is kind of bitter-sweet but generally satisfying.
Another shame for this final volume is the shift on the artwork. Sal Buscema had done the vast majority of the artwork from #1 up until #58 in this volume. He's then replaced by Steve Ditko who in my opinion was just getting by on his reputation. His art is not a patch on Buscema's, although his art differed from issue to issue as there was a different inker pretty much every issue.
So bit of an inconsistent final stretch but overall pretty enjoyable and mostly satisfactory.
It starts off well enough, with the Dire Wraiths upping their game and the authorities and also the wider Marvel Universe becoming aware of the threat and being drawn in to things.
Nick Fury, Doctor Strange, Alpha Flight, Ant-Man. All fun, well written appearances.
I'm not sure what was going on behind the scenes at this point, but I definitely sensed a sudden change with #61. Like Mantlo needed to start writing towards the finish line. #61 involves an Earth-ending threat from the Dire Wraiths and when they're defeated in #65 they are really defeated.
After an epilogue of sorts in #66 there's then handful of issues of ROM having random adventures on his way back to Galador. It almost seems like Mantlo was told he needed to stretch things out so they would end on #75. The pacing of this volume is odd.
But anyway, we eventually get to inevitable end point which is kind of bitter-sweet but generally satisfying.
Another shame for this final volume is the shift on the artwork. Sal Buscema had done the vast majority of the artwork from #1 up until #58 in this volume. He's then replaced by Steve Ditko who in my opinion was just getting by on his reputation. His art is not a patch on Buscema's, although his art differed from issue to issue as there was a different inker pretty much every issue.
So bit of an inconsistent final stretch but overall pretty enjoyable and mostly satisfactory.
February 22, 2025
The saga of the Spaceknight ends in this final omnibus of ROM. The war against the dire wraiths reaches its climax, and then we have a final space epic that resolves the plot about ROM's lost humanity and his love for Brandy. Despite some interesting philosophical dilemas and forays in ecologism, the comic shows its age in many aspects once again. Many plot points are just convoluted, the characterization of both Starlight and ROM gets inconsistent at times: the first one shifts from bloodthirstiness to control back and forth, while the second one renounces his pacifism every 3 issues, save returning to it when the plot so demands. There are a lot of deus ex machina moments (see the issue with the Beyonder and the last one as a reference) and the last part in space reads as generic 50's sci-fi at times. The impression I got is that the author just wanted to end the series in some way after having lost interest in it. Still, we have Ditko's art and a plethora of great inkers to enjoy in what is afterall a product of its time.
December 10, 2024
The conclusion of the Marvel series!
These stories are well-plotted: a good mixture of super-heroic action, sci-fi, and elements of mysticism.
It is a bit wooden and awkward in it’s scripting, sometimes too wordy, sometimes overly dramatic.
The art varies depending on the creative team, but I generally like it.
Many guest appearances in this volume but they are well done. I am particularly fond of the two-parter with Alpha Flight.
Once the Wraith-War is resolved the book loses a bit in a sense of direction, but it manages to move into it’s conclusion fairly well.
Despite it’s flaws, I find that I enjoy it still: a Four-Star read!
These stories are well-plotted: a good mixture of super-heroic action, sci-fi, and elements of mysticism.
It is a bit wooden and awkward in it’s scripting, sometimes too wordy, sometimes overly dramatic.
The art varies depending on the creative team, but I generally like it.
Many guest appearances in this volume but they are well done. I am particularly fond of the two-parter with Alpha Flight.
Once the Wraith-War is resolved the book loses a bit in a sense of direction, but it manages to move into it’s conclusion fairly well.
Despite it’s flaws, I find that I enjoy it still: a Four-Star read!
February 17, 2025
Some really good issues (particularly the one in which Rom and Alpha Flight simply fail their mission) but overall a disappointing conclusion. The end of the Wraith War is anticlimactic, the rest of the subplots are magically resolved by the Beyonder from Secret Wars II (of all things!) and the final issue is a bore. Still, it was an above-average series worth reading.
April 12, 2025
Amazing!! Read all three volumes.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews