Rom Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years, Vol. 1

Rom Epic Collection #1

by Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema (Illustrator)

At last, the classic adventures of 80s sci-fi icon Rom the Spaceknight are collected in paperback format!

Learn how Rom gave his life in service to his planet, Galador, becoming a Spaceknight sworn to protect it from the evil Dire Wraiths! Rom tracks these vile creatures across the cosmos to Earth, where they have infiltrated the highest levels -- including S.H.I.E.L.D. itself! Armed with his energy analyzer, only Rom can see the true form of the Dire Wraiths -- and with his neutralizer, he can blast them to Limbo! But what will Earth make of this armored invader? Will his quest be aided or hindered by encounters with the X-Men and Jack of Hearts? And can he survive deadly clashes with super villains like the Mad Thinker and the Space Phantom?

COLLECTING: Rom (1979) 1-20

Genres: Comic Book

432 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2025

About the author

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

Reviews

[Shannon]

A blast form the past.
I remember the TV commercials, and I remember getting issue #4 from a convenience store on the way home from my sister's dance class in 1980 - I was 10 and she was an 8 year old prodigy who had to go to classes in a larger town with high school girls.
I never really got into Rom in the good ole days. I wanted to, but it was much harder to find stuff back then. By the time I did have access to a regular comic store, Rom was almost at an end. So I waited patiently for 40 years for the character to return, and I am not disappointed.
Rom has very good art, and some really great covers, including one of Frank Miller's earliest Marvel covers.
Rom is somewhat dated in places, usually by the women acting like 1950's monster movie damsels in distress. The write up in the back of the book says that Marvel wanted this to feel a bit like an old science-fiction movie, so some of this may have been on purpose, but it is very noticeable now.
The first 20 issues feel like one story, so it feels like there was an overall plan for the story, and not just winging it every other issue hunting a story like way to many books and shows do. Probably one of the benefits of keeping a creative team together for more that 3 issues.
If you like science-fiction, or space super-heroes, or just want to read something that is a bit different from todays comics, I do recommend Rom, just remember that it was written when comics were really wordy, and all the characters have to voice what they were doing, even though you could see what they were doing.
Guest Stars Jack of Hearts, and the X-Men.

[John Reis]

Rom is a humanoid from the planet Galador, who has agreed to be encased in armor to his planet’s deadliest foe: the Dire Wraiths.

The Dire Wraiths have fled his galaxy and so he sets out to fight them wherever he finds them. The Galadorians are basically pacifistic, so Rom’s weapon merely sends them to Limbo. It does not kill them.

He lands on Earth after 200 years. He meets Brandy Clark, a resident of Clairton, West Virginia. He has several battles with Wraiths in the nearby countryside and witnesses report that he is slaughtering humans with some kind of laser gun. Most of the action takes place in and around Clairton. Doctor Strange, Jack of Hearts and the Xmen make guest appearances.

This theme can be found in Spiderman and the XMen, who are also perceived by the general public as threats to mankind.

This volume collects the first 20 issues. I do recall reading one or two of these when they came out. Overall, the pace is slow. Also, Rom’s tale “up to now,” is repeated several times taking up to one page of panels each time.

[Caleb Osborne]

I've been wanting to read this series from the start for years after reading and really enjoying some random issues and hearing about it's strong reputation. I was very excited to hear it was finally being reprinted and this first volume did not disappoint!

The storyline is very creative and the artwork is fantastic! Rom himself is a great character and the Dire Wraiths are excellent villains. I love how Mantlo and Buscema create so many new concepts while blending them with established parts of the Marvel universe. They do an excellent job of blending action, horror, and some deeper, more introspective moments.

I definitely recommend this book for comic fans and I can't wait for future volumes!

[Mark Rubin]

2.5 stars rounded up. I went into ROM cold, being barely familiar with the character but intrigued by the 70s and 80s sci-fi aesthetic and creative team of Mantlo and Buscema. This was disappointing though.

It could just be that comics or my taste has evolved since ROM was written, or maybe they’re better off read as a monthly serial, but this was too repetitive and kind of boring.

ROM finds out dire wraiths are impersonating humans, uncovers them, banishes them to Limbo, real humans think he’s a murderer, and then it’s mostly that for 20 issues.

The art is mostly great, and ROM has some potential as a character, but 20 issues wasn’t enough time for that to develop.

[Jo]

Better than a toy tie-in from that era should be. It’s a lot of Bronze Age melodrama with a sci-fi high concept. I like it the best when it’s not directly interacting with Marvel characters with one exception. I’m always happy to see one of my favorite Z-list villains, the Space Phantom. Very much the kind of thing I’d have to be in the mood to read again.

[Shawn Gallagher]

I never read this as a kid. I heard good things over the years, and they were right. It's a fun read. The Sal Buscema art is great, too.

[alejandro galvez]

Very good.

A lot of fun. Very good read. Bring on volume 2! Good art. Great writing. Lots to love here. Pick it up. Its really good.