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Art Day - Who doesn't love ROM?
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86 posts in this topic

ROM is definitely one of my guilty pleasures.  A comic based on a toy that was never really successful?  Really? 

Yes.

ROM was a Parker Brothers toy that had red LED eyes that lit up.  At the time (1979), it was considered cutting edge and even made the cover of TIME magazine. In spite of that, it wasn’t really successful in the marketplace.  At Bill Mantlo’s urging, MARVEL made a play for the comic rights and then Bill created an entire backstory for the space knight from Galador.  Sal Buscema handled the art chores and established ROM’s look and feel. 

The comic outlasted the toy, running for some 75 issues.  The world that Bill Mantlo created contained not just ROM, but also the Dire Wraiths, the balance of the Space knight corps, and concerned human authorities who didn’t understand that ROM was there to protect them.  Seriously, it was good stuff.

Anyway, when I came across the opportunity to purchase the entire third issue, I jumped on it.  I’m a sucker for complete stories and am thrilled to have such an early example.

The link:   http://cafurl.com?i=24301

As always, feel free to look around at anything else that looks interesting.

Ron
 

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ROM was basically "Silver Surfer vs the Body Snatchers." I read the whole series and enjoyed Sal Buscema's run but couldn't get into Ditko's version. The Dire Wraiths got retooled into more traditional monster aliens before being the subject of one of Marvel's first company-wide crossovers. I wouldn't mind owning a ROM page but haven't seen any at the usual places. Congrats on getting a whole issue!

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I sure did. When I was 9.

I don't consider it a guilty pleasure. I also bought multiple issues of Crystar and Arak. I loved Beastmaster & Krull straight out of the theater.
I was nine, FFS.

 

For every Dragonslayer, Dark Crystal or Legend, there is a Howard the Duck, or Ice Pirates.
They can't all be Watchmen. All enjoyable in their time.

Edited by ESeffinga
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1 hour ago, Blastaar said:

Is Rom collected in an Omnibus or TPB?

Can't be, because Marvel owns the art rights, but Hasbro owns the character rights. IDW had rights to make ROM comics most recently, resulting in some amusing team-ups.AWYeahRev01_cvrREG.thumb.jpg.052704c158fb8e0626c9d5c14bcc91a7.jpg

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5 hours ago, delekkerste said:

:sorry: 

Perhaps you'd appreciate it more if you could get your hands on a digital version of Rom...perhaps on a Netflix DVD you can order for the next time the stage coach rolls through town. 

Be nice to Ron...it was a rhetorical question....dammit. 

 

Edited by comix4fun
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There is an issue of ROM on my small list of comic art I “need” to own in the same vein as DD 249. I think back to this issue of ROM multiple times in a week, decades after having last read it. It actually defined in big part something I find scary to this day. 
 

ROM stuff is great, good pick up.

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24 minutes ago, cstojano said:

I didn't know ROM was a comic until recently. For me it will be that lousy knock-off toy you got one Christmas from your cheap aunt who couldn't spring for a Star Wars toy.

No kidding? In the early 80s, Marvel was having surprising success turning dumb kids' toys into memorable comic book adventures. ROM, Micronauts, GI Joe, Transformers, etc. The only bomb that comes to mind is Team America.

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5 hours ago, rsonenthal said:

GI Joe?   Gene? 

 

6 hours ago, RBerman said:

No kidding? In the early 80s, Marvel was having surprising success turning dumb kids' toys into memorable comic book adventures. ROM, Micronauts, GI Joe, Transformers, etc. The only bomb that comes to mind is Team America.

Just as there is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, allow me to present...

hierarchy.PNG.81c278c4d742de5f3200599d7581016d.PNG                            

So, now you know!

giphy.gif

 

Edited by delekkerste
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1 hour ago, delekkerste said:

 

Just as there is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, allow me to present...

                             Gene's Hierarchy of Dumb Kids' Toys That Were Also Marvel Comic Books (tm)

                                                                                        G.I. Joe

                                                                 Micronauts                   Transformers

                                                          ROM                                          Shogun Warriors

                                            Team America                     Crystar                                 Sectaurs 

So, now you know!

giphy.gif

 

Ummm,

Micronauts > G. I. Joe 

a few more obscure ones here:

https://comicvine.gamespot.com/profile/rubicon/lists/marvels-licensed-titles/58780/

 

 

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