Should I Collect Rom?

[Cei-U!]

After spending the last couple of years steeped in Earth-Two and other pre-Crisis DC lore, and with my appetite whetted by various Essentials and the "40 Years of Avengers" DVD, I find my interest in Bronze Age Marvel reignited. One series I never got into the first time around was Rom, the plotline of which seemed to have a major impact on the Marvel Universe in the early '80s. So I'm asking: since the book is unlikely to get the Essentials treatment, should I make the effort to seek out the originals?

Cei-U!
I summon the words of wisdom!

[Sam T.]

Yes! Seek it out. I almost have the full run of it and it is awesome.

[Slam_Bradley]

I said "Who cares." Not so much that I don't care. Or that you shouldn't ask for opinions. But mostly that...I've never read Rom and have no idea.

[Cei-U!]

For the record, one of them there "Who Cares" votes is mine.

Cei-U!
I summon the candor!

[Jamie]

I voted "Who Cares" a couple of reasons:

1) I don't know you well enough to recommend that you collect an entire series;

2) I haven't read enough to make a recommendation; and

3) I'm starting to collect it, and I don't want the competition. :p

[dan bailey]

I'm a "Who Cares" as well, purely for the reasons Slam cites.

Actually, maybe I should change that to "No way, Jose," because if you do buy & like it & say good things about it, you'll intrigue me, & I already buy *choke* waaaaaay too many comics, old & new alike, as it is.

[Buried Alien]

Kurt, ol' buddy. :)

I tell you: ROM sustained my interest in superhero comics for quite a number of years during the early 1980s. By 1980, both of my favorite Marvel titles (also licensed properties), GODZILLA and SHOGUN WARRIORS, had been cancelled. At that point, it would have been very easy to just walk away from Marvel and comics in general.

But I discovered ROM, and I enjoyed it more than I'd ever expected...enough that I followed the rest of the run until its cancellation in 1986.

Through ROM, I was able to discover the greater Marvel Universe as a whole. ROM featured an unusually high volume of guest stars (for a comic about a licensed character) from the Marvel Universe. It was through ROM that I first discovered such characters as Galactus and Rick Jones, and the ROM run reads like a catalogue of guest-appearances by everybody from the FF to Dr. Strange to Shang-Chi. Think of any significant Marvel character, and Rom has probably encountered him/her.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Chris N]

I said yes.

Because I've bought the whole series. So you may as well too.

Haven't read them yet, though

[Samurai]

I've got the whole series. IMO, it started out good and reached its peak in the middle of the series with the Soviet Super Soldiers storyline and the other Spaceknights joining in. Toward the end of the series it went downhill, but get the whole thing as a set if you can. They are relatively inexpensive (only the 1st issue and the X-men crossover issues are more than a buck or 2) and a lot of fun.

[Pil]

YES!

Rom was a great series, except for the last 3 or 4 issues. Somehow they didn't pull of the ending very well.

[Buried Alien]

ROM was a fluke in that it was conceived by Marvel as a cash-in on a new, untested Parker Brothers toy product, but ended up being one of Marvel's fairly popular titles for much of the 1980s. The ROM toy went nowhere: it was a complete flop in the toy market and pretty much disappeared from the market less than a year after it hit the shelves (ROM was no TRANSFORMERS when it came to selling toys). The "cash-in" comic series, surprisingly, went on for seven years and was as good (if not better) than much of Marvel's in-house stuff at the time.

I credit Bill Mantlo for making that happen.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[MDG]

ROM was a fluke in that it was conceived by Marvel as a cash-in on a new, untested Parker Brothers toy product, but ended up being one of Marvel's fairly popular titles for much of the 1980s. The ROM toy went nowhere: it was a complete flop in the toy market and pretty much disappeared from the market less than a year after it hit the shelves
I remember seeing the ROM toy at the store with a friend of mine. All around the box, it just said "Lights * Sounds * Lights * Sounds". We took that to mean that it didn't do a damn thing.

MDG

[Buried Alien]

I remember seeing the ROM toy at the store with a friend of mine. All around the box, it just said "Lights * Sounds * Lights * Sounds". We took that to mean that it didn't do a damn thing.

MDG

I got the ROM toy really cheap ($3, I think) at a local swap meet in 1982, about three years after the toy had first appeared and disappeared from the general market. I was only interested in buying the toy because I'd become a fan of the comic series.

And yeah, the toy was pretty worthless. A few blinking red lights and a few cheesy electronic sound effects was about all the ROM toy had to offer. The way it was designed, Rom couldn't even stand upright, and didn't look nearly as cool as the character was drawn by Sal Buscema in the comic.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Expletive Deleted]

It's hard to go wrong with early-'80s Mantlo.

[Buried Alien]

It's hard to go wrong with early-'80s Mantlo.

I was saddened to learn years later about the accident that Mantlo suffered. The comics industry today could certainly use a few more writers like him.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Kirk G]

I was saddened to learn years later about the accident that Mantlo suffered. The comics industry today could certainly use a few more writers like him.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I know nothing about this.
Can you share the tale with us?

PS: I was the one who voted "No, it's a waste of paper and ink..."

I was very distressed each time they attempted to weave it into Avengers with Dire Wrathes, etc...

[dan bailey]

I know nothing about this.
Can you share the tale with us?


From Wikipedia --

In 1992, Mantlo was struck by a car while rollerblading. He suffered severe head trauma and spent over a year in a coma. He has since been institutionalized and is not expected to fully recover.

[Buried Alien]

Mantlo also wrote MICRONAUTS for Marvel, didn't he? Like ROM, MICRONAUTS was a toy (an entire line of toys, actually) that Marvel licensed for adaptation to comics during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The MICRONAUTS toy line was much more successful than the ROM toy (although still nothing compared to TRANSFORMERS a few years later in the mid-1980s), and the comic was quite popular as well (although the MICRONAUTS storyline was generally not as well integrated as ROM was to the mainstream Marvel Universe).

Marvel also had SHOGUN WARRIORS in the 1970s, written by Doug Moench. Moench did a pretty good job on SHOGUN WARRIORS, but it would have been interesting to read Mantlo's take on it had the series continued into the 1980s like ROM and MICRONAUTS did.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Roquefort Raider]

I wouldn't pay a lot for back issues of ROM, Kurt, but they're unlikely to demand too high a price... so if you run across them in a quarter bin, why not?

I personally don't think ROM was a great comic. In its favor, I'd say that it certainly exceded expectations by being an O.K. book while it could easily have been crappy (being tied to a toy and all). It also had a fairly interesting plot (shape-changing aliens live among us!) and a good initial supporting cast. It also had a few magnificent Michael Golden covers.

However, it played its melodramatic angle a bit too much ("Oh, how can I love a woman when I am trapped in this cyborg body?"). It also used these comics clichés: (a) kill the supporting cast (always a bad move); (b) turn the girlfriend into a cyborg superheroine too (that never works, as it deprives the hero of a human connection); (c) bring in guest star after guest star (it's a bit distracting after a while); (d) realize that the cyborg girlfriend isn't working and turn her back into a human (too late); (e) have the cyborg hero renounce his humanity, then claim it back, then lose it again, then get it back... (angst, angst, angst); (f) Make Rick Jones his sidekick (I kid you not!); (g) Kill everyone on his home planet (which is also how Micronauts ended).

The best issues, in my opinion, are the early ones. They have a sense of unfolding mystery, and it's interesting to see Rom adapt to life on Earth. After that, they're pretty run of the mill.

Don't get me wrong, Rom never got actually bad the way the above-mentioned Micronauts did. It was always competently produced, and was usually a good addition to a weekly stash of comics. I just wouldn't feel compelled to hunt the entire run down.

[Babylon23]

Rom is fun, especially the early issues. I'd recommend checking it out if you can find it cheap. There's some nice Sal Buscema artwork there.

[pariah-1972]

I think i've only read one or two cross-over issues from X-men but it looked pretty interesting to me.
i re-read recently the issue that stars the females of the brotherhood and Rogue had a wee bit of a crush on him (probably cause she could actually touch him)
and it foretold her signs of crossing over to the good guys.

[Buried Alien]

I think i've only read one or two cross-over issues from X-men but it looked pretty interesting to me.
i re-read recently the issue that stars the females of the brotherhood and Rogue had a wee bit of a crush on him (probably cause she could actually touch him)
and it foretold her signs of crossing over to the good guys.

It's funny how Rom, despite being a licensed character rather than an original Marvel character, came to play a crucial role in turning point moments for Marvel characters during the 1980s. It was in an issue of ROM that Nova (Richard Ryder) chose to give up his Nova powers, leave Xandar, and return to Earth. It was also in ROM, as you mentioned, that Rogue began her eventual turn to the good side. It was also in an issue of ROM that Rick Jones encountered the Beyonder, who cured Rick of the cancer he was dying from at the time. Significant events in the MU during the 1980s often happened quietly over in the pages of ROM (of all places). It's kind of funny to think that in the 1980s, even if you weren't a ROM fan, you had to buy the ROM comic periodically anyway because some major developments might be happening with a Marvel character you liked in an issue of ROM.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[pariah-1972]

It's funny how Rom, despite being a licensed character rather than an original Marvel character, came to play a crucial role in turning point moments for Marvel characters during the 1980s. It was in an issue of ROM that Nova (Richard Ryder) chose to give up his Nova powers, leave Xandar, and return to Earth. It was also in ROM, as you mentioned, that Rogue began her eventual turn to the good side. It was also in an issue of ROM that Rick Jones encountered the Beyonder, who cured Rick of the cancer he was dying from at the time. Significant events in the MU during the 1980s often happened quietly over in the pages of ROM (of all places). It's kind of funny to think that in the 1980s, even if you weren't a ROM fan, you had to buy the ROM comic periodically anyway because some major developments might be happening with a Marvel character you liked in an issue of ROM.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)I wish i would have known that at the time:mad:
anyways i think its a genius way to go about creating interest in a character.

[mrc1214]

You can pick them of for reasonable prices so I would say pick up the first few issues see if you like them and then go from there. Im still waiting for my run to get to my house that I bought off ebay. I picked it up cause I heard alot of good things.

[Chris N]

So... will you be collecting ROM?

[Cei-U!]

So... will you be collecting ROM?

Eventually, yeah, but I don't think they'll be a high priority any time soon, certainly not while I'm still working on Master of Kung Fu and Invaders. Thanks, everybody, for the feedback.

Cei-U!
I summon the decision!

[Cash Lone]

Rom was one of the first comics I ever collected. It was pretty good title until about issue #50. I think the best things about Rom were the sense of mystery or unpredictability; the Micheal Golden covers, Guest stars aplenty and the character of Rom himself. I was really into reading about King Arthur and the round table in my younger years and Rom's personality fit into that.

My favorite issues of Rom are when he met up with Namor and then Shang Chi. I think the Power Man/Iron Fist crossover was fun as well. Galactus shows up around issue 27 and tries to eat the Dire Wraiths homeworld - doesnt work out so well for him:D

For some reason around issue 50 big changes and shake ups were in store. New Dire Wraiths (of black magic) that I cant recall being mentioned ever before had shown up and killed the old Dire Wraiths (that worshipped science) and pretty much wipped out the entire supporting cast. Except for Brandy Clark who shouldve gotten the boot.

I dropped the series after that. Checked it out every once in awhile and saw that Steve Ditko was doing the worst art of his career. :(

So, yeah - Rom is good until a certain point...

[Roquefort Raider]

Eventually, yeah, but I don't think they'll be a high priority any time soon, certainly not while I'm still working on Master of Kung Fu ...

Well THERE'S a choice that shouldn't be controversial! Still one of my favorite series ever.

[Deathstroke]

Yes you should. It's awesome!

[gking727]

Rom is fun, especially the early issues. I'd recommend checking it out if you can find it cheap. There's some nice Sal Buscema artwork there.


And there's some nice Ditko stuff at the end of the run too! Plus ther ewere always a lot of cool covers along the way from Sienkiewicz, Zeck, Guice and more.

[Babylon23]

Eventually, yeah, but I don't think they'll be a high priority any time soon, certainly not while I'm still working on Master of Kung Fu and Invaders.

Sounds to me like you've got your priorities sorted. Those are 2 excellent series that I'd definitely put ahead of Rom.

And there's some nice Ditko stuff at the end of the run too! Plus ther ewere always a lot of cool covers along the way from Sienkiewicz, Zeck, Guice and more.

Michael Golden too.

[devildinosaur]

After spending the last couple of years steeped in Earth-Two and other pre-Crisis DC lore, and with my appetite whetted by various Essentials and the "40 Years of Avengers" DVD, I find my interest in Bronze Age Marvel reignited. One series I never got into the first time around was Rom, the plotline of which seemed to have a major impact on the Marvel Universe in the early '80s. So I'm asking: since the book is unlikely to get the Essentials treatment, should I make the effort to seek out the originals?

Cei-U!
I summon the words of wisdom!

Well, seeing as most (if not all) issues should be cheap...I'd say go for it! I was absolutely enthralled by ROM as a youngin'...and you're right, the book DID have a major impact on the Marvel Universe of the '80s. Bill Mantlo and Al Milgrom goodness!

[devildinosaur]

Kurt, ol' buddy. :)

I tell you: ROM sustained my interest in superhero comics for quite a number of years during the early 1980s. By 1980, both of my favorite Marvel titles (also licensed properties), GODZILLA and SHOGUN WARRIORS, had been cancelled. At that point, it would have been very easy to just walk away from Marvel and comics in general.

But I discovered ROM, and I enjoyed it more than I'd ever expected...enough that I followed the rest of the run until its cancellation in 1986.

Through ROM, I was able to discover the greater Marvel Universe as a whole. ROM featured an unusually high volume of guest stars (for a comic about a licensed character) from the Marvel Universe. It was through ROM that I first discovered such characters as Galactus and Rick Jones, and the ROM run reads like a catalogue of guest-appearances by everybody from the FF to Dr. Strange to Shang-Chi. Think of any significant Marvel character, and Rom has probably encountered him/her.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Amen! But is it any coincidence I also had an inordinate interest in Marvel's "Godzilla" and "Shogun Warriors"?

[devildinosaur]

ROM was a fluke in that it was conceived by Marvel as a cash-in on a new, untested Parker Brothers toy product, but ended up being one of Marvel's fairly popular titles for much of the 1980s. The ROM toy went nowhere: it was a complete flop in the toy market and pretty much disappeared from the market less than a year after it hit the shelves (ROM was no TRANSFORMERS when it came to selling toys). The "cash-in" comic series, surprisingly, went on for seven years and was as good (if not better) than much of Marvel's in-house stuff at the time.

I credit Bill Mantlo for making that happen.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

God Bless Bill Mantlo for making my childhood all the more joyful.

[devildinosaur]

I was saddened to learn years later about the accident that Mantlo suffered. The comics industry today could certainly use a few more writers like him.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

And think of all the work he could have done since '91...the man's only 55 yrs old. It's a damn shame.

[Polar Bear]

Another Mantlo admirer here.

Rom holds a special place in my memories; it captured my then-9-year-old imagination like few other titles. For a while, this was my favorite title being published. And yes, a lot of the M.U. ended up meeting Rom, which was always interesting. (He also showed up, I think, for one issue of Incredible Hulk, which was interesting, and for one issue of Marvel Two-in-One, which was, uh, less compelling.)

I'd say skip it after Sal Buscema leaves, though. I don't remember one good issue. Write your own ending; it'll be better than what saw print, I'm afraid.

Very creative series; perfect material to feed an already-paranoid tween mind.

[Roquefort Raider]

I'd say skip it after Sal Buscema leaves, though.

Isn't that some kind of Ditkonoclasm? ;)

[Expletive Deleted]

And think of all the work he could have done since '91...He was retired from comics and working as a lawyer at the time of his accident, I think.

[pariah-1972]

Wasn't Bill Mantlo the one who took over Alpha Flight when Byrne left?

[Polar Bear]

Wasn't Bill Mantlo the one who took over Alpha Flight when Byrne left?


I believe so. That was about his only writing I didn't like.

And I'm a huge Ditko fan, but as another poster said, Rom wasn't his best work.

[Jesse Hamm]

From this article (http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/2007/10/a_floating_world_tribute_for_b.html):

"Jason Leivian, the owner of [Portland comic shop] Floating World, plans to ask 'hundreds of artists' to donate an illustration -- original art or digital print -- of Rom Spaceknight, a minor Marvel character -- and major cult figure -- that ran from December 1979 through August 1986. All proceeds from the December 6 show will be delivered to Bill's brother and caregiver, Mike Mantlo."

Says Leivian: "This show will serve as a fundraiser and celebration of the stories Bill has given us. All of the artwork and more will be compiled in a tribute comic next year that will be sold as a non-profit benefit book ... to provide funding to enable Bill to enjoy somewhat of a quality of life."

I plan to participate.

[pariah-1972]

I believe so. That was about his only writing I didn't like.

And I'm a huge Ditko fan, but as another poster said, Rom wasn't his best work.Really? Mantlo's alpha flight wasn't so bad compared to every other version i've seen besides Byrnes.
i'll never forget Purple Girl trying to seduce Northstar.
:o

[Polar Bear]

Really? Mantlo's alpha flight wasn't so bad compared to every other version i've seen besides Byrnes.
i'll never forget Purple Girl trying to seduce Northstar.
:o

Well, I mostly bought Alpha Flight because I liked the characters, and Mantlo seemed determined to remove all of those characters from the book. I think I lasted until he got rid of Puck.

Still, I loved Mantlo on Spectacular Spidey, Rom, Micronauts, Hulk (especially Hulk!), and probably a few others I forgot, so I certainly don't hold one title against him.

[Buried Alien]

Even though Mantlo remained at the writing helm for the course of the ROM series, the comic really suffered after Buscema stopped supplying the art. By all rights, Rom's blocky armor design had no business looking cool, but somehow, Buscema made it look cool.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[pariah-1972]

Well, I mostly bought Alpha Flight because I liked the characters, and Mantlo seemed determined to remove all of those characters from the book. I think I lasted until he got rid of Puck.

Still, I loved Mantlo on Spectacular Spidey, Rom, Micronauts, Hulk (especially Hulk!), and probably a few others I forgot, so I certainly don't hold one title against him.You know i was thinking almost the exact same thing , that he kept adding new people and pushing out the old Alpha Flight.
But like i said i still have fond memories of Purple girl trying to seduce Northstar which is just hilarious..
Did we ever find out her reaction to him coming out? i always thought it was funny how "offended" he got even tho she never really did anything bad.


sorry for straying off topic :o i'm in a rambling mood.

[pariah-1972]

Even though Mantlo remained at the writing helm for the course of the ROM series, the comic really suffered after Buscema stopped supplying the art. By all rights, Rom's blocky armor design had no business looking cool, but somehow, Buscema made it look cool.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)Where is he nowadays? i miss him !
god i'm such a sucker for bronze age creators:(

[devildinosaur]

Another Mantlo admirer here.

Rom holds a special place in my memories; it captured my then-9-year-old imagination like few other titles. For a while, this was my favorite title being published. And yes, a lot of the M.U. ended up meeting Rom, which was always interesting. (He also showed up, I think, for one issue of Incredible Hulk, which was interesting, and for one issue of Marvel Two-in-One, which was, uh, less compelling.)

I'd say skip it after Sal Buscema leaves, though. I don't remember one good issue. Write your own ending; it'll be better than what saw print, I'm afraid.

Very creative series; perfect material to feed an already-paranoid tween mind.

I know people say Ditko's work on the series was atrocious...but as a 9 year old myself back then, I loved it.

[devildinosaur]

He was retired from comics and working as a lawyer at the time of his accident, I think.

I had read about that years ago, as well...I was referring to a "What If?" scenario. I really loved the guy's work.

[Holdyourfireal]

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u163/JasonZ2/Statues/01DannoROM.jpg

ROM kicks a$$!

[ricster]

I remember collecting a few issues because of the link to the x-men, but it was a wee bit on the dull side. I know it was a toy, but we never got it here in the UK, and thats probably for the best. Lots of guest stars never really made up for the messy art and the depressing feel of it.

[shaxper]

I'm declining to vote because I hate Rom, and yet I'm notorious for having opinions that no one else agrees with. The few issues of Rom I read annoyed me, and every Bill Mantlo story I've ever read in any title made me wince with pain (of course, now I have to be nice and not complain so much about it because of his tragedy), but that's me. Plenty of people disagree.

[Buried Alien]

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u163/JasonZ2/Statues/01DannoROM.jpg



ROM kicks a$$!


That looks way more awesome than the cheapo cheapo Parker Brothers toy that launched the franchise, and pretty close to how Sal Buscema drew the character in the early 1980s.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[pariah-1972]

That looks way more awesome than the cheapo cheapo Parker Brothers toy that launched the franchise, and pretty close to how Sal Buscema drew the character in the early 1980s.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)That would look awesome on someones desk.
:cool:

[Polar Bear]

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u163/JasonZ2/Statues/01DannoROM.jpg



Seriously, what is that, anyway? And, uh, is it for sale?

[gking727]

The internet is such a wunnerful place. Here is the website (http://www.stonefoundationentertainment.com/rom.html) of the guy who first created ROM, complete with the original Parker Brothers promo video.

[Rob Allen]

ROM fans should check out the November 7 entry in Fred Hembeck's blog (http://www.hembeck.com/FredSez.htm). Here's his intro paragraph:


Recently, I was faced with the task of producing a drawing of Rom (the details of which I'll share with you in the days to come), so in dire need of reference, I went downstairs and fished out a pile of ROM comics that hadn't seen the light of day in over twenty years. And with all due respect to ROM's long standing, initial penciller, Sal Buscema, I chose instead to exhume the last seventeen issues, numbers 59 through 75 inclusive, plus the fourth Annual, as these were all pencilled by the legendary Steve Ditko.

I check Fred's blog often - highly recommended!

[Rob Imes]

I vote against collecting ROM. I'm a Ditko fanatic, but I think his ROM work isn't that great, almost like hackwork in a way, just knocking out penciled pages which were then inked by more "modern" artists to make it look more up-to-date. That did lead to some interesting combinations on occasion (Ditko inked by Byrne, for example) but it lacks the heart of some of Ditko's more personal work from the same period such as The Fly and Static.

However, I do have a soft spot for the ROM issues where Sal Buscema was inked by Joe Sinnott, circa ROM #30. If you can get #30-32 for dirt-cheap, then get 'em. I have an interest in almost any pre-1985 comics, but I wouldn't bother buying any ROM issues after, say, #33. And I hated how they killed off Torpedo (who I liked) in #50. So, get any ROM before #33 if you must, but don't bother with any after #33. In fact, I recently sold off around two dozen ROM comics, including most of Ditko's run. I need the space for better stuff.

[pariah-1972]

Man there are a lot of loyal Ditko fanatics online.

[Polar Bear]

As a benefit for Bill Mantlo, lots of original art for Rom is being auctioned online until the 28th at this site. Some pieces are surprisingly affordable--at this writing, a really nice Ron Randall piece, for example, is only $20.

To get to eBay from the display site, you click the artist's name under the piece.

[Rob Allen]

Polar Bear, your link is broken. Are you referring to the Floating World Comics benefit? That's described at www.floatingworldcomics.com - scroll down just a bit.

[swinebread]

Polar Bear, your link is broken. Are you referring to the Floating World Comics benefit? That's described at www.floatingworldcomics.com - scroll down just a bit.

I just heard about this today! So, I'm gonna get my butt down to floating world comics tomorrow before the event ends on Jan 1st to take a gander at the ROM art, although I think the ebay auctions are done.

Should be fun, I like ROM a lot.

Oh and Yes, collect ROM, after you've read a few issues in the middle, that will let you know if you like it.

[Nightstar1441]

I can't recommend it enough - a great read and classic bronze age marvel with plenty of guest stars but yet has its own unique feel.

[Kirk G]

After spending the last couple of years steeped in Earth-Two and other pre-Crisis DC lore, and with my appetite whetted by various Essentials and the "40 Years of Avengers" DVD, I find my interest in Bronze Age Marvel reignited. One series I never got into the first time around was Rom, the plotline of which seemed to have a major impact on the Marvel Universe in the early '80s. So I'm asking: since the book is unlikely to get the Essentials treatment, should I make the effort to seek out the originals?

Cei-U!
I summon the words of wisdom!

In a word....... NO.:rolleyes:

[swinebread]

Hey folks, I have a blog post about the ROM show in Portland.

see here (http://atomicromance.blogspot.com/2007/12/romance-art-spaceknight-love.html)