I love how non-committal that commercial is: “you can imagine he comes from another galaxy.” We’re not committing to that, but you can imagine it if you’d like.
Ha! totally. It's like the script was written by a polite Englishman "one can imagine, if one so desires, that he (perhaps) comes from another galaxy" lol
Or maybe it's 'you can imagine' but they really mean 'you *may* imagine'. Before the advert was released, only the copyright holders were permitted to imagine Rom was from another galaxy. The rest of us were only allowed to imagine he was was a low-level office worker in an unsuccessful accountancy firm, or a night cleaner in an abattoir until then.
@@slacknhash Or maybe there were fears that actually claiming to come from another galaxy would be regarded as infringing on Star Wars's "galaxy far, far away..."
If Rom cameo'd in Toy Story he would be one of the first toys to be self aware. "My child, bless his little entrepreneurial spirit, made me the owner of a sub shop where I made 3,000 subs an hour even with hands with no fingers. Ah how I miss my little Drufka."
Yes. You folks are all spot on! So many of his works highly underrated. His dark, moody Spider-Man original Carrion saga is still a personal all-time favourite. His "Crossroads" tales of The Hulk allowed for infinite possibilities each issue, like Dr. Who...Hulk could literally go anywhere! There was an excellent tribute mag to Mr. Mantlo a few years ago, raising money for his medical expenses. Highly recommended.
I'm close friends with Mike Buscema (Sal's son.) And i just sent this over to him to show his dad (who is doing well) Rom was one of his favorite books he did. I'll let you know what he thinks!
Sal Buscema is a legend. Loved His Rom series and Hulk. He kind`ve changed his style when he did Spiderman series. Man, it would be awesome to meet him.
Rom was my favorite book back in the day. It was difficult to get because there were no comic shops in my area. I got it from a Circle K that was down the street from my house. Ya know, if they gave Rom a "kung-fu grip" he could have been more popular as a toy. My GI Joes held all manner of things, from utensils (spoons and forks) to sticks and Star Wars action figures. Ah, the good ole days
Good to know Sal is well. Read a lot of his books and made such a connection to his art. Marvel really had some ingenious artists that could adapt to many characters books.
@@TabooX1984 If they had not gone with the lowest-end thinnest, cheapest plastic & electronics stuffed together &rushed to the market, it might have survived to become a far better collectible that the nightmare it continues to be.
"You couldn't swing your arms in the toy aisle without knocking over space robot toys.... I mean, you could but they would ask you not to.". Comedic gold.
@@Harkness78 no one said he was the best character just one of their favourites, besides without Rom, Rogue might not have become a hero. Dont be such a snob
@@Harkness78 It was indeed a simpler ttime... compared to superheroes comics ROM reallly stood out. Remember the ''New Universe'' Marvel tried to establish? DP7 was a great titlle , ahead of its time...
Thanks for this video, Mr Larson! Rom is a franchise that doesn’t get that much attention, so having you talk about him will hopefully get more people interested in the character.
Literally one of the best comics ever produced by Marvel. A completely (basically) original idea, which became entwined into the entire Marvel canon. This and Micronauts, will never be forgotten.
Collecting older X-Men comics in the 90's was my introduction to ROM. I thought he was really interesting, as I do have a soft spot for sci-fi stories. It is a shame when rights issues get in the way of that.
My first introduction to him ironically was in a comic he didn't show up in. It was a Fantastic Four comic where the FF were dealing with the aftermath of an event that happened in Rom's book and this was mentioned in a little section but all I saw was a Dire Wraith trying to kill The Thing. I later got his full story from Linkara in his ROM Retrospective which made me really want to read the comic but it seems like it'd be difficult to do that. Funnily enough they still do occassionally use ROM stuff in their comics, a Dire Wraith showed up in another Fantastic Four run where it murdered three alternate reality Reeds and was a part of an alien version of the Inhumans. Kind of like how Marvel still uses their lesser known things like ROM, New Universe and Squadron Supreme.
I was in elementary school in the early '80s, and his comic book was everywhere, but I never knew there was toy. I never saw any commercials nor did I ever see it on the shelves (not in the NYC area). Its completely news to me that it was also a toy.
I remember when James Gunn wanted to put ROM in Guardians of the galaxy but couldn't because of all of this. One of the few videos I knew answers to before Dandalorian could inform me of it. A shame though...imagine ROM in the MCU
He is part of the the Hasbro CU and the IDW comic kept the cyborg aspect but had to rename the species name of his people. Also Hasbro owns the Dire Wrath's in full because they were named on the back. Of his box and the Paltoy comic that Hasbro owns Hasbro aquired both Parker Brothers and Paltoy ( Paltoy was part of the Kenner/Tonka purchase from General Mills). It sounded like he was complaining that he could not adapt the Marvel comics whole sale because Parker Brothers agreement was not as well written as the ones Hasbro had for there comics.
ROM and Howard the Duck! Throw in Destroyer Duck too! Steve Gerber would be spinning in his grave fast enough to solve the world's energy problems but James Gunn could definitely make it entertaining.
A space knight (not ROM, sadly) was part of a team in Marvel called the Annihilators which included powerhouses like Quasar, Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer, Gladiator and Ronan the Accuser. This was in 2011
@@KasumiKenshirou Hasbro with Paramount is making a Micronauts movie and presumably it won't even resemble anything in the Marvel comics. It definitely will be a disappointment, just like Hasbro/ Paramount would have a disappointing ROM movie if it ever gets made. I read the IDW comics of ROM and the writing just does not seem engaging.
ROM Spaceknight!! Ive always dreamed one it'll be a MCU movie! Also have been waiting for the Micronauts! Imagine Micronauts meet Antman & the Wasp! That'll be sooo out of this world!!!
The original series had Rom as one of the space knights that had organic bodies to reclaim. Rom had an earth female that was in love with him. They moved to Galador to repopulate the planet.
I had the entire Rom series back in the day. Wish I kept em now knowing what happened there. And I also had that spaceship toy you featured in the beginning too! An anime series would be totally appropriate for Rom. Thanks for the awesome videos...
Enjoyed the Volume 1 era of ROM during my teen years. He was a gallant soul, yet a tragic hero. Seeing Brandy become Starshine was heartbreaking, but that transformation was shortlived thankfully.
I always had a weird theory that part of the reason Rogue tried to change and leave the sisterhood of mutants and join the X-men was the time she tried to 'steal' Rom's powers, only to find, and absorb, the memories of a man so committed to doing what was needed to defend his people, and all the peoples of his and other galaxies from an evil he had inadvertently released on them that he'd given up his humanity for two centuries of endless battle, and was committed to continue for as long as it took. Because he believed everyone deserved to be protected from the threat. And he was just...human. Unpowered. I imagine it's kinda hard to hold onto a 'all humans bad' kinda mentality in the face of that.
My favorite comic character! I was thrilled to see this posted. LOVED the comic growing up and have collected pretty much everything related to the character (not exactly a lot of merchandising). Just had a commission done of Rom and Starshine by Sal Buscema. :)
Do you have the overpower power card? Looks kinda like a poker card. I think it’s a number 3 or 4. 4 different symbols and it has wolverine and Spider-Man on the back?
After digging, i guess maybe it was actually his translator i’m thinking of: www.toysyouhad.com/romtrans.wav Although all of them now kinda remind me of mysterious numbers station sounds 😄 sauce: www.toysyouhad.com/Rom.htm
Thanks so much for getting around to this video! I’d seen his books around stores in the early 80s. I was ten years old when they stopped publishing. I would pick up a random issue from a used bookstore several years later. It was so cool. ❤️
It’s amazing how many Marvel comics had Rom and the Wraith War feature prominently here and there, or guest starred in Rom’s own book. One of my favorite characters and I hope we get a six inch Marvel Legends style figure, similar to the 3.75 inch Comic Con exclusive we got a couple of years back.
Ok im convinced y'all come from an alt universe where childhood was straight up magic! I have never heard of a lot of things you cover on this channel. Great work.
This was such a great comic with some fantastic stories and artwork, especially with covers by Micheal Golden, Mike Zeck and Frank Miller. I managed to get the entire series at a Fan Expo for $45. I was like: "Take my money already!!"
"They were...Not kind to ROM" Whoever "wrote" the first Thor movie definitely played with ROM as a kid. I think you should do an Episode about Space 1999, There was a short run action figure line, including the cool ship! Just a suggestion. Also, I miss Starbird, that thing was super badass at the time!
He was never a Marvel character during that Era marvel stuck all there licensed IP books in earth 616. Godzilla was in 616 with the transformers and GiJoe at one point with Barbie. They stopped doing this because when you lose the rights mid story line then you have to finish off godzilla by first making him stop looking like godzilla.
It wouldn't have to be a Marvel Legends, they could just release a Rom figure.....and for that matter, Micronauts, MASK, Inhumanoids, Visionaries, etc., but they won't because Hasbro hates us. 😆
This is the one set I wanted with ROM in it, but its not Marvel Legends. www.actionfigureinsider.com/hasbros-sdcc-2017-exclusive-revolution-comic-crossover-preview-mega-set/
The Marvel Legends team said they can do ROM whenever they want. Probably wouldn’t be sold in a Legends wave or have the Marvel logo on the package, but it would be in scale. I bet it will be an SDCC exclusive some day when 1 out of every 3 Californians isn’t COVID-19 positive.
O.M.G! I was just thinking about ROM last month December 2020! I saw another youtube video talking about the Marvel comic and how it's in limbo. I was a huge fan of ROM as a kid.
This brings back some memories. I had two of these, first one I got for Christmas and I played with it till it just wore out and I got another for the next birthday. Plus the comics. So many awesome toy memories from my childhood on this channel.
I was eight years old when the Starbird ships hit the toy stores, and I distinctly remember wanting them so badly at the time. I did get ROM the next year for Christmas, though. Btw, "Dandemonium" would be an awesome channel name.
Funny story: my Mom bought me a ROM toy when I was a kid but I'd never heard of it. I thought it was very cool but could never quick figure out the combinations of the two buttons on the back to control the sounds. Thinking it was just broken, my best friend and I disassembled the toy and used the sounds and lights to retro-fit my Millennium Falcon and Tie Fighter with sound and laser canon lights. So, it appears that in my head canon, ROM gave his life for the Rebellion and the Empire. LOL! That said, the ROM toy is still around (albeit without effects) and the other two have been lost to history. Apparently, ROM is forever. : )
First, thanks for covering Rom and giving me an update on this character. One of my favorite, underrated Marvel characters. I have every issue from 1 to 30...the stories and art work was starting to get lane. Rom meets the X-Men is a classic. Plus the Dire Wraiths were more dangerous and darker than the Skulls. Even Galactus is scared of the Dark Nebula, it narrowly killed him. Now knowing the real reason why Marvel couldn't do everything more with him, makes sense. I thought they cancelled he long ago.
Wow! Rom is back? He was my guilty pleasure when I was a kid. All my friends thought he was stupid, but didn't know how cool he really was! I'd watch a Rom movie. I might be one of two people in the theater, but I'd watch it. 😝
I was fairly young when I started a subscription to ROM comics, I started with issue 36 until the final issue only missing one thanks to it never being delivered in the mail. It also happened to be the end of the Wraith war.. One finger salute to the post office for that one.
My first comic book I have ever read was an issue of ROM. This 45 year old fan of all things geeky and nerdy has never felt more seen in his life. “Thank you” is not enough.
I was 23 and only reading X-Men in the early 80s but I got hooked on Rom. I loved his self-sacrifice and sense of duty and honor. It was a clear-cut good vs. evil story. Those pretty much disappeared in the next decade as all heroes had to be flawed and the lines between good and evil had to blur. I read his story to the end with him returning to Galador, reclaiming his human body, and joining with his love, Brandy Clark to restart and rebuild the planet. I was very glad that he got the happy ending he deserved, and Marvel gave the comic the chance to finish the story.
I had the toy! I loved that thing, even though its proportions looked so goony to me even as a child. I used to "fly" it all over the place until I'd wear out that 9v battery with the thruster sounds.
Holy shit, I had a Star Bird as a kid. It was a hand-me-down, so I never had any idea what it was. My memory of it was so fuzzy I had no idea how to even describe it! All I could describe was one of the "interceptor" pieces, and I knew the bridge cowling came off. I know it's not the point of this video, but seriously I never would have gotten that without this. THANK YOU!
My aunt got me one of these for my birthday, I was so excited because to my recollection it was the ONLY comic book related toy around and I loved comics. I was so disappointed with it she took it back and got me the Star Wars droid workshop/playset.
Rom was my Wolverine! I loved the toy and the comics! The toy was decent....But you're right, it didn't fit in with the newer toys very well. But the comic was awesome! The first 66 issues are solid and worth tracking down! The rest was....Ok. I haven't gotten any of the Habro books, but I probably should.
That was its biggest problem, it didn't do anything well...No kid was really going to play with it beyond 5 minutes since it was the only toy in the line, it barely did anything and it didn't really work with anything except G.I Joe....How much excitement did Parker Bros think kids were going to find in that with literally nothing else to go with it. Its almost dumber than when Kenner decided they should make a big ass Alien figure and then nothing else to go with that.
@@lutherheggs451 I'm not going to argue with you on your points, because you're right. I had fun with it for about week and then I just used Rom occasionally to be a giant robot that was attacking my G.I. Joes and Star Wars figures. I had SOME toys he would work with. Rom came out on the cusp of the G.I. Joe going from Rom-sized to Star Wars size. So, I still had some Joes. Now, I can look back and just imagine anything could have been a Dire Wraith, since they were shape shifters. But, overall, they should have done a line or....Something. I mean, a beeping robot is cool for a few minutes, but you could get that from Atari. Not the best thought-out plan. But the comics were cool!
awesome, another mystery answered, i'm from the UK and used to collect Action Man back in the early 80s, and in the 'also available' booklets you got with the toys was a picture of ROM, who looked pretty out of place, even amongst the space stuff AM was into , more sci fi than astronaut. At the same time my friend had managed to get hold of a Marvel comic with ROM in it ( an amazing feat in itself, US comicbooks were like gold dust back then) and we were all confused as to who the hell this guy was and what it meant that he knew both the Fantastic Four and Action Man. I hadn't realised that part of my brain was still bugged by this till i watched the video, so thanks for making the universe make more sense to me, if only in a small way :)
I had the toy as a kid & I bought every issue of the comic until it's last. He was my favourite comic character in the 80's and for me he was just as iconic as He-man, Lion-O, or Optimus Prime.
I wanted a Rom Space Knight so bad when I first saw the commercial, but never got one. Years later, a friend in Highschool had one that he showed me - while a little disappointed, I still wanted that damned toy... A few years before that there was another robot toy, marketed to a slightly younger audience, that was semi-popular: Tobor the remote controlled (sorry, "telesonic" controlled) robot that used audio clicks from the "controller" to change it's direction (forward, or turning).
Thanks for another Great video, Dan! I loved the original ROM comic book series and recently got a copy of issue #1.
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Even though I was born in the 2000’s, I was fortunate enough to have my dad’s childhood toys as a kid. So, even though I was born in the 2000’s, ROM was one of my childhood toys. It had all its accessories, electronics worked perfectly and even lighted up. Loved that sucker.
Ho hoooo, my childhood seriously thanks you. I remember this toy. For the life of me couldn't remember the third accessory after the Neutralizer and Translator; guess they dialed back the need for the Respirator when confirming that space knightyness. I HAD that Starbird ship! You could shrink it by removing the middle section. And good ole Rom. Sal Buscema's art was...okay. but Mike Zeck's covers really made you wish they could've gotten him to do some interiors, dammit. Not until now had i realized the parallels between Rom and the silver surfer, and also, of course, beta ray bill. Some damn tragic and interesting storylines from then. The dire wraiths ate your brain, via drilling tongues, when they assumed your identity and murdered you. Intense stuff for a kid at that time. Great video.
I had this toy as a child and played with it a LOT! I also have the comic book series and a limited edition garage resin model kit. I would LOVE to see a movie done with ROM! It can be done!
Excellent video, excellent research, and as always, amazed at how you include all the important talking points in just a few minutes. Never actually saw a ROM toy in my life but collected and enjoyed the Marvel comic. Have not read any of Rom's adventures at IDW.
Which brings me a question why doesn't Hasbro work on a ROM movie and you can't say it won't work it's basically a fusion of several siFi together in a ninja turtle style of awesomeness
Steve Ditko on pencils, P Craig Russell embellishing and Flexigraphic printing ! That comic rocks to this day-Thanks Dan, your are firing on all the cylinders!xxx
I got ROM for my birthday in 1980. Being *totally* into any toy with electronics, my 7-year old self thought he was the coolest thing ever, probably my favorite gift from that birthday. Until my cousin broke his backpack switches from pressing too hard and the lights & sounds stopped working like they were supposed to 🤦🏻♂️. Still have fond memories of ROM to this day.
ROM is easily one of the best comic runs in Marvel’s history. It was dark, had real stakes, and ROM was a tragic figure that experienced loss on a regular basis. He has to return to Marvel and continue his proper story and origin. An MCU appearance MUST happen.
Wow I only knew of the comic here in Australia when I was a child and I also had a silver Star Bird and never knew what it was called until now! Thank you! ROM was an amazing thing for me to read as a child too. So happy I found this video by chance!
Great video! I bought my first ROM marvel comic in 1980, still got it somewhere in the house. Never continued on with the character though. Interesting to see how it developed over the years.
"At least as hard as Adamantium and Vibranium and twice as fictional." Genius. Pure genius.
I thought you were here to complain that your brother's being Ferengi wasn't even mentioned.
IKR
I mean, it's not genius. Your bar for genius is pretty low .
If you read Rom you would know what he was made of. Better than adamantium. If it were real....
I love how non-committal that commercial is: “you can imagine he comes from another galaxy.” We’re not committing to that, but you can imagine it if you’d like.
Ha! totally. It's like the script was written by a polite Englishman "one can imagine, if one so desires, that he (perhaps) comes from another galaxy" lol
Or maybe it's 'you can imagine' but they really mean 'you *may* imagine'. Before the advert was released, only the copyright holders were permitted to imagine Rom was from another galaxy. The rest of us were only allowed to imagine he was was a low-level office worker in an unsuccessful accountancy firm, or a night cleaner in an abattoir until then.
@@slacknhash Or maybe there were fears that actually claiming to come from another galaxy would be regarded as infringing on Star Wars's "galaxy far, far away..."
If Rom cameo'd in Toy Story he would be one of the first toys to be self aware. "My child, bless his little entrepreneurial spirit, made me the owner of a sub shop where I made 3,000 subs an hour even with hands with no fingers. Ah how I miss my little Drufka."
There’s another commercial that’s a lot better. Dark room with echoey voiceover. Even talks about his backstory a little.
Bill Mantlo is one of the most underrated and underappreciated comics writers of all time and ROM is one of his greatest works.
It's a shame about his accident. I think his Marvel Rocket Racoon money is helping him out on his medical expenses.
@@PHToysBuildGawa And I believe there was a foundation set up to help with his expenses as well.
Absolute truth. Mantlo's work was huge in my childhood. Such imagination.
Yes. You folks are all spot on! So many of his works highly underrated. His dark, moody Spider-Man original Carrion saga is still a personal all-time favourite. His "Crossroads" tales of The Hulk allowed for infinite possibilities each issue, like Dr. Who...Hulk could literally go anywhere! There was an excellent tribute mag to Mr. Mantlo a few years ago, raising money for his medical expenses. Highly recommended.
Thanks for your note and from the replies I went to wiki having no idea of Mr M's misfortune, so sad.
I'm close friends with Mike Buscema (Sal's son.) And i just sent this over to him to show his dad (who is doing well) Rom was one of his favorite books he did. I'll let you know what he thinks!
Please let us know! Thanks
Sal Buscema is a legend. Loved His Rom series and Hulk. He kind`ve changed his style when he did Spiderman series. Man, it would be awesome to meet him.
Rom was my favorite book back in the day. It was difficult to get because there were no comic shops in my area. I got it from a Circle K that was down the street from my house.
Ya know, if they gave Rom a "kung-fu grip" he could have been more popular as a toy. My GI Joes held all manner of things, from utensils (spoons and forks) to sticks and Star Wars action figures.
Ah, the good ole days
Good to know Sal is well. Read a lot of his books and made such a connection to his art. Marvel really had some ingenious artists that could adapt to many characters books.
@@TabooX1984 If they had not gone with the lowest-end thinnest, cheapest plastic & electronics stuffed together &rushed to the market, it might have survived to become a far better collectible that the nightmare it continues to be.
"You couldn't swing your arms in the toy aisle without knocking over space robot toys.... I mean, you could but they would ask you not to.". Comedic gold.
Rom is an amazing comic it is a shame it has never been reprinted.
There was a site that let you read all those old books, but it was shut down.
IKR Not even in those cheap B&W collected volumes :(
Though not reprinted, IDW has been publishing ROM comic books. They've also included him in crossovers with The Transformers.
@@paulgundrum9059 Yes they have and the IDW comics with him a space knight that hunt evil alien sorcerers are good.
@@paulgundrum9059 Not the same though
I remember reading my uncle's ROM comic everytime we went up to visit the grandparents.
@@ImSonnyBurnett idk, this was in the mid-ish 80s.
Still one of my all time favorite comic book characters.
He has that Bobba Fett aura about him.
Hell yes. Rom was my first comic book hero
Your comic book experience must be pretty shallow if ROM is in your top 50 characters, let alone top 20.
@@Harkness78 no one said he was the best character just one of their favourites, besides without Rom, Rogue might not have become a hero. Dont be such a snob
@@Harkness78 It was indeed a simpler ttime... compared to superheroes comics ROM reallly stood out. Remember the ''New Universe'' Marvel tried to establish? DP7 was a great titlle , ahead of its time...
Thanks for this video, Mr Larson! Rom is a franchise that doesn’t get that much attention, so having you talk about him will hopefully get more people interested in the character.
once upon a time ROM was the man!
I'm only 52, was fascinated by the ROM comic series and actually sat still for this entire video
Literally one of the best comics ever produced by Marvel. A completely (basically) original idea, which became entwined into the entire Marvel canon. This and Micronauts, will never be forgotten.
Collecting older X-Men comics in the 90's was my introduction to ROM. I thought he was really interesting, as I do have a soft spot for sci-fi stories. It is a shame when rights issues get in the way of that.
My first introduction to him ironically was in a comic he didn't show up in. It was a Fantastic Four comic where the FF were dealing with the aftermath of an event that happened in Rom's book and this was mentioned in a little section but all I saw was a Dire Wraith trying to kill The Thing. I later got his full story from Linkara in his ROM Retrospective which made me really want to read the comic but it seems like it'd be difficult to do that. Funnily enough they still do occassionally use ROM stuff in their comics, a Dire Wraith showed up in another Fantastic Four run where it murdered three alternate reality Reeds and was a part of an alien version of the Inhumans. Kind of like how Marvel still uses their lesser known things like ROM, New Universe and Squadron Supreme.
I actually had a bunch of the comics from this series. One i had was my first introduction to Mystique and Rogue.
I was in elementary school in the early '80s, and his comic book was everywhere, but I never knew there was toy. I never saw any commercials nor did I ever see it on the shelves (not in the NYC area). Its completely news to me that it was also a toy.
I remember when James Gunn wanted to put ROM in Guardians of the galaxy but couldn't because of all of this. One of the few videos I knew answers to before Dandalorian could inform me of it. A shame though...imagine ROM in the MCU
He is part of the the Hasbro CU and the IDW comic kept the cyborg aspect but had to rename the species name of his people. Also Hasbro owns the Dire Wrath's in full because they were named on the back. Of his box and the Paltoy comic that Hasbro owns Hasbro aquired both Parker Brothers and Paltoy ( Paltoy was part of the Kenner/Tonka purchase from General Mills). It sounded like he was complaining that he could not adapt the Marvel comics whole sale because Parker Brothers agreement was not as well written as the ones Hasbro had for there comics.
ROM and Howard the Duck! Throw in Destroyer Duck too! Steve Gerber would be spinning in his grave fast enough to solve the world's energy problems but James Gunn could definitely make it entertaining.
I can imagine ROM in the MCU, and it is glorious.
A space knight (not ROM, sadly) was part of a team in Marvel called the Annihilators which included powerhouses like Quasar, Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer, Gladiator and Ronan the Accuser.
This was in 2011
@@KasumiKenshirou Hasbro with Paramount is making a Micronauts movie and presumably it won't even resemble anything in the Marvel comics. It definitely will be a disappointment, just like Hasbro/ Paramount would have a disappointing ROM movie if it ever gets made.
I read the IDW comics of ROM and the writing just does not seem engaging.
ROM is still out there hunting dire wraiths, but don’t call him Shirley.
I “discovered” ROM in about 1985 when I was 13 and loved it. I quickly went out of my way to get every issue of that original 75 issue run.
DON’T TELL ME WHAT I CAN IMAGINE, VOICE OVER GUY!!!
ROM was and is one of my top 5 fav comics of all time. It was so dark. Buscema and Mantlo put together such a deep and ultimately sorrowful story.
ROM Spaceknight!! Ive always dreamed one it'll be a MCU movie! Also have been waiting for the Micronauts! Imagine Micronauts meet Antman & the Wasp! That'll be sooo out of this world!!!
If there is ever a Rom Omnibus it would sell out immediately!
A Romnibus?
The original series had Rom as one of the space knights that had organic bodies to reclaim. Rom had an earth female that was in love with him. They moved to Galador to repopulate the planet.
ROM is the whole reason I got interested in Marvel comics and made me a lifelong fan of Marvel.
I had the entire Rom series back in the day. Wish I kept em now knowing what happened there. And I also had that spaceship toy you featured in the beginning too! An anime series would be totally appropriate for Rom. Thanks for the awesome videos...
Enjoyed the Volume 1 era of ROM during my teen years. He was a gallant soul, yet a tragic hero. Seeing Brandy become Starshine was heartbreaking, but that transformation was shortlived thankfully.
I loved the comics so much. You guys just got me right in the "feels"! Keep up the AMAZING work!
I always had a weird theory that part of the reason Rogue tried to change and leave the sisterhood of mutants and join the X-men was the time she tried to 'steal' Rom's powers, only to find, and absorb, the memories of a man so committed to doing what was needed to defend his people, and all the peoples of his and other galaxies from an evil he had inadvertently released on them that he'd given up his humanity for two centuries of endless battle, and was committed to continue for as long as it took. Because he believed everyone deserved to be protected from the threat. And he was just...human. Unpowered. I imagine it's kinda hard to hold onto a 'all humans bad' kinda mentality in the face of that.
I bought the first issue when I was a child. Used to love Rom. Wish I still had that 1st issue.
My favorite comic character! I was thrilled to see this posted. LOVED the comic growing up and have collected pretty much everything related to the character (not exactly a lot of merchandising). Just had a commission done of Rom and Starshine by Sal Buscema. :)
Do you have the overpower power card? Looks kinda like a poker card. I think it’s a number 3 or 4. 4 different symbols and it has wolverine and Spider-Man on the back?
@@RetroPillowcase Yes I do - there are actually two Rom overpower cards (the other has him and Torpedo together).
@@Rom2814SK ok yeah. Does it say double shot? With like a burned red border?
ROM’s scanner is one of the sounds from my childhood that will forever be seared into my brain 😱
...in a good way 😁
After digging, i guess maybe it was actually his translator i’m thinking of: www.toysyouhad.com/romtrans.wav
Although all of them now kinda remind me of mysterious numbers station sounds 😄
sauce: www.toysyouhad.com/Rom.htm
That random shade-throwing at Robocop at the end had me laughing my ass off!
Growing up in WV, ROM was always one of my favorite characters because he crashed to Earth in WV. We didn’t show up in comics much back then. 😃👍
“When you are waiting to see if Dan will ever cover Battlebots and Robot Wars on Toy Galaxy”
Thanks so much for getting around to this video! I’d seen his books around stores in the early 80s. I was ten years old when they stopped publishing. I would pick up a random issue from a used bookstore several years later. It was so cool. ❤️
It’s amazing how many Marvel comics had Rom and the Wraith War feature prominently here and there, or guest starred in Rom’s own book. One of my favorite characters and I hope we get a six inch Marvel Legends style figure, similar to the 3.75 inch Comic Con exclusive we got a couple of years back.
You have the 3 3/4 inch figure set? Lucky human person lol
Funny how the Shapeshifting Dire Wraiths attempted to take over Earth like the shapeshifting Skrulls but people remember the Skrulls sooner.
ROM after defeating the "Dire Wraiths": So I have to go chasing after these assholes now?!
Rom and the Micronauts are the characters that started me reading comic books
Ok im convinced y'all come from an alt universe where childhood was straight up magic! I have never heard of a lot of things you cover on this channel. Great work.
This was such a great comic with some fantastic stories and artwork, especially with covers by Micheal Golden, Mike Zeck and Frank Miller. I managed to get the entire series at a Fan Expo for $45. I was like: "Take my money already!!"
Rom’s look is reminiscent of the Day the Earth stood still robot. “Gort”
"They were...Not kind to ROM" Whoever "wrote" the first Thor movie definitely played with ROM as a kid. I think you should do an Episode about Space 1999, There was a short run action figure line, including the cool ship! Just a suggestion. Also, I miss Starbird, that thing was super badass at the time!
I had that! You could pop the engines and the cockpit off the main body of the ship and hook them together to make a short little shuttlecraft.
If Hasbro owns ROM, and they make Marvel Legends, then when can I expect a ROM Marvel Legends figure?
Good question
He was never a Marvel character during that Era marvel stuck all there licensed IP books in earth 616. Godzilla was in 616 with the transformers and GiJoe at one point with Barbie. They stopped doing this because when you lose the rights mid story line then you have to finish off godzilla by first making him stop looking like godzilla.
It wouldn't have to be a Marvel Legends, they could just release a Rom figure.....and for that matter, Micronauts, MASK, Inhumanoids, Visionaries, etc., but they won't because Hasbro hates us. 😆
@@KasumiKenshirou Not talking about comics. Hasbro owns all those properties I mentioned, they can release new toys any time they want.
Why would they make it in the Marvel Legends line? That's like them making a Marvel Legends Darth Vader
Hoping for a modern toy of this !!! Never grew up with ROM , but i liked the history
Funny how if they use the old design, it's gonna be everything but modern. That thing the most 80s thing I've ever see .
Thanks for covering Rom. One of my favorite comics as a kid.
I wish I still had that first issue, I also had the last. Loved the series 👍❤️
I really wish Hasbro would make a Rom figure for Marvel Legends.
This is the one set I wanted with ROM in it, but its not Marvel Legends.
www.actionfigureinsider.com/hasbros-sdcc-2017-exclusive-revolution-comic-crossover-preview-mega-set/
Disney needs to do some legal finagling.
The Marvel Legends team said they can do ROM whenever they want. Probably wouldn’t be sold in a Legends wave or have the Marvel logo on the package, but it would be in scale. I bet it will be an SDCC exclusive some day when 1 out of every 3 Californians isn’t COVID-19 positive.
Hell Yeah! I would buy that in a heart beat. Hell i would buy a whole line of figs of all the Spaceknights.
Been waiting for this one, I read the Transformers/ROM crossovers and was instantly hooked.
I remember the comics! Never heard of the figures... Now, thanks to another great video, I'll be sure to hunt down one!
I just completed my collection of Marvel ROM comics including all the issues he guest starred in. I always loved the character.
Got the ROM toy for Christmas in 1979 and still remember running around the house detecting if my family members if they were "good" or "evil"
O.M.G! I was just thinking about ROM last month December 2020! I saw another youtube video talking about the Marvel comic and how it's in limbo. I was a huge fan of ROM as a kid.
I love 80s and 90s nostalgia shows like these. Thank you TH-cam for making those possible... teardrop... 🥲
I still have dozens of the comic's 75 issue run. It was really good.
This brings back some memories. I had two of these, first one I got for Christmas and I played with it till it just wore out and I got another for the next birthday. Plus the comics. So many awesome toy memories from my childhood on this channel.
So glad you did this video! Not too long ago, a neighbor gave me a stack of ROM comics.
I was eight years old when the Starbird ships hit the toy stores, and I distinctly remember wanting them so badly at the time.
I did get ROM the next year for Christmas, though.
Btw, "Dandemonium" would be an awesome channel name.
Thanks for the shout out! Guy Dorian Sr
Don't forget to pick up ROM DIRE WRAITHS TPB coming out any day. I did the cover!
I've never clicked on a Toy Galaxy video faster.
Awesome video ... Been waiting for this one from you guys ...
Funny story: my Mom bought me a ROM toy when I was a kid but I'd never heard of it. I thought it was very cool but could never quick figure out the combinations of the two buttons on the back to control the sounds. Thinking it was just broken, my best friend and I disassembled the toy and used the sounds and lights to retro-fit my Millennium Falcon and Tie Fighter with sound and laser canon lights. So, it appears that in my head canon, ROM gave his life for the Rebellion and the Empire. LOL! That said, the ROM toy is still around (albeit without effects) and the other two have been lost to history. Apparently, ROM is forever. : )
ROM the Space Knight was my favourite comic growing up. I miss the era when people had big ideals!
First, thanks for covering Rom and giving me an update on this character. One of my favorite, underrated Marvel characters. I have every issue from 1 to 30...the stories and art work was starting to get lane. Rom meets the X-Men is a classic. Plus the Dire Wraiths were more dangerous and darker than the Skulls. Even Galactus is scared of the Dark Nebula, it narrowly killed him.
Now knowing the real reason why Marvel couldn't do everything more with him, makes sense. I thought they cancelled he long ago.
That Galador logo reminded me of how much I missed Caldor’s department store.
Wow! Rom is back? He was my guilty pleasure when I was a kid. All my friends thought he was stupid, but didn't know how cool he really was! I'd watch a Rom movie. I might be one of two people in the theater, but I'd watch it. 😝
I was fairly young when I started a subscription to ROM comics, I started with issue 36 until the final issue only missing one thanks to it never being delivered in the mail. It also happened to be the end of the Wraith war.. One finger salute to the post office for that one.
My first comic book I have ever read was an issue of ROM. This 45 year old fan of all things geeky and nerdy has never felt more seen in his life.
“Thank you” is not enough.
Holy crap, the Star Bird!! I totally had that and had forgotten all about it. Thanks again, Dan, for bringing some childhood memories back.
Wow , I still remember getting ROM for Christmas. Thanks for the history fill in. Never knew.
Yay ROM!!!! I bought a shedload Of ROM comics years ago. Love him.
I was 23 and only reading X-Men in the early 80s but I got hooked on Rom. I loved his self-sacrifice and sense of duty and honor. It was a clear-cut good vs. evil story. Those pretty much disappeared in the next decade as all heroes had to be flawed and the lines between good and evil had to blur.
I read his story to the end with him returning to Galador, reclaiming his human body, and joining with his love, Brandy Clark to restart and rebuild the planet. I was very glad that he got the happy ending he deserved, and Marvel gave the comic the chance to finish the story.
This brings back memories. Rom was one of my favorite Marvel characters, still is. Really appreciate this upload. Thanks for posting...😁👍
Well, looks like im off to eBay to find some comics and a Matt Trakker action figure. Thanks again Toy Galaxy.
And where is M.A.S.K. anyway? Wasn't there supposed to be a revival? I'd definitely buy a Vanessa Warfield doll!
Even I sold my comic book collection my complete ROM run was one of the free things I kept.
I had the toy! I loved that thing, even though its proportions looked so goony to me even as a child. I used to "fly" it all over the place until I'd wear out that 9v battery with the thruster sounds.
Your opening statement brought a tear to my two eyes,one from the left, and one from the right.
Holy shit, I had a Star Bird as a kid. It was a hand-me-down, so I never had any idea what it was. My memory of it was so fuzzy I had no idea how to even describe it! All I could describe was one of the "interceptor" pieces, and I knew the bridge cowling came off. I know it's not the point of this video, but seriously I never would have gotten that without this. THANK YOU!
I got a ROM action figure for Christmas when they first hit the shelves. And I had issue #1 of the Marvel comic. Thanks for the nostalgia!
As histórias da Marvel, com o Rom, eram mesmo incríveis. Quando ele se encontrava com outros heróis da Marvel, ficava ainda melhor.
My aunt got me one of these for my birthday, I was so excited because to my recollection it was the ONLY comic book related toy around and I loved comics. I was so disappointed with it she took it back and got me the Star Wars droid workshop/playset.
This is, by far the best show on the internet. Anyone that does a show on Manimal, is a hero in my book.
Rom was my Wolverine! I loved the toy and the comics! The toy was decent....But you're right, it didn't fit in with the newer toys very well. But the comic was awesome! The first 66 issues are solid and worth tracking down! The rest was....Ok. I haven't gotten any of the Habro books, but I probably should.
That was its biggest problem, it didn't do anything well...No kid was really going to play with it beyond 5 minutes since it was the only toy in the line, it barely did anything and it didn't really work with anything except G.I Joe....How much excitement did Parker Bros think kids were going to find in that with literally nothing else to go with it.
Its almost dumber than when Kenner decided they should make a big ass Alien figure and then nothing else to go with that.
@@lutherheggs451 I'm not going to argue with you on your points, because you're right. I had fun with it for about week and then I just used Rom occasionally to be a giant robot that was attacking my G.I. Joes and Star Wars figures. I had SOME toys he would work with. Rom came out on the cusp of the G.I. Joe going from Rom-sized to Star Wars size. So, I still had some Joes. Now, I can look back and just imagine anything could have been a Dire Wraith, since they were shape shifters. But, overall, they should have done a line or....Something. I mean, a beeping robot is cool for a few minutes, but you could get that from Atari. Not the best thought-out plan. But the comics were cool!
awesome, another mystery answered, i'm from the UK and used to collect Action Man back in the early 80s, and in the 'also available' booklets you got with the toys was a picture of ROM, who looked pretty out of place, even amongst the space stuff AM was into , more sci fi than astronaut. At the same time my friend had managed to get hold of a Marvel comic with ROM in it ( an amazing feat in itself, US comicbooks were like gold dust back then) and we were all confused as to who the hell this guy was and what it meant that he knew both the Fantastic Four and Action Man. I hadn't realised that part of my brain was still bugged by this till i watched the video, so thanks for making the universe make more sense to me, if only in a small way :)
I had the toy as a kid & I bought every issue of the comic until it's last. He was my favourite comic character in the 80's and for me he was just as iconic as He-man, Lion-O, or Optimus Prime.
I wanted a Rom Space Knight so bad when I first saw the commercial, but never got one. Years later, a friend in Highschool had one that he showed me - while a little disappointed, I still wanted that damned toy... A few years before that there was another robot toy, marketed to a slightly younger audience, that was semi-popular: Tobor the remote controlled (sorry, "telesonic" controlled) robot that used audio clicks from the "controller" to change it's direction (forward, or turning).
Thanks for another Great video, Dan! I loved the original ROM comic book series and recently got a copy of issue #1.
Even though I was born in the 2000’s, I was fortunate enough to have my dad’s childhood toys as a kid. So, even though I was born in the 2000’s, ROM was one of my childhood toys. It had all its accessories, electronics worked perfectly and even lighted up. Loved that sucker.
I became a fan of ROM when I purchased some old comics of his at a flea market in the early 90's. I did not know there was a toy line.
Ho hoooo, my childhood seriously thanks you. I remember this toy. For the life of me couldn't remember the third accessory after the Neutralizer and Translator; guess they dialed back the need for the Respirator when confirming that space knightyness.
I HAD that Starbird ship! You could shrink it by removing the middle section.
And good ole Rom. Sal Buscema's art was...okay. but Mike Zeck's covers really made you wish they could've gotten him to do some interiors, dammit.
Not until now had i realized the parallels between Rom and the silver surfer, and also, of course, beta ray bill.
Some damn tragic and interesting storylines from then. The dire wraiths ate your brain, via drilling tongues, when they assumed your identity and murdered you. Intense stuff for a kid at that time.
Great video.
I had forgotten about this fella. Dang. Thank you!
I really enjoyed ROM as a kid. Cool premise.
It’s how I got my name Rhom. When I was a kid loved seeing a comic close to my name
I have been waiting for this! Thanks so much you guys! I still have my big ROM figure from like Christmas 1980!!
I have ALMOST the entire comic book collection. Loved it as a kid and hated when it ended.
I had this toy as a child and played with it a LOT! I also have the comic book series and a limited edition garage resin model kit. I would LOVE to see a movie done with ROM! It can be done!
As someone who owns every issue of ROM I approve of this video! Loved and collected this comic since I was a little kid.
OMG. Rom! I remember this from my childhood 4 decades ago
Excellent video, excellent research, and as always, amazed at how you include all the important talking points in just a few minutes. Never actually saw a ROM toy in my life but collected and enjoyed the Marvel comic. Have not read any of Rom's adventures at IDW.
Which brings me a question why doesn't Hasbro work on a ROM movie and you can't say it won't work it's basically a fusion of several siFi together in a ninja turtle style of awesomeness
Steve Ditko on pencils, P Craig Russell embellishing and Flexigraphic printing ! That comic rocks to this day-Thanks Dan, your are firing on all the cylinders!xxx
I got ROM for my birthday in 1980. Being *totally* into any toy with electronics, my 7-year old self thought he was the coolest thing ever, probably my favorite gift from that birthday. Until my cousin broke his backpack switches from pressing too hard and the lights & sounds stopped working like they were supposed to 🤦🏻♂️. Still have fond memories of ROM to this day.
ROM is easily one of the best comic runs in Marvel’s history. It was dark, had real stakes, and ROM was a tragic figure that experienced loss on a regular basis. He has to return to Marvel and continue his proper story and origin. An MCU appearance MUST happen.
Wow I only knew of the comic here in Australia when I was a child and I also had a silver Star Bird and never knew what it was called until now! Thank you! ROM was an amazing thing for me to read as a child too. So happy I found this video by chance!
Great video! I bought my first ROM marvel comic in 1980, still got it somewhere in the house. Never continued on with the character though. Interesting to see how it developed over the years.