Rom #14
Published and © by Marvel and Rom © Parker Brothers, January 1981
Title: “The Ultimate Android!”
Synopsis: Rom is attacked by the Mad Thinker’s android – and learns more about Earth technology and human lunacy!
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artist: Sal Buscema
Review: Rom is one madcap comic. Out of nowhere, the Mad Thinker shows up with misguided notions and a mad on for everyone’s favorite spaceknight. One dry flashback and a pointless battle later and the reader is left saying “huh?” As usual, Sal Buscema’s art is solid but unspectacular.
•••
Title: “The Saga of the Spaceknights!”
Synopsis: Rom and his fellow spaceknights battle the Dire Wraith on Agricon – with tragic results.
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artist: Sal Buscema
Review: There are the seeds of a good – and important – story here, but the execution is pretty ho-hum.
Grade (for the entire issue): C
Cool factor: Umm … there are some nice subplot moments in this issue?
Not-so-cool factor: For a mad genius, the Thinker doesn’t actually do the thinking thing very well.
Notable: First appearance of Starshine. … Death of Ray-Na.
Character quotable: “How human error galls me in contrast to the pristine perfection of my infallible computers.” – The Mad Thinker, who obviously has never experienced the blue screen of death
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Sequential Reaction (Vol. 1) on Oct. 17, 2016.
