 |
| Left click to magnify |
I recently found a copy of Incredible Hulk #381 (1991) in a $1 bin. I'm sure most of you have this issue or at least know about the Rom reference in it. But just in case you happen to be one of the few people who may not have seen it yet here it is.
 |
| Left click to magnify |
Now we all love Rom appearances and cameos but Gary Martin Jr. "a Rom curator" also really loves those Rom related footnotes scattered through out the Marvel Universe. Here's one I'm betting you don't have yet. It's comes from Fantastic Four #281.
The Parker Bros. doll turned up earlier this month on Youtube. It was featured on a collectables show about retro toys. Not much here most of you don't know about already but some of you might still like it anyways.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9ymPawmMzK4#!
You caught me without this one for sure. Thanks!! Check your email for even more in-story, off-the-beaten-path Wraith War mentions. I do certainly love it when ROM's history is acknowledged by the rest of the Marvel U, yes indeed.
ReplyDeleteGreat batch of posts the past couple of weeks!
ReplyDeleteI have a good reference to the Wraith War for you, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow when I can check my books. I think you'll get a kick out of what I have to say re: it.
Keep up the great work - this site is a blast for us fans!
thanks Dana P. it's always nice to have you swing by the comment section and give me some positive reinforcement. as to your Wraith War reference i just want to give you a heads about a ton of stuff i've been getting from the guy just about you Gary Martin Jr. so i may have this reference already but you never know. so by all means share it at your convenience.
DeleteThanks for the kind words, Ben!
DeleteI took a hiatus from comics in the 80s. The only title I kept up with was ROM; then, my subscription ran out at either issue 68 or 69. I thought about renewing it, but didn't. It wasn't until I got back into comics in the 90s that I made it a mission to find out what happened when ROM ended.
Anyway, in the 80s, I remember seeing on the racks at the occasional newsstand or convenience store shelves various bizarre sights. Is that Spider-Man wearing a black costume? What happened to Thor? He has a beard! Why is some alien monster wielding the hammer? (I think that my first view of Beta Ray Bill was in ROM, ironically.) Did Don Blake lose his walking stick? Why is the She-Hulk in the Fantastic Four?
I didn't find out the answers to these questions and more until the early/mid-90s. It was at that point that I read my favorite super hero saga for the first time: Walter Simonson's THOR. It was in issue #354 that Sif enquires of Beta Ray Bill as to his recent whereabouts. Bill explains that he participated in the final battle of the Wraith War. "It was nothing," he stated.
So, in the pages of ROM, which was my favorite comic book as a kid/teenager, I first saw the character that began what became my favorite super hero comic book run of all time (Simonson's Thor).
But the first 30-something issues of ROM are right up there as well!
Oh, and for the record, ROM and Simonson's THOR are the only two runs that I had custom bound! You've seen my ROMnibus 3-volume set!
Deletejust a few days ago Gary Martin Jr. sent me a bunch of clip art of Dire Wraith references made in various Marvel Comic book titles from the 80s and indeed the one with Beta Ray Bill you mentioned was among them :)
DeleteI remember first reading that issue of Hulk, back before I had ever read a Rom comic or knew anything of Bill Mantlo besides his wonderful stories. At the time, I had no idea what was falling out of Rick Jones' closet, so I'm glad you posted this so that I can properly appreciate Peter David's little Mantlo tribute. Nice post, once again!
ReplyDeletewow Rick, you're something of a late bloomer as far as Rom fans go. this issue came out almost 6 years after the final Rom issue. Peter David was obviously a fan of Mantlo's work on Rom. he made at least three distinct references that i know of while writing the HULK including Rom and Brandy's appearance at Rick Jones's wedding. thanks for the comment that's the sort of stuff i like to hear about my postings.
DeleteI used to have this issue in the 80's. What a blast!
ReplyDeletehttp://marvel.wikia.com/Power_Man_and_Iron_Fist_Vol_1_73
that issue is a must have appearance for any ROM fan. the entire story for Rom 23 starts in the Power Man & Iron Fist issue.
Delete