Something Dire This Way Comes

Last weekend I got this idea to do a spot light piece for the dire wraiths. I wanted to do something in particular that was as menacing and creepy as possible with out depicting any sort of out right gore. My fan art that includes the wraiths usually features them getting banished, dismembered, stabbed or blown up so I decided to do something a bit different this time. Ofcourse I could never do anything that would come even close to the days of Bill Mantlo's writing, Sal Buscema's pencils with Akin & Garvey inks. But I'm pretty happy with this sci-fi horror movie poster kinda look that resulted from my efforts.

 

 

It's been quite a while since we've seen ROM or any reference to him in any sort of publication. But at least in this month's issue of BACK ISSUE magazine 137 he gets a name drop in an article about Power Lords which was a short lived toy line that DC Comics made into a 3 issue mini-series. It's nice to see that ROM still gets some recognition today when it comes to published articles about comics from licensed properties of the 70s and 80s despite more then two decades of Marvel's poor attempts at continuity for the original series and ofcourse idw's atrocious reboot. All of which can be said for The Micronauts as well.

And speaking of invasions by evil and vile creatures, please stand with Ukraine.

 

Nichelle Nichols passes away at 89 but leaves a legacy for the ages

I had just completed putting this posting together prior to the sad news about Nichelle Nichols having passed away so for this posting I'm going to lead with her. I've been a Star Trek fan for pretty much all my life although my interest in Star Trek came on a bit more gradually and a bit later in my adolescence then in the case of Star Wars. I know that given the age of the original cast members that this sort of news shouldn't come as a huge surprise but it still feels like a punch bellow the waist.

Did you know that after season 1 of the original series that Nichols considered leaving the show despite Gene Roddenberry begging her to stay? Apparently it was Martin Luther King who ultimately convinced her to stay on the show. It can't be understated enough how much of a pioneer Nichelle Nichols has been in the history of America's civil rights movement with everything from the first interacial kiss on TV to her efforts for creating more diversity at NASA. She was 89, so when you think of all she achieved both professionally and personally you have to take into account what was going on in America in her life time as a black woman. A beautiful human being both inside and out, Nichelle Nichols leaves an amazing legacy for not just Star Trek fans but also for great achievements off screen to. 

 

 

 

Well the last posting featured fan made cover variant so why not one more to open up this posting to? This was originally a black n' white sketch card https://www.deviantart.com/nikoskap/art/Micronauts-sketch-card-922465755

But I felt it had potential to be something more so I colored it and added the other necessary embellishments to give it that Marvel 80s touch.

 

Here's my latest envelope fan art. This one has an 80s properties or what might be today a "Hasbroverse" kinda theme to it. I think the "Hasbroverse" concept works better as envelope fan art then it does as an actual story line we all remember what a train wreck that was with IDW.

No photoshop nonesense going on here. The Godzilla prop on top of that high rise and the full size Gundamn robot are both quite real. A friend of mine is on an extended stay in Japan right now and he's been sending me some fantastic photos in recent weeks. Some have to do with all things in Japan that are related to the comic book/sci-fi/fantasy genre. Of those, I wanted to share these two in particular because this stuff is awesome and you'll only find in Japan. Those must have been a Hell of a sight to see in person.

 

 Just on a whim today I decided to revisit a fan art piece that I did 11 years ago although it doesn't feel like it was that long ago. I was always happy with how Ikon came out from a figure composition stand point but I kinda lost my focus with the other elements in the sketch piece and as a result it never did look quite right to me plus it also felt like it was missing something to. you can see the original here romspaceknightart.blogspot.com

IKON was Marvel's attempt to fill the Greatest of The Spaceknights void. And at times there was some promising moments as we saw IKON team up with cosmic powerhouses like Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator, Quasar, Silver Surfer and Ronin. We even at one point got to see her lead a task force of classic spaceknights giving us a bit of the old Mantlo magic from the original series. But that was very short lived and Marvel true to form fucked it all up with her apparent untimely demise along with Galador. We would see a couple brief unexplained appearances not long after that and then that was it. Haven't seen her since 2014 so fuck you very much Marvel Comics. And don't think I forgot about you also IDW with your shitty ROM and Micronauts reboot fails you fucken suck also.

 

 

WELL SAID!

The Marvel Team Up issue you never saw coming

It's been a long time since any brand new ROM related fan art has come along that I thought was pretty good outside of the collaborative efforts of myself and my Greek friend  https://www.deviantart.com/nikoskap. This fan art piece by Lou Russo is essentially what the opening page might look like in some sort of Marvel Team-Up issue with ROM, Spider-Man and The Micronauts going up against the combined evil of Baron Karza and The Dire Wraiths. A really creative piece with some obvious Marvel 80s nostalgia. ROM could use a bit of tweaking from a figure composition stand point but still overall this is some nice fan art. Wish something like this would come along more often then just a couple times a year.

https://brainstomping.com/2017/03/08/rom-el-mas-grande-de-los-caballeros-del-espacio-y-bill-rayos-beta-separados-al-nacer/

 

                

June15th Update: Revisiting some random fan art of my own from over the years that I recently realized I hadn't never posted on this blog for reasons unknown. 

ROM Spaceknght 50 tribute fan art

 

This piece is a combination of what is mostly black n white art work borrowed from 4 different artists and arranged together and colored in photoshop. The Torpedo is by Anderson Mendes, ROM is by Steve Butler, Starshine is by Kapandais Nikolaos and the Dire Wraith and Skrulls are by me. 

 

As you can see by the signature this Ron Joseph piece was done 7 years ago and although I've posted Ron's stuff here in the past I never posted this one for reasons I can't explain. Well, I'm gonna correct that little oversight right now.  

Here's another one that's been around for years now but I never posted it before for whatever reason. But I think it deserves a second look obviously. The scene here between ROM, Firefall and The X-Men's Dark Phoenix certainly suggests an interesting story going on here. Would have been nice to get artist Scott Reed's take on his inspiration for this piece.

Here's some more stuff from Ron Joseph with some embellishments from me again. In this case I added ROM to this scene of The Soviet Super Soldiers trying to take down The Hulk and added a little bit of depth with some shading effects. Check out the original source material from Joseph at these links...

 https://www.deviantart.com/ronjoseph-artist/art/THE-HULK-vs-the-SOVIET-SUPER-SOLDIERS-11x17-888596989

https://www.deviantart.com/ronjoseph-artist/art/ROM-vs-THE-HERCULOIDS-pencils-pg02-544320560

 

Here's some unpublished Michael Golden Micronauts art I came across last year. It would make for a nice coloring project. albeit a bit a labor intensive and time consuming one.

Can't think of a good posting title

I was going to save all this stuff for a New Year's Day posting but screw it I just feeling like posting it tonight instead. For openers, this Bill Mantlo tribute fan art envelope is something I mailed off about 3 weeks ago (from California to Greece) but as of this blog posting it still hasn't arrived. The last time it took a whole month for one of my fan art envelopes to get to Greece but the one before that never arrived at all so who knows this time around? Good thing I always take a picture of these at the post office.  

As in my last posting here's something else I've had for a while but never featured on this blog. It comes from The Micromails letter page of issue 40. It's a wonder ROM was not mentioned more then a couple times or so in the published fan letter pages of The Micronauts given that Bill Mantlo was the writer on both titles but we'll take what we can get. Look at that last sentence. Might as well have been another life time ago when you had a new issue of ROM, Micronauts (the real thing, not that fake shit from idw publishing) and The X-Men to look forward to every month. 

A while ago somebody mentioned something on social media about a dire wraith appearance on something having to do with Marvel Legends Darkstar. They didn't include a photo so I had no idea what they were talking about and I just dismissed it as internet noise. Bet then I saw this packaging art lifted from the cover art of Darkstar Winter Gaurd #3 at a big box store recently and it suddenly all made sense. That's pretty cool I'm fairly certain this is the first time the dire wraith have appeared on any published media outside of a comic book or magazine format. The Darkstar Winter Gaurd mini-series is just about the only decent thing Marvel has done when it comes to any ROM related continuity in the past 20 years.

And I also have some newly discovered comic book/sci-fi related public art from The Bay Area to share. I found these murals at Ochoa Middle School in Hayward. How frigging cool that would have been to go to a school back in the day and have these to look at all the time.

Speaking of Iron Man, I was reading issue 164 online recently. This guy who is from what was then (1982) West Germany wrote a pretty long letter to the staff working on Iron Man at the time. As you can see he had no shortage of ideas and suggestions including a couple good ones when it came to all things ROM.

Ringing in the new year with some fan art that kicks ass!

I had been bitching to my good friend and fellow artist and ROM fan in Greece https://www.deviantart.com/nikoskap recently about how December was so fucken devoid of any new ROM related fan art that was worth a shit with November not having been much better. Now one of the reasons I consider this guy a friend is because he actually checks and responds to his emails on a pretty consistent basis which is rare these days even the other ROM fans I've connected with over the years are such assholes when it comes to that. So woe and behold after I woke up on New Year's day a sketch had been emailed to me from my Greek friend which I thought was great.

Didn't have to go to work today ofcourse and I had plenty of spare time on my hands so I decided to color it in photoshop. I know I'm not really blogging here any more these days but I'm pretty damn sure this will probably be the best ROM related fan art for much of . . or most of  . . or maybe for all of 2019 at this rate. So yeah I'm gonna post it here seeing as this is something of a special occasion although certainly not nearly as special as my Stan Lee posting.

Look what was just posted today. This is fucken awful...
http://gramha.com/media/1947937774984684833

Here's something I neglected to post all these years so I guess I might as well now. It's from the last couple panels from Avengers 243 (1984). Speaking of all all cool things from the 80s . . .

I saw Bumbleebee last weekend. I wouldn't say I loved it but I did like it and I think it was a much over due sea change for the franchise. Ofcourse it taking place right here in The San Francisco Bay Area during the 80s was a big plus for me. The movie wasn't with out it's problems though the story line had more then a few logic gaps and at times got a bit too tongue n' cheek for my taste. Although I appreciate how this one was closer to the source material I still really like even till this day the first Michael Bay TF movie but as ever all the sequels aren't worth a shit and I'd like to forget they ever happened.

Back to the 80s one more time with a totally awesome Back to The Future themed chalk drawing on this sandwich board sign outside of  High Scores (80s video game arcade) in downtown Hayward. Trust me, that's a good deal!

Jan 6 Update: Since I used to watch Lavern & Shirley when I was a kid I feel like I'm obligated to make a mention about the passing of Penny Marshal with only days having remained for 2018. I was kinda disappointed that it drew so little attention in the mainstream media I don;t remember seeing anything about on any major news outlets.

Also, here's a thumbnail preview of something I uploaded just this morning. Just did this on a whim and partly through the inspiration of other artists who are friends of mine. The link below will take you to the full size image . . .
https://www.deviantart.com/csuhsux/art/Transformers-and-Rom-spaceknight-recornered-779992170

Jan 15th Update: Well, we're now 2 weeks into the new year and not a single descent thing turned up when it comes to good ROM related fan art but there is this. But I did I happen to see this on the back of a van by chance as I was out and about last week. The 80s just seems to be every where I go.

Jan 26th Update:
HAPPY BIRYHDAY SAL!
https://www.deviantart.com/csuhsux/art/Happy-Birthday-Sal-Buscema-ROM-cover-concept-782841722

Jan 31st Update: Just happened to see this vintage Star Tours bumper sticker today. This really brings back some great memories from the early 90s when I first went on the Star Tours ride.

Funny ass Hostess Pies Marvel 80s house ad spoof with ROM and Starshine

See link below to view the rest of the full page ad

I've seen this sort of thing before and it's never been very funny. However, this one had me cracking up quite a bit it's not just funny but it's a real labor of love in both terms of photoshop work and creative concept. Well done to who ever did this. I'm only posting part of the spoof house ad you can see the rest of it (it's a full page) over at where I found it in the first place. . .
http://calvinscanadiancaveofcool.blogspot.com/2018/06/from-rom-collection.html

In honor of Father's Day this weekend I wanted to share this awesome card which features some really bad ass classic Marvel 80s (late 70s also I think) Spider-Man art work. This is actually a birthday which I got for my father earlier this week but I imagine it could double as a Father's Day card as well.

Speaking of all things ROM, Spider-Man and Marvel 80s. If you're reading this posting Preston Asceveda I'd be curious to know if you're ever planning on finishing this piece I liked where you were going with this concept.

Left click to enlarge

Once in a while I hope onto farcebook using my wife's account. And on rare occasion I even actually find something of interest. This is a portion of another work in progress fan art piece that features ROM and Spider-Man with a whole lot of other Marvel superheroes. Can't say for sure who did it but if the artist or someone who knows who it is wants to make them selves known here by all means be my guest.

Looks like that sketch also includes Luke Cage. And speaking of which, season 2 will be here in exactly 1 week and I am so stoked for it especially when it comes to seeing Misty Knight in action with her bionic arm.

ROM spaceknight Annual 2 splash page re-panel

So I was looking to solicit some opinions of what you folks think of the re-panel verses the original splash page from ROM annual 2. The original ofcourse is penciled by Sal Buscema with inks by Akin & Garvey as opposed to the re-panel by Chris Batista and Brian Garvey. The original features a more dramatic pose for both ROM and his fellow spaceknights but at the same time I find the re-panel having a figure composition appeal I also really like.

Just gonna go off topic a bit here because I'm so stoked that they were finally able to post the most epic scene from Wonder Woman on youtube with out it getting yanked down by the studios.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIEwkn-Q2Oo

July 7th Update: And we're back with some new cool ROM stuff . Thanks for the heads up on this Victor (see comments).

A tribute to the classic

I didn't think I was gonna do any fan art for the longest time. But this week something just came over me I don't know if it's nostalgia or this chill work week I'm having so far or a combination there of. Just started sketching something last night with some of my free time and it started coming out pretty good. Earlier tonight I colored it and viola....my image montage of the classic ROM series is complete.  P.S. Fuck IDW Publishing

Gordon Henley as rebel X-Wing pilot Red Leader

I feel like I should give another recently passed away actor a little shout out here who isn't a house hold name but never the less has managed to cement their place in sci-fi history. Gordon "Drewe" Henley earlier this month died at age 75 from chocking on some food he was eating. Something of a tragic freak accident I would say especially coming on the heels of Carrie Fisher's death. For those of you who saw Rogue 1 you may have noticed him in the film appear in a couple of scenes exactly as he was back in 1977 when he led the rebel squadron that attacked and destroyed the Empire's first Death Star.
Unlike with The Grand Moff Tarkin and Princes Leia there was no well done CGI going on with Red Leader. That's because the producers of Rogue 1 actually inserted cut scenes from the Death Star battle from A New Hope into the ending space battle in Rogue 1. I absolutely loved that it made Rogue 1 feel that much more like classic vintage Star Wars and it was also great in terms of continuity. I can only hope that Henley was able to see Rogue 1 before his accident. Think about it, watching cut footage of yourself intended for a movie back in 1977 being used for a movie in 2016 I mean seriously how cool is that!? It should also be noted the same thing was done with the actor from A New Hope that played the rebel pilot with the call sign Gold Leader.

Left click to enlarge

January 28 update: My sketch card collection so far as of today.

Uncovering cool 80s Dire Wraith references

Left click to enlarge

Well today was the final San Jose Super Toy Comic and Collectibles show of the year and I happened to find a couple gems from the good ol days of ROM The original or just RTO for short. Now the clip art seen above you from Silver Surfer #5 (vol.3 1987) which I found in a 50 cents box evidently has been on the internet already unbeknownst to me. Cool to find this never the less although I'm a bit disappointed it didn't include a ROM # 50 foot note which is when it was revealed that the Dire Wraiths were an evolutionary off shoot of The Skrulls.

Left click to enlarge

I also found this in the letter column of Avengers #249 (1984) which I also found in a 50 cents box. As most of you know Avengers 244 & 245 were dire wraith war cross over story lines. Did any of you out there by any chance happen to notice the clip art I used for the Trump humor from issue 245 in the previous posting? It would be interesting to know if this guy ever decided to give the ROM series a shot. And if so if he liked it or not. Hopefully he didn't try to pick up on the series after Sal Buscema left that would have been a shame. Well either way he states that he was wondering if he had been missing out by not reading ROM at the time and I would say he most definitely was. There was actually another letter from those two Avengers issues in regards to the dire wraiths but that guy was a being a real asshole I'm not posting that one.

Left click to enlarge

And in keeping with the dire wraith theme of this posting we've got the latest old school ROM fan art from Dann Phillips. This one kinda has me wondering if Hybrid would be able to survive in the vacuum of space? It wouldn't surprise me given his seemingly endless range of mental and physical powers granted to him by his dire wraith/human mutant physiology.

December 8th Update: As some of you may have guessed this clip art comes from a Marvel Age magazine calendar page. I'm glad they used a Jewish character that had been in the pages of ROM (17,18) although having Ben Grimm here to would have been pretty cool as well. Or maybe better yet, Sabra.