Some new Youtube videos of ROM & Bill

I'm making this posting on the fly in order to feature some newly discovered videos. This one here probably won't tell you much of anything new but it's well produced and would make for a nice intro to the world of ROM for other people out there who don't know the series very well or at all. Also worth checking out is this Cloak & Dagger video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqS2dCaAYG4 and this short CG video of Rom's confrontation with Firefall II http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTb4gddlEjQ

 

I just wanted to do a quick follow up to Lee's Seitz's posting a couple of weeks ago for a Rom reference made in Avengers Forever #1 in regards to Rick Jones's back ground. In that posting there was some question as to the legal legitimacy of the use of Rom's name in that narration box. But I still feel based on the Rom related stuff that came out just before 2000 (Nova #2 Vol. 2) and the stuff that appeared during and right after 2000 (Universe X #3 and the Spaceknights mini-series) that it was just before 2000 that Marvel lost the rights to the Rom name and likeness.

As for Jones his first appearance in Rom spaceknight was in issue 54 but it wouldn't be until 55 that they would team up against the Dire Wraiths in what turned out to be an ALIENS like story line. Jones was a regular character in the series until issue 72. A similar reference was also made back in Incredible Hulk #319 (1986) http://romspaceknightart.blogspot.com/2011/04/rom-spaceknight-cameo-from-hulk-319.html

This sweet Acroyer piece by Art Adams was probably the easiest coloring job I've ever done here's the original posting where I found it: http://marvel1980s.blogspot.com/2013/08/1982-acroyear-by-art-adams.html

Firefall's rebooted spaceknight armor plus artist John Romita

By chance I came across some CGI art work named "The Last Spaceknight". You can see it here
http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php?topic=7282.60
I have no idea if it was intended to be a rebooted version of ROM or maybe that anime character Tekaman who also goes under the title of spaceknight. Regardless I thought with a little bit of fine tuning in photoshop whoever this is supposed to be would make a great rebooted Firefall. If you're a bit fuzzy on Firefall read on . . .

Karas was one of the Galadorian volunteers that became the First Generation of spaceknights to battle thedire wraith . He was one of Rom's best friends and once saved his life from drowning (as told in a flash back in Rom #4). He was given the Firefall armor to wield. When the invading Wraith warfleet approached Galador, Karas broke ranks and assaulted them by himself. He would soon after find himself facing one of the feared  Deathwing. In a desperate battle Karas was able to defeat the Deathwing but was so exhausted that he had neither will nor strength to resist when a Wraith Destroyer found him and captured him. The Dire Wraiths tried to take apart the armor and tortured Karas for nearly two centuries. When Karas realized that they were on the verge of breaching his armor, Karas used the Living Fire to rob them the satisfaction and phase his human Id to Limbo while his physical form was destroyed (as told in flash back in Rom #19).
Eventually the Dire Wraiths sent the armor to Earth where they duped petty criminal Archie Stryker into grafting into it and turned him on Rom (Rom #3 & 4). Stryker was ultimately defeated by Rom after which he learned the truth about the Dire Wraith threat on Earth and gave his life to help Rom defeat the immediate wraith threat they were both facing (Rom #5 & 11). Some time later Rom faced the Firefall armor a final time after it had been "animated" by dire wraith sorcery. With the help of Ben Grimm, Rom defeated the Firefall armor and the Dire Wraith witches that controlled it (see Marvel Two in One #99).

Left click to enlarge

How ironic, just after writing this posting I came across this vintage Marvel Comics photo of John Romita. As it happens on the wall there is the uncolored cover art for Rom#3 which also happens to be the first appearance of the Firefall armor.