Monday, December 16, 2013

Happy holidays with new sketch cards & custom figures

I found this sketch card earlier this month on ebay and thought I'd save it for the right time to post. As I said before I've never been a big Hembeck fan but I've been kinda digin these Rom sketch cards by him that have been turning up lately. Also, gotta give it up to Hembeck for Marvel Age #89 (1990) and his NOVA chronology two page spread. In the last panel there is a direct reference made to ROM #24. Ya know something is missing in a a Nova origin story if it doesn't cover the events of that issue http://marvel1980s.blogspot.com/2013/12/1990-kid-called-nova-by-fred-hembeck.html

Nova 17 volume 2 (1995)
Left click to enlarge
And moving on it's time to spread some holiday cheer with some stuff from Gary Martin Jr. that I've had for a little while. This is the first appearance of the Dire Wraith Queen Volx (Nova 17 vol. 2). Nova 17 and 18 chronicles how she managed to get to Earth as a stowaway on a Xandarian transport ship that has Richard Rider on it. After taking on the identity of one of it's pilots she is never the less discovered and the ensuing battle causes the ship to crash land on Earth and "Richy" narrowly avoids getting his brains sucked out by the timely arrival of the current Nova Prime back then. Interestingly enough that Nova series was cancelled after issue 18 as described in that editorial page. However, the cliff hanger that #18 ends on (Richy's attempted suicide) picks up in the opening pages of New Warriors 60 http://romspaceknightart.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-warriors-60-offering-moment-in-cool.html

And last up we have the latest custom figure from Chris. Now there have been customs made of Jack of Hearts but this one is truly unique because it features the costume he was sporting at the time of his epic "death" (Avengers 76 vol.3) which I actually like much more then his original. And just think, up until a few weeks ago Chris hardly knew jack about Jack http://custom777.deviantart.com/

15 comments:

  1. As Christmas approaches and the year winds down I want to say that Dave, you deserve Happy Holidays for your prolific contributions to ROM fandom...most recently impressive to me was your clever Buzz Lightyear pic & quip, but not enough will be said about your constant maintaining this forum for me & fellow collaborators to share our finds & creations. So, Santa Spaceknight wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and MOЯ ROM in 2014!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Forgot, also wanted to say, witnessing the amazing ROM figure...excellent job Chris...then seeing Joseph's boy with it...made for one of the most compelling "Saga of the Spaceknights" since ROM #14. (my personal favorite of the 7 backup stories so named)

      Delete
    2. Thanks Gary, not just for your words of praise but also for your latest contribution which i got this morning in my email inbox. thanks to Gary's tireless efforts in his seemingly never ending quest for more ROM related artifacts we now have proof that Marvel actually had published an official acknowledgment in 1993 of Bill Mantlo's accident and of his contribution to Marvel's body of work over the years. if i don't post it before the end of the year i certainly will to kick off 2014 either way folks you're not gonna wanna miss that one!

      Delete
  2. I want that Jack of Hearts custom figure for Xmas! I am looking forward to reading that official acknowledgment from Marvel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i promise you amigo it won't disappoint you or any other Bill Mantlo fans out there. as for that Jack of Hearts custom i'm hoping just to get a chance to see it in person at least before it gets sold. it would also be nice to find Avengers 72 vol. 3 in a discount back issue bin someday.
      on a side note to everybody what Gary turned up recently is a good example of how things just keep falling into my lap for this blog every week. this posting is actually the last of all my remaining Rom stuff to blog about until Gary's email this morning.

      Delete
  3. Galadorian Greetings to all!
    I want to thank Shlomo for posting my latest custom work! If you guys check out the deviantart gallery you'll notice that this custom went through two incarnations. The one you see here is the final version. Thank you Shlomo for your advice about the colors!
    @Bruce,..Thanks man! I'm really glad you like him! ...come look me up on FB(Chris Motito) if you'd like a custom made, or if youre interested in one pictured!
    Thank you again!
    Chris-

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just wanted to chime back in and say that Shlomo was absolutely correct when he said a few weeks ago I didn't know anything about Jack of Hearts. I discovered and learned about this amazing character HERE on the blog! I was transformed yet again! What an awesome, interesting, and pivotal character! Thanks to Shlomo and the other blog members for introducing me to such an essential character!
    ...and he makes a pretty cool custom too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy Holidays Dave and thanks for all the work you put into this amazing blog .
    Well wishes to Garry Martin Jr. The true curator in all things ROM. I dig the saga of the spaceknigts refference you made as to my son getting ROM. Saga of the spaceknights was/is my all time fav ROM arc

    Santa and ROM go hand in hand.awesome!

    Chris does it again with the jack of hearts! As is the norm its awesome .sweet detail on the face and hair bro you keep making great customs Ours by you is well loved.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks, Happy Holidays to you and your son Joseph i know that Rom custom got things off to a good start.

      hey everybody on a general note i was wondering if anyone out there read that NOVA chronology two page spread by Hembeck? after reading it i realized that the original NOVA series only went for 25 issues. the last issue ended on something of a cliff hangar. that story would continue in the pages of the Fantastic Four and it wouldn't be for about 2 years that Rom #24 would come out.

      Delete
  6. Wow, now that's pretty damn cool Custom jack of hearts there. It still boggles my mind that characters like Jack, Quasar, Nighthawk and Dazzler haven't been made yet. They're not that hard to make Hasbro, you lazy bitches!

    Oh well.....

    Gotta' love Hembeck though:) Have you seen his site and the cover reproductions he's done Dave?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. in the last few months i've featured some of Hembeck's sketch cards that have been turning up on ebay lately. so in general i've never been a big Hembeck fan or really a big fan of parody style art work unless it's in MAD magazine. but maybe i'll take a look at his site when i have a free moment.

      Delete
  7. Thanks Gary for finding these gems (I missed the 90's appearances of our favorite villains) and Shlomo for keeping the blog fresh and fun for fellow ROM fans. I've always loved Fred Hembeck's style (including the spiral squiggle for knees)... and the fact that he captures characters from my youth perfectly. (and especially for the fact that he doesn't shy away from putting non-'a-list' characters in his strips). Nice JoH Chris! I've never seen that costume... very cool indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you'll be happy to know Mark we'll have some more Hembeck among other things come January 1st.

      Delete
  8. Speaking of Christmas... Y'all can spend yer Xmas money on these custom ROM binds I am selling.

    I hate to do it but...

    http://r.ebay.com/nEYMCo

    ROM Spaceknight in 3 Volumes. 1-75 Annuals 1-4 and Power Man and Iron Fist 73.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. as long as it's Rom related i don't mind shameless plugs here.

      Delete