Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Wrapping up 2014 with some old school coolness and my latest fan art

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Marvel Update was a quarterly news letter brochure that Marvel Comics Group distributed only to their in-house departments, shareholders and business partners back in the 70's through the 90's. All those early ROM costume promo appearances we've seen floating around on the internet for several years now like this one
http://romspaceknightart.blogspot.com/2012/11/new-rom-1980s-cosplay-photo-found-plus.html  were originally published in that quarterly in regards to the launching of the ROM spaceknight comic book series. So in a sense, Marvel Update actually had the first appearance of ROM. Ever the collector and curator of all things ROM related the following clips seen above come from a winter and fall edition of Marvel Update which Gary Martin Jr. recently acquired.

Ya know I really miss the good ol days of illustrations done on envelope like we used to see in Wizard magazine (just like you said K.o.T). I think of it as something of a lost art form.

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Dec. 18 update: I neglected to remember that Hanukkah started at sundown yesterday. So in order to atone for my absent mindedness I decided to whip up this sketch art of Sabra taking a break from putting down jihadi terrorists and super powered menaces so she can light the menorah. More possible updates for this blog posting to come before the end of the year.


And here's that first update. This fantastic Dec. 17 ROMcentric podcast throws around those common questions about what the fuck is going on when it comes to hasbro and marvel in regards to ROM as a licensed property http://relativelygeekypodcast.blogspot.com/2014/12/qbp-040-rom-1.html

23 comments:

  1. The "first appearance" referred to would be in the Marvel Update newsletter dated Summer 1979, though I haven't personally seen a copy of that issue yet. If anyone reading this has it or remembers it, please describe it for us. Thanks to L. Lee Hymn of Tellshiar.com for helping me with Marvel Update & other early ROM-era history. ~*Happy Holidays Everybody*~

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  2. Nice! I used to draw on all my envelopes too. Hardcase - I hardly ever send things by post now. Well except eBay stuff.

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  3. Galactus & Terrax! Awesome. Whenever someone ask me who my favorite herald is I always say ROM! I hope you are having a good December and that your new year is awesome.

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    1. hey Danieli've been wondering how you've been. so far over all the year is ending on a pretty high note my trip to Oregon earlier this month was so awesome. when you find the time i hope you'll check out the podcast link i really enjoyed it and i think you will too.

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  4. I used to doodle all over envelopes, until I realized they never looked quite as good as the real artists. Anyway, I think a great looking Christmas card would involve sitting on ROM's lap. I think we need to find that costume.

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  5. Thanks for promoting my ROM #1 podcast episode. I really appreciate the supports, and am glad to have become aware of this website!

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    1. how ironic, i'm actually listening to your Feedback episode right now : )

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  6. Killer hearing about the marvel update.cool original artwork as well. U like roms form on the envelope alot.good job dont know if you seen it but Dann Phillips did this recently.http://www.dannphillips.com/soapbox
    Awesome listening to that issue 1 review as well. Happy Holidays

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    1. i'm glad finally somebody left some feed back on that podcast thanks. not to mention checking out the Marvel Update newsletter portion of this blog posting. i read that posting on dann's web page it was largely redundant information but it was worth reading alone just for Dann calling out ditko's work on ROM as being the mediocre quality that it was. my New Years posting is gonna have more retro ROM coolness along with more envelope art of another Marvel 80s licensed property.

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    2. Yeah ditko and the claims just how he did ROM was worth the read.

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  7. The dudes doing the podcast were enjoyable with some ROM love. Though seemed oblivious to Hasbro in the middle of the rights red tape when talking about that. They mentioned Parker Brothers wich we know is out of the picture for bringing ROM back one day.

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    1. you should have left that comment on their blog i'm curious to see how they would have responded to that observation. they seem to have a pretty good track record of replying to questions unlike other sites like that Marvel 80s blog and Plaid Stallions, but as to the matter of hasbro they covered it but like everybody else they don't really have the answers to what's up with marvel and hasbro when it comes to ROM. like they said in their podcast . . 'What's the hold up!?".

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    2. Some head way MUST have happened between Hasbro and Marvel to release the mighty mug. Let's hope it's just the start of ending "the hold up" . I posted to there blog regarding PB Hasbro thanks.

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    3. the mightymugg doesn't indicates any head way between hasbro and marvel since it has nothing to do with marvel both in terms of their movie or comic book projects. it's strictly a released item from hasbro directly so the only thing the mighty mug indicates is who owns the rights to ROM. the big issue is why won't or can't hasbro and marvel work out a new deal to get ROM back into the Marvel Universe so the character can be used in story lines again rather he be in his own title or at least make appearances in others. that's the "head way" we're all looking for and so far neither company seems to be able or willing to deliver on that. i'm not at all impressed with that mighty mugg it might as well be a teddy bear. now if hasbro had made something cool like that ROM custom that just turned up on the ROM twitter page i could have at least been happy about even in the absence of a deal with marvel. that's why neither marvel or hasbro will ever get a dime of my money until they do some justice to the ROM character.

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  8. Ahh I assumed with all the other muggs marel was involved in some. Hasbro can make any ROM they want . They dont need Marvel for that your right. Marvel needs them though to get him back in print before hasbro allows others those rights.

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  9. exactly. so clearly hasbro hasn't forgotten about, and neither has marvel as this recent posting proves http://romspaceknightart.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-nova-vs-dire-wraiths-halloween-e.html
    and yet, despite all this no deal thus far to getting our favorite spaceknight back in print. fuck both marvel and hasbro.

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    1. I'm going to try to persuade Hasbro this year to induct Bill into the Transformers Hall of Fame for his work on the start of starting the transformers mythos .(that comic did a lot of firsts for transformers) I discussed privately with you how Bob Budiansky confirmed my belief that Bills part was indeed his own. Bob made the hall of fame and rightfully so but I think Bill should be in as well. Yes his part was short but even so it was pivotal to the story of the transformers. Wish me luck. Maybe owning ROM will help..

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  10. Just recently the beginning of December IDW put out a speical signed issue 100 of a four four issue series to benefit Bills care. I luckly got a copy of the special issue

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  11. "Marvel's thing..." -ewwwwwwwww......

    Hope everyone had a good X-Mas! Holla!!!

    Thanks again for that sweet envelope art! -Hope you had a good one, man! New Year's Day is fast approaching.

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  12. Joseph,
    well Bill did write the first two issues of the four issue mini-series that ultimately every other TF series sprang from. Bill hasn't gotten enough recognition for that even the Bill Mantlo: A Life Time In Comics fundraiser mag over looked his TF work. yeah i saw that IDW TF special while i was logged onto farcebook with some one else's account that was pretty cool you managed to get a copy.

    K.o.T,
    well it's the return of the king at last. glad you liked that ROM #26 tribute envelop art i'll have some more envelope art over here on the first of the year.

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