Rom Epic Collection 1: The Original Marvel Years

At last, the classic adventures of 80s sci-fi icon Rom the Spaceknight are collected in paperback format!

Learn how Rom gave his life in service to his planet, Galador, becoming a Spaceknight sworn to protect it from the evil Dire Wraiths! Rom tracks these vile creatures across the cosmos to Earth, where they have infiltrated the highest levels — including S.H.I.E.L.D. itself! Armed with his energy analyzer, only Rom can see the true form of the Dire Wraiths — and with his neutralizer, he can blast them to Limbo! But what will Earth make of this armored invader? Will his quest be aided or hindered by encounters with the X-Men and Jack of Hearts? And can he survive deadly clashes with super villains like the Mad Thinker and the Space Phantom?

COLLECTING: Rom (1979) 1-20

Bill Mantlo began his Marvel career on Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, in which he introduced White Tiger, one of the industry’s earliest Hispanic super heroes. Eventually writing stories for almost every Marvel title, he did some of his most fondly remembered work on Incredible Hulk and Spectacular Spider-Man. He also launched Cloak and Dagger in a pair of miniseries and guided Alpha Flight through some of its most harrowing ordeals. Mantlo excelled at integrating licensed properties into the Marvel Universe, as demonstrated by Micronauts and Rom: Spaceknight, both of which he wrote from start to finish. At DC, he wrote the Invasion miniseries for one of the company’s biggest crossover events.

After a start as inker to his older brother John, Sal Buscema penciled Captain America, Defenders, Incredible Hulk and more. Famed for his ability to meet tight deadlines, he spread his talents across multiple genres. His 1970s work ranged from Ms. Marvel and Nova to Sub-Mariner and Spider-Woman’s first appearance in Marvel Spotlight. He was the uninterrupted artist on Spectacular Spider-Man for more than one hundred issues and penciled the web-slinger’s adventures in Marvel Team-Up, in which he and writer Bill Mantlo introduced Captain Jean DeWolff. After handling more team-ups in the Thing’s Marvel Two-in-One, he reunited with brother John on Steve Englehart’s Fantastic Four. He later provided inks for Tom DeFalco’s Spider-Girl titles and Thunderstrike miniseries.