ROM SPACEKNIGHT #11

Standoff!

Recap:
Rom is being held captive at Project Safeguard by the Dire Wraiths. Human Archie Stryker in the Firefall spaceknight armor is also being held there. The order is given to kill the spaceknights. 

Rom and Firefall break free. Archie kills evil Wraith Dr. Daedalus and then kills himself while releasing Rom's Neutralizer from a force field. Rom then banished evil Wraith Dr. Rachel Sweet in front of several people including a sassy reporter. Uh-oh!
 
Favorite Panels:
I've got practically half of the comic here!

Archie Kills!

"Sayonara Skinhead!" Archie just can't get it right.

Archie Dies!

Even though Archie is the one that frees the Neutralizer from the force field, he is just another human to Rom.

Whoa.

You picked the wrong Spaceknight to mess with, lady!

Things get serious...

This brings me to the reflection.

Reflection:
You can't make decisions for others. You can't force someone to agree with you. You can only make the choices that you know are right to you. People are wrong all the time and they don't even know it. They are prepared to fight for what they believe in; don't be caught unawares. Fight!

This blog has reached a new low.

ROM SPACEKNIGHT #10

Warrior Over Washington!

Recap:
Rom breaks Brandy Clark and Steve Jackson out of jail. He then flies to Washington, DC where his Neutralizer is being held by the Wraiths at Project Safeguard. He is attacked by fighter jets for flying over DC. Rom wins. He is then abducted by Wraiths. Meanwhile, Steve is replaced by a Wraith Doppelganger. Uh Oh!

Favorite Panels:
Nothing too great this issue.

Is that like a Slow Cooker?

I really should have been keeping track of how many times the phrase "Death-Ray" is used. Another regret.

Wow!

"It lies in that direction." Seriously, Brandy?

BAIL OUT!

The ejected pilot just cracks me up.

Reflection:
Rom Spaceknight?

I just had my mind blown by Polar Banana Seltzer. I drank a liter in 5 minutes. Uncontrollable forces were at play.

Sorry if you were expecting something good in this section.

ROM SPACEKNIGHT #9

The Stalker in the Night!

Recap:
Brandy Clark and Steve Jackson are at the hospital where they learn that Artie Packer has died. Suspiciously enough, the doctor operating to save his life was a Dire Wraith. Brandy and Steve are taken into custody by the police because of their ties with the "Rom Murders." Rom finds himself in a large cave under the cemetery where he collapsed last issue. He explores. Serpentyne catches up with him. They trade a lot of back story. Serpentyne wants the glory of wiping out the Dire Wraiths to himself. He dies fighting Rom.

P.S. Rom still doesn't have his neutralizer but he knows where to find it.

Favorite Panels:

Artie Dead!

 Would you trust a doctor that has eyes like a hammerhead shark? WRAITH!

Back Stabber!

 Leave it to a cold-blooded lizard to strike an unarmed Spaceknight from behind.

The Death of Serpentyne!

When I read this the first time around (a year ago) I was really excited that Serpentyne would become Rom's sidekick. Too bad!

Reflection:
The fragility of life. One wrong step can spell the end of a life. It's frighteningly easy. We forget how easy it is.

Serpentyne missteps and is impaled on a sharp rock. Just like that it's over. Granted it's not everyday you find yourself in a subterranean cavern with sharp rocks but the danger still lurks everywhere.

All it takes is and impact on the head or a cut in the right place. We all drive cars and handle knives etc. on a daily basis. Just a thin layer of skin is keeping your blood inside of you. Be careful people-- but don't be afraid!

All Artie Packer had to do was be crushed in the thorns of a living plant!

ROM SPACEKNIGHT #8

Deathwing!

Recap:
Rom leaves Brandy Clark and Steve Jackson at the lab with the mess left from the fight last issue and to deal with the officials. Rom states that Artie Packer is alive but just barely.

The town coroner notices that the men Rom "killed" were all born on the same day. He is suspicious.

Rom watches some Wraith's putting on a funeral and interrupts it. Since he is still without his Neutralizer, he kills the Wraith Priest by feeding it to a Deathwing. Rom collapses into a hole after the fight.

Favorite Panels:

Women's Rights.

 Sometimes the forms that shape shifters choose are questionable.

Skaaa!

So Deathwing, what is your favorite musical genre?

Serpentyne.

Wait a minute. Someone else hates the Dire Wraiths?

Reflection:
This is Rom's second time collapsing recently. I'm worried. He was lucky to have Steve there the first time, but now he's collapsed into  a hole. Can't he see this affects everybody?

Yep, that's all I got.

ROM SPACEKNIGHT #7

As I Lay Dying

Recap:
In the aftermath of Rom's fight with the Dogs of the Dark Nebula, he collapses.

Steve Jackson is working desperately to revive the fallen cyborg. State trooper and friend, Artie Packer (not to be confused with Archie Stryker), arrives on the scene to talk to Steve about some things that didn't add up on the highway last night (Firefall being taken away by "government officials" (Dire Wraiths)). He is surprised to find Steve helping Rom. After a short talk, he agrees to help Steve bring the unconscious Rom to the Pharmaceutical Laboratory where Brandy Clark works. Steve tries to work on Rom with the superior equipment of the lab. Some living plants are sent by the Wraiths to attack. They kill Artie Packer. Rom finally wakes up and saves the day.

Oh yeah, the Dire Wraiths have stolen Rom's neutralizer from Steve's unattended shop.

Favorite Panels:
This issue was kind of a low point for good panels.

"He once held his opponents wife's hand in jar of acid at a party."

This is the panel where Artie Packer dies. Watch as the life screams out of him.

Is this vegan friendly?

 Even sentient plant life is no match for Rom.

O.J. Simpson

The highlight may have been this boot ad featuring pre-sketchy O.J. Simpson.

Reflection:
Mortality.

It's up in the air whether Rom is dead for the bulk of this issue. Fortunately for us, and his ongoing series, he's alive. Poor Artie Packer dies though. Too bad for him!

Death is an unavoidable part of life. Everyone dies-- it's just a matter of when. Will you die with regret in your dying heart? After 200 years of fighting the good fight Rom is down and luckily he gets a second chance to continue his fight. Had he died then, I don't think he would have had any regrets. Artie Packer on the other hand: "Why did I come to this lab with Steve and this stupid robot!?" It just goes to show you that there's no telling when you're going to die. Or, when a mob of angry walking plants are going to attack.

Your life is held equally in your own hands and the hands of others.

I don't want to die with regret haunting my last moments.

Keep fighting the good fight.