ROM SPACEKNIGHT #6

Dog Day Afternoon!

Recap:
Steve drives Brandy to work and leaves Rom to sleep at his auto-body. He's a business owner! Rom wakes to find himself under attack by Hell Hounds of The Black Nebula. These Hell Hounds are Earthdogs that were genetically engineered by the Dire Wraiths. They have a humanoid form. They put up a good fight and attempt stealing the Neutralizer. Steve comes back to the shop and together he and Rom take down the dogs. Rom absorbs too much energy from a live-wire during the fight and collapses.

Favorite Panels:
This is the real reason I read comics.

Awkward...

This one speaks for itself. Definitely one of my faves. FOR SURE!

Death Wing = Giant-magic-pterodactyl Ghost

If you are a Dire Wraith, do not fail your masters.

Never leave a Spaceknight unattended.

After driving Brandy to work, Steve comes back to his Garage to find it completely destroyed. Rom Spaceknight: Force Majeure!

Steve, my mind is going. I can feel it.

Rom clearly has other things on his mind.

Reflection:
It is impossible to spend every single moment with the people you care about. So what goes on when you're not around? There's just no telling and it will almost always be a surprise. Maybe not as surprising as what Steve Jackson found when he came back to Rom at his shop, but a surprise nonetheless!

You can never be inside another persons head, and when your bodies are separated by distance, your outside-ness increases greatly. So when we are not together all we have is trust. Simple trust. Like the mutual trust between a dog and its man. (Unless you have a dog like mine.)

So let's trust each other. You have your secrets and I have mine.

I have too much in my own head to worry about! Psh! Talk to the hand!

ROM SPACEKNIGHT #5

A House Is Not A Home!

Recap:
Rom is hiding off the highway with Brandy Clark and her boyfriend Steve Jackson. The police are checking out what they think is the scene of a meteor fall. They find the crumpled (after Rom whooped his ass last issue) Archie Stryker in the Firefall armor. Some disguised Dire Wraiths come to scoop up Archie. Rom flees with his human allies and they take refuge in a house. The house attacks them.

Favorite Panels:
Some of my favorite moments in this issue.

Rom before he was a cyborg.

Rom is a man of love. End of story. See how he glares longingly at Brandy and Steve. Uh oh, can you keep that promise Rom?

We're from the government.

Really? You couldn't come up with anything better than that you Wraith Scum!? But the cops go right along with it.

Achilles Heel Exposed!

Rom is invulnerable to flamethrowers but apparently not tables.

The Humans!

Even the table could not keep Rom down.

Reflection:
Rom has only been on Earth for a few days now and it is certainly not a welcome place for him yet. He is making progress though; Brandy and Steve are on his side, and even criminal Archie Stryker knows the truth about the Dire Wraiths. Rom is far from home, though. He is light years away from his real home.

Rom and "the humans" take refuge in a random abandoned house seeking safety. That is what a home is; somewhere that you are safe. This house proves to be very unsafe to the refugees. Rom stumbled into this house much as he stumbled on to Earth. Just as the house attacks, the Earth is attacking Rom. Where he sought safety with the house, he seeks to create safety on the planet Earth. To create safety. To create a home. Yeah Rom, way to go!

Rom does this not only for himself but for the entire universe. He want the universe to be a safe place. A home to everyone. Rom is a man of love. Isn't that what we all want in life? To be able to trust our surroundings. To fill our lives with the things we love. To love and be loved.

ROM SPACEKNIGHT #4

The Fire, The Friend, & The Foe!

Recap:
Rom is fighting with Archie Stryker who has been grafted to the Firefall (fallen Spaceknight) armor. He is a blind human pawn of the Dire Wraiths. Brandy has been kidnapped by some Wraiths. Her boyfriend Steve Jackson is in hot pursuit. By the end of the issue, Archie Stryker and Steve Jackson (both Rom-haters) realize that Rom has been telling the truth. Archie decides to believe Rom (with much disappointment) when he finds himself physiologically bonded to his Spaceknight armor. Steve realizes when he sees that his girlfriends captives aren't exactly of this world.

Favorite Panels:
These selections are all based around what's going on with Brandy Clarke this issue.

 In memory of Patrice O'Neal.

Chloroformed! This is only my second time reading through the Rom series but, I think this may be one of the best moments. Other than "Rom, I beg you, tell me where the woman is!" But, you'll have to wait til' around #70 for that.

Possums.

Don't worry, Brandy was only faking it. She works at a Science Lab. "I only had enough of the roofied drink to make it convincing." Brandy!

Ah!

Needless to say, the Wraith doesn't survive being run over.

Reflection:
It's too bad that Rom had to beat the crap out of Firefall (Archie Stryker) before convincing him that he was being used by the Dire Wraiths. He was so blinded by his hatred for Rom to see that he was fighting for the wrong side. Archie, a career criminal, was so disturbed by the sight of Rom "killing" humans that he vowed to do anything to stop him. Now his body is permanently bonded with the cyborg armor because he was taken advantage of. What a mistake!

A feller can't help but wonder, "Is somebody using my emotions against me?" The answer is Yes. The whole world is using your emotions against you. The main emotion is fear. Archie was afraid of what Rom was capable of and fell into the trap of the Dire Wraiths. Just as fear keeps us all doing what we are "supposed to do."

BLAH, BLAH, PROPAGANDA! IT'S A CONSPIRACY!

ROM SPACEKNIGHT #3

FIREFALL!

Recap:
This issue, Rom finds a Dire Wraith stronghold and starts dishing out some premium banishment. Brandy is abducted by some Wraith's disguised as government agents. Archie Stryker is put into the armor of a fallen spaceknight, becoming Firefall. Wait. Was that too short?

Favorite Panels:

Note: Don't mess with Rom!

If I had a fraction of Rom's confidence and ability my life would probably be a lot better.

What the!?

While at the underground Wraith laboratory, Rom destroys a device which causes electronic disturbances is Clairton, West Virginia. I may be superficially analyzing this panel but, I believe that woman is baking cupcakes in her microwave.

Anything but BANISHMENT!

There tends to be at least one panel per issue with a Wraith begging for death. Can you see why people mistake Rom for a killer?

Reflection:
I can relate to the Dire Wraith's fear of banishment.

In Limbo, your schemes will never be anything other than schemes. You are powerless from accomplishing anything. Forever.

Oh no! I've been in Limbo since I graduated from college! Mind melting Limbo. Please Rom, spare me from this eternal imprisonment. My schemes and dreams are too good to be wasted.

ROM SPACEKNIGHT #2

Second Coming!

Recap:
This issue starts out at Laserium Corp. (a laser factory) where Rom has tracked down a Dire Wraith. His plans of banishment-inducing wrath become complicated by the Archie Stryker Gang who happens to be robbing Laserium Corp. at the same time. What a coincidence. Rom still takes care of the Wraith (who was posing as the factory manager) and scares the heck out of the gang. Archie Stryker, the gang's leader, is especially upset by watching Rom "slay a human."

The next day we find Brandy being seen by a psychologist in her home. The psychologist, her boyfriend Steve, and her parents think she's crazy. She can't get them to believe that Rom's not a murderous monster.

She storms out into the backyard and finds Rom in hiding in the gazebo. They chat until her boyfriend (and the police) find her.

BUSTED!

A fight ensues. Her dog, TEMPEST, dies. Which brings me to my FAVORITE PANEL(S):

ARF ARF

Rom banishes some Dire Wraiths among the police force and blasts off leaving Brandy with her thoughts.

Reflection:
One thing that stood out to me: The difference in the perception of reality between any two individuals. When Rom banishes a disguised Dire Wraith, to the human eye it looks like he's vaporizing a person. Rom can explain away his actions but people only see what they see, and not what he sees.

Throughout our lives we experience several different things, sometimes on our own and sometimes with others. While these experiences are shared through our physical bodies (two people occupying the same space), the mental experience is something you can never fully share. You can use words to communicate ideas but, words are merely physical. Our minds are limited by our bodies.

So why does Brandy believe Rom? She says she caught a glimpse of his soul. This glimpse assures her that he is telling the truth and he means no harm. Is that what really draws people together? The soul?

Mind. Body. Soul.

Deep.