[Noel’s Knoll] Rom: Spaceknight, issue 2 – “Second Coming”

“Steve, you’ve got to stop the police! Tell them your call was a mistake…!”

“Like fun I will!”


Mobster Archie Stryker and his gang break into the labs of the military contractor Laserium Corp., kidnap the CEO, and plot to steal whatever they find in the triple-sealed vault buried deep in the building. What they don’t expect is for Rom to suddenly appear on the scene. To their surprise, Rom has no interest in Stryker or his activities, and is instead after the CEO, who is quickly revealed by Rom’s Analyzer to be a wraith. Again, since he’s the only one who can see beneath the disguise, Rom is caught off guard when Stryker, giving into a bit of buried humanity as he tries to save a “fellow human” from a “murderous alien”, latches onto a nearby prototype laser weapon and gives Rom a zap. Rom recognizes Wraith tech in the beam and the CEO Wraith quietly confirms that his people are converging on Earth and rapidly advancing the native technology so they can once again rise up and invade Rom’s homeworld of Galador. Rom escapes the beam, Neutralizes the CEO, and takes off. Stryker’s gang escapes, but he stays behind, lost in his rage at the alien being who appeared to vaporize a man before his eyes. The mobster shares this with the police who arrive and take him away in cuffs, unaware the Police Chief is himself a Dire Wraith.

Back in Clairton, people are still reeling from their encounter with Rom. Brandy is trying to tell people about the Wraiths and Rom’s noble intentions, but her parents and the town doctor think she’s in shock, and her boyfriend, Steve Jackson, a close friend of one of the Neutralized Wraiths, is furious that she tries to defend such a lethal and terrifying being. They try to sort it out, refusing to see each other’s side, and Brandy eventually walks off with her dog Tempest. When Tempest growls into the backyard gazebo, Brandy is surprised to find Rom there. He says he came back to gain more information, but he secretly wanted to see her again, a feeling she also shares and doesn’t voice. Unfortunately, Steve followed her and watches in fury from the bushes.

In Washington, D.C., the Operator Wraith from the end of issue #1, still in raven form, swoops over and into the military intelligence building known as Safeguard. The Wraith makes her way to an underground war room where she again resumes human form, and meets with other disguised Dire Wraiths: a scientist, a general, a senator, and an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. They all agree that eliminating the threat of Rom must now take priority over all other objectives.

Back in Clairton, Steve is trying to drag Brandy away from Rom against her protests. Rom Analyzes Steve, finding no trace of Wraith, but freaking the man out further. Police arrive, responding to a call Steve placed. Though Rom greets the offers and tries to make a gesture of peace to them, they open fire. Brandy had been dragged to safety, but Tempest is caught in the crossfire and killed. The police are lead by the Police Chief Wraith, who still has a raging Stryker in the back seat. The Chief produces advanced weapons for his men – he claims they’re military prototypes – which have an effect on Rom and start weakening the knight, but Rom eventually pushes through and destroys them. He scans the car, tossing away the human Stryker and Neutralizing the Chief. Rom takes off, once again leaving Steve and Stryker witness to what they perceive as cold-blooded murder, and Brandy trying and failing to convince anyone of the truth.


That’s right. They killed the dog. This comic doesn’t fuck around.

Right up front, I’ll say that my main problem with this issue is that it kinda retreads scenes and themes from the first instead of really moving the story forward. People mistake Rom’s Neutralizer for a death ray. Wraith commanders manipulate human officers into fighting against their actual best interests. Wraiths meet in secret and say “Rom is here! Let’s kill Rom!” There is new stuff thrown into the mix, but it’s a bit 2 steps forward, 1 step back as the repetitive nature inherent in ongoing series of any medium are setting in a little early. It’s not a massive flaw, but it does make the material drag a tad.

But I did mention that it does add new spins to things, so let’s focus on that for now. In terms of people mistaking Rom’s actions for murder, we have the introduction of two characters for whom this will be a driving motive against the alien. First up is Steve, who’s rage and absolute lack of any kind of support or understanding for the woman he loves makes me a little miffed she didn’t break up with him on the spot. He’ll be an interesting counter to Brandy to explore as each of their relationships with Rom put pressure on the bond between themselves, a bond that will be tested time and again. But, seriously, Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema lay the rage on pretty thick, Steve’s scowling shouts becoming as prominent as Liefeld’s grit teeth, and Brandy isn’t done many favors by her constantly getting yanked left and right by others while yelling about how Rom is misunderstood. Good character dynamic, clumsy execution. I do, however, love the moment where we see the first issue’s events related through Steve’s eyes, with Rom drawn as a blazing figure from Hell. And then we get Stryker. While his introduction is a bit ridiculously random, he’s a potentially more promising Terran foe since he has underground connections which give him means, a violent past which gives him the skills, and a lack of Brandy being a good angel offering up alternate views. Steve is conflicted. Stryker is pissed. Things are not going to end well for anyone involved.

Speaking of emotions, let’s dive into Rom for a moment. While it’s almost as heavily handed as the Steve/Brandy dynamic, this issue takes a big step towards reminding us that Rom, regardless of his mechanical implants and exterior, is very much a living individual within that shell, as prone to longing and jealousy as he is compassion and dedication. I hesitate to call Rom and Brandy love at first sight because, while it is a little early to pump up the melodrama of their emotions, I love how it’s more realistically complicated than that. Rom is drawn to Brandy because she’s the first genuine connection he’s made on this world, the first person to understand him and offer him help and information. Brandy is drawn to Rom because he’s this strange, alien thing that’s fallen into her life and his reasons are the secret only she knows, the truth only she’s come to believe. While the dialogue and flowery captions are awkward, the connections and motivations feel surprisingly genuine.

Let’s wrap this up with the Wraiths. It’s already been established they have people in positions of power, but this is the first we see of Safeguard, a full-on Pentagon style building that they entirely own and operate, and we see they have influence within the Senate and even S.H.I.E.L.D.! We still don’t have much of a reason why they attacked Galador to begin with, but I love that their reason for being on Earth is to secretly enslave us into rebuilding their arms and technology, never realizing it’s being developed beneath and within our own daily conveniences until the time when they’ll rise up, cast us aside, and return to their pledge to rid the cosmos of Galador. These are some nasty people, and I continue to look forward to seeing this play out further. If I have one hesitation, it’s the revelation that they operate off a combination of technology and “dark magical arts”. Scifi and magic rarely blend well. They are playing it very light for the moment, but this is something they’ll need to sell me on before I buy it. Do they mean magic magic, like Doctor Strange? Or alien tech so highly advanced it’s indistinguishable from magic, like Thor?

Some thoughts:

  • I love the great cold open of Rom jumping into the middle of a corporate theft only to turn the tables in an unexpected way, but I have the nagging question of “Why was he there?” How did he know a Wraith was present before bringing out his Analyzer? Is he following some kind of lead? Doubtful, since Brandy is his only contact on Earth. Was he drawn there by a Spidey sense? Possibly. They did mention heightened awareness of some sort in the first issue, but I don’t recall a specific explanation of him being drawn to the presence of Wraiths. I guess that would explain things and prevent Rom from just going town to town scanning everybody, but I’d like a bit more clarification on the matter.
  • Rom rips the gazebo out of the ground and smashes it into a police car, showing he truly is a monster with nothing but murderous intentions towards Terran lawn decor.
  • Sonic-Shatterer doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but it looks great on the page, and I love the idea of Rom being assaulted by frequencies only his armor can pick up.
  • Seriously, they killed the dog.

While it’s not as strong an offering as the debut issue, Mantlo and Buscema do a commendable job of maintaining their footing while gradually escalating the story a bit further and bringing in new characters to give voice to and continue exploring the themes they’ve already laid in place.

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