The Parker Brothers action figure might not have been a big hit on the toy shelves, but Rom became a cult favorite when he gained is own Marvel Comics series. The Galadorian Spaceknight’s mission… to rid the universe of the malevolent shape-shifting Dire Wraiths who had infiltrated other worlds for their own nefarious purposes. Using his Neutralizer to banish the evil aliens to Limbo, Rom’s actions are frequently misinterpreted by the heroes of the Marvel Universe, including the X-Men, Heroes for Hire and SHIELD. Though he’d also find himself teaming up with the likes of Alpha Flight, the Fantastic Four, Shang-Chi, Ant-Man and Doctor Strange as the war against the Dire Wraiths escalates.
Despite being create to promote the toy, Rom’s stories directly impact the Marvel Universe. Aside from a series of guest appearances in a handful of other titles as well as guest-stars in his own series, his final battle against the Dire Wraiths on Earth can be felt in other titles for some time to come (see the full entry for WRAITH WAR). Characters and concepts – like the Neutralizer and the Guthrie family – all make their debut in Rom’s books and impact the X-Men titles for some time to come.
Despite losing the rights to use the characters likeness, Marvel would occasionally depict the Dire Wraiths and Spaceknights in future stories and we’d even see Rom without his armour for a special wedding issue. Marvel have regained the Rom license from Hasbro as of 2023 and have begun reprinting the original series in omnibus format. Will we see any new Rom stories from the House of Ideas? Only time will tell…
SCROLL DOWN to the bottom for the KEY COLLECTED EDITIONS for this event!
Must Reads: Story arcs marked with a ✔ are must-read stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
Chronology: Every appearance of Rom from this period is included in chronological order, laying out their timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue, so you don’t need to read the other four.
Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the core reading order without story descriptions, page-by-page breakdowns – just the stories:
- ✔ Rom #1-22
- ✔ Power Man and Iron Fist #73
- ✔ Rom #23-32
- ✔ Rom Annual #1
- Marvel Super-Hero Contest of Champions (1982) #1
- ✔ Marvel Two-in-One #99
- ✔ Rom #33-47
- ✔ Rom Annual #2
- ✔ Rom #48-53
- Incredible Hulk #296
- ✔ Rom #54-60
- ✔ Rom Annual #3
- ✔ Rom #61-72
- ✔ Rom Annual #4
- ✔ Rom #73-75
- ✔ Incredible Hulk #418
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Rom #13 [2/2] (1980) After saving their homeworld Galador from the Dire Wraith invasion, the Spaceknights take to the stars to save other worlds from the terrible menace. |
| ✔ | Rom #14 [2/2] (1981) Rom loses the love of his life to the Dire Wraiths. 1st appearance: Starshine/Landra, Terminator |
| ✔ | Rom #16 [2/2] (1981) The Spaceknight Terminator reveals his origin when he, Rom and Starshine (Landra) discover the Wraith Plague. 1st appearance: Wraith Plague |
| ✔ | Rom #19 [2/2] (1981) A mission on Thruvia proves Terminator may be more of a liability to Rom’s team. |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Rom #20 [2/2] (1981) The Galadorian Prime Director appears to have more sinister motivations than the Spaceknights realise. |
| ✔ | Rom Annual #1 [2/2] (1982) Rom sees how far the war with the Dire Wraiths can push his fellow Spaceknights when Gloriole’s plan to learn Wraith sorcery affects his decision-making. |
| ✔ | Rom Annual #2 (1983) The Prime Director calls upon the Spaceknight Squadron when Rom goes missing. 1st appearance: Spaceknight Squadron (Breaker/Raak, Pulsar/Plor, Scanner/Skera, Seeker/Tarm, Trapper/Vola, Unseen/Unam) |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event/Crossover |
| ✔ | Rom #1-4 (1979-1980) Rom’s mission to stop the intergalactic threat of the fearsome Dire Wraiths takes him to Earth where he first encounters Brandy Clark in Clairton, West Virginia; the shapeshifting Dire Wraiths have already infiltrated Earth’s society and Rom is mistaken as an alien threat, attracting the attention of Project Safeguard and SHIELD; Rom also clashes with the thief Archie Stryker who is given the Galadorian Firefall armour by the disguised Dire Wraiths. 1st appearance: Rom, Brandy Clark, Jonathan Clark, Sarah Clark, Doctor Daedelus, Clara Knowles, Steve Jackson, Karas, Kevin Kraller, Prime Director, Rachel Sweet, Deathwings, Dire Wraiths, Galadorians, Spaceknights, Clairton, Galador, Project Safeguard, Energy Analyzer, Neutralizer, Translator, Wraith Cruiser, Wraith Disruptor | |
| ✔ | Rom #5-11 (1980) A vision of Doctor Strange appears to Rom when he, Brandy and Steve Jackson seeks refuge from the Hellhounds of the Dark Nebula in the House of Shadows; Rom battles the Thornoids, reveals his past battle with Serpentyne and confronts the Most High One. 1st appearance: AC “Ace” O’Conner, Most High One, Ray-na, Hellhounds of the Dark Nebula | |
| ✔ | Rom #12 (1980) Rom #13 [1/2] (1980) Rom #14 [1/2] (1981) Rom #15 (1981) Rom #16 [1/2] (1981) A case of mistaken identity leads to a clash with Jack of Hearts; the low-powered Rom discovers the Plunderer’s latest scheme; the Mad Thinker tries to turn Rom into his new robotic minion; Rom crashes Brady Clark and Steve Jackson’s wedding; the synthezoid WatchWraiths rampage through Clairton. 1st appearance: WatchWraiths | |
| ✔ | Rom #17-18 (1981) Rom #19 [1/2] (1981) Rom #20 (1981) The X-Men defend Jimmy Marks from Rom, unaware he’s a Dire Wrath-mutant hybrid called Hybrid; banishing Dire Wraiths to Limbo earns Rom trouble from a Space Phantom; Rom encounters an evil Spaceknight called Mentus. 1st appearance: Hybrid/James Marks, Mentus, Dr John Stennis | |
| ✔ | Rom #25 [2/2] (1981) Rom meets a Dire Wraith unlike any other. | |
| ✔ | Rom #21-22 (1981) Rom helps the costumed hero Torpedo fend off the Rocketeers who want his suit. 1st appearance: Nell Jones, the Angel Elite |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event/Crossover |
| ✔ | Power Man and Iron Fist #73 (1981) Rom #23 (1981) The Heroes for Hire mistake Rom for a rampaging alien; Rom asks for Power Man and Iron Fist’s help in taking something he needs from the Baxter Building. | WRAITH, COLOR OR CREED |
| ✔ | Rom #24 (1981) Rom #25 [1/2] (1981) Rom learns the fate of Nova (Richard Rider) and the Champions of Xandar on his way to Galador; upon returning to his home world, Rom learns the truth about the Prime Director and faces a foe who looks remarkably familiar. 1st appearance: Hammerhand, Rainbow New identity: Terminator as Rom | |
| ✔ | Rom #26-27 (1982) Galador’s fate is in jeapordy when Terrax the Tamer leads his master Galactus to it for consumption. 1st appearance: Javelin/Darin | BEHOLD… GALACTUS! |
| ✔ | Rom #28-32 (1982) Rom #33 (pp.1-8) (1982) Rom and Starshine return to Earth where a Spaceknight suffers a terrible fate when the Mole Man and his Outcasts assist them against the Dire Wraiths; Rom saves the Missing Link and clashes with the Metal Master’s Silver Spiders; Rom accidentally frees Mystique and Rogue of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from a prison transport and join forces with them against Hybrid; Rom mourns his recent losses. 1st appearance: Oracle of Atlantis/Sybil, Wraith High Witch/Aunt Mara | |
| ✔ | Rom Annual #1 (1982) The alien enrgy being Stardust is opposed by Rom when he absorbs the life forces of innocents. 1st appearance: Stardust/T’urin G’ar | |
| Marvel Super-Hero Contest of Champions #1 (1982) Rom cameo; Rom is among the super-humans gathered by the Grandmaster to take part in the Contest of Champions. | ||
| ✔ | Marvel Two-in-One #99 (1983) Rom asks for the Thing’s help to retrieve the Firefall armour from the Dire Wraiths. | |
| ✔ | Rom #33 (pp.9-22) (1982) Rom #34-39 (1982-1983) Rom rescues a prisoner from the Wraith High Witch and fights alongside Namor the Sub-Mariner against the Dire Wraiths’ attempted invasion of Atlantis utlilising the Seaweed Man; Rom battles Wraith in England where he and Shang-Chi uncover a Dire Wraith nest; Brandy Clarke accepts Doctor Dredd‘s offer to make her Rom’s equal. 1st appearance: Doctor Dredd |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event/Crossover |
| ✔ | Rom #40-47 (1983) Rom uncovers more Dire Wraiths in Scotland and combats the demonic Dweller on the Threshold, attracting the attention of Doctor Strange; Doctor Dredd turns the transformed Brandy Clark against Rom; the sentient computer Quasimodo gives Rom the chance to regain his humanity; Rom and the Soviet Super-Soldiers uncover more Dire Wraiths in Russia; the robot Brynocki attacks Rom and Starshine for trespassing. 1st appearance: Devastator/Gregori Larionov New identity: Brandy Clark as Starshine | |
| ✔ | Rom #48-49 (1983) War breaks out within the Dire Wraiths themselves, giving way to the rise of the Dire Wraith Queen; the final fate of Clairton is revealed. 1st appearance: Wraith Queen/Volx | |
| ✔ | Rom #50-53 (1984) Rom learns the origin of the dastardly Dire Wraiths; Volx prepares to initiate the Dire Wraiths’ ultimate plan for Earth; in the absence of Earth’s heroes, Rom, Starshine, SHIELD and the US Army join forces to oppose the Dire Wraith invasion. 1st appearance: General Merriwether Locklin | WRAITH WAR |
| Incredible Hulk #296 (1984) Rom’s mission to fend of the Dire Wraith’s final attack is interrupted by his efforts to cure Bruce Banner of the gamma radiation that causes him to transform into the Hulk. | WRAITH WAR | |
| ✔ | Rom #54-59 (1984) Rick Jones is told he has cancer; Rick joins Rom’s fight against the Dire Wraiths; Rom, Starshine, Ant-Man and Alpha Flight battle Wraith-mutated creatures; Brandy Clark begins to lose control over Starshine. 1st appearance: Wraith-Hunter Rangers | WRAITH WAR |
| ✔ | Rom #60 (1984) Rom and his allies feel the effect of Malekith’s machinations while rescuing Cindy Adams from Dire Wraiths. 1st appearance: Cindy Adams | THE SURTUR SAGA WRAITH WAR |
| Must Reads | Title, Synopsis & First Appearances | Event/Crossover |
| ✔ | Rom Annual #3 (1984) Rom #61-66 (1984-1985) Hyrbid’s return signals big changes for Brandy Clark; Rom teams up with the New Mutants to take Hybrid down; Rom makes is own trip into Limbo; the X-Men, Avengers, Defenders and more join Rom to oppose the Dire Wraiths’ Worldmerge. 1st appearance: Jebediah Guthrie, Joele Guthrie, Joshua Guthrie, Lucinda Guthrie, Paige Guthrie, Neo-Neutralizer | WRAITH WAR |
| ✔ | Rom #67-71 (1985) With Earth free of the Dire Wraiths, Rom returns to the stars to save other worlds from their threat and to locate the missing Galador; reunited with other Spaceknights, Rom battles the Protector of Hiberlac, the sentient space probe Automata, Ego the Living Planet, and the rogue Spaceknight Raak. | |
| ✔ | Rom #72 (1985) No Rom appearance; back on Earth, the all-powerful Beyonder offers Cindy Adams, Brandy Clark and Rick Jones their hearts’ desire. | SECRET WARS II |
| ✔ | Rom Annual #4 (1985) Rom #73-75 (1985-1986) The Shi’ar Imperial Guard believe they’re under attack from the Spaceknights; Gladiator helps Rom locate Galador; Rom and Brandy are reunited as they discover the second generation of Spaceknights led by Lord Dominor pose a threat to Galador. 1st appearance: Heatwave, Lord Dominor, Second Generation Spaceknights | STRANGERS IN PARADISE! |
| ✔ | Incredible Hulk #418 (1994) Rom cameo; Rom and Bandy Clark attend Rick Jones and Marlo Chandler’s wedding. | WE ARE GATHERED HERE |
| Spaceknights #1 (2000) No Rom appearance; it’s revealed Rom has died, though his son Tristan goes on to become one of a new breed of Spaceknights. 1st appearance: Firefall/Tarn, Hammerhand/Bron, Javelin/Darin, Liberator/Tristan, Lightning Bolt/Rand, Pulsar/Lan, Scanner/Rhanla, Sentry/Val, Starshine/Anarra, Terminator/Balin, Vanium, Third Generation Spaceknights |
Rom has yet to make any more appearances since Marvel lost rights to publish new stories featuring the character. However, the Spaceknights and Dire Wraiths have continued to make appearance in the Marvel Universe. I’ve also included the Dire Wraith appearances that took place during Rom’s time on Earth.
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis | Event/Crossover |
| Incredible Hulk #262 [2/2] (1981) The Hulk encounters a Dire Wraith (this takes place after Rom #20). | ||
| ✔ | Avengers #243-245 (1984) Uncanny X-Men #184-188 (1984) Fantastic Four #270 (1985) The Avengers join the fight against the Dire Wraiths; the X-Men; Forge is hired to create a Neutralizer to combat the Dire Wraith invasion, though it ends up being used against mutants; the Thing and the Human Torch put their differences aside to fight the Dire Wraiths. | WRAITH WAR |
| ✔ | Avengers #268 (1986) While searching for Kang, the Avengers clash with the Dire Wraiths sent to Limbo by Rom. | |
| Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #2 (1989) Dormammu summons a Dire Wraith sorcerer to Earth, but they refuse to fight for him. | INFERNO | |
| Incredible Hulk #393 [1/4] (1992) Atlanta of the Pantheon discovers something disturbing about Fantasma of the People’s Protectorate. | ||
| What If? #39 [1/2] (1992) The Dire Wraiths are used the pawns of Immortus fighting TVA’s ‘Time-Plucked Titans’ | ||
| ✔ | Nova #17-18 (1995) New Warriors #60 (1995) Queen Volx returns and is opposed by Nova and the New Warriors. | NOVA OMEGA |
| New Warriors #64 (1995) On Earth, ‘Jacqueline Zanca’ tries to cover her tracks. | ||
| ✔ | New Warriors #73-75 (1996) Queen Volx is revealed to be on Earth; the New Warriors oppose her once again. | |
| ✔ | X-Man #31 (1997) Hybrid returns by using Nate Grey’s abilities to his advantage. | |
| ✔ | Spaceknights #1-5 (2001-2002) Rom’s son Tristan joins a new breed of Spaceknights when the Dire Wraiths rise again with their own Wraithknights. 1st appearance: Firefall/Tarn, Hammerhand/Bron, Javelin/Darin, Liberator/Tristan, Lightning Bolt/Rand, Pulsar/Lan, Scanner/Rhanla, Sentry/Val, Starshine/Anarra, Terminator/Balin, Vanium, Third Generation Spaceknights | |
| Annihilation #5 (2007) The Spaceknights fight back against the Annihilation Wave. | ANNIHILATION | |
| Annihilation: Conquest Prologue #1 (2007) Annihilation: Conquest #6 (2008) The Spaceknights become pawns of the Phalanx during their invasion of Hala. | ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST | |
| ✔ | Darkstar & the Winter Guard #1-3 (2010) Fantasia (now known as Fantasma) of the Winter Guard is revealed to be a Dire Wraith with amnesia; Fantasma is defeated by her former Winter Guard teammates. | |
| ✔ | The Thanos Imperative: Devastation #1 (2011) The Spaceknight Ikon warns the Annihilators of a returning threat to the universe. 1st appearance: Ikon, Annihilators | ANNIHILATORS THE THANOS IMPERATIVE |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis | Event/Crossover |
| ✔ | Annihilators #1-4 (2011) Volx returns again; Ikon joins the Annihilators; Wraithworld is merged Galador; the fate of the Dire Wraiths of Limbo is revealed. | ANNIHILATORS |
| ✔ | Annihilators: Earthfall #1-4 (2011-2012) Ikon and her fellow Annihilators defend Earth from the Universal Church of Truth. | |
| ✔ | Fear Itself: The Fearless #1, 5-8, 11-12 (2011-2012) A Dire Wraith Wraithwitch joins Sin’s DOA. | FEAR ITSELF |
| ✔ | Avengers Academy #23-25 (2012) Hybrid joins Avengers Academy to feed on superhumans. | SHATTERED HEROES |
| Uncanny X-Men #9 (2012) Unit escapes the Peak space station, also releasing fellow alien prisoners – like a handful of Dire Wraiths – on Earth. | ||
| ✔ | Captain America & Hawkeye #630 (2012) Hawkeye and Captain America discover Dire Wraith/Saurian hybrids in South America. | |
| Thanos: The Infinity Revelation (2014) Thanos battles the Annihilators, including Ikon. | THE INFINITY SAGA | |
| X-Men Legacy #5-6 (2013) Legion unleashes Dire Wraiths on the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning as a diversion, allowing him to infiltrate the building. | MARVEL NOW! | |
| ✔ | Avengers #16 (2013) Infinity #1 (2013) Avengers #17, 21 (2013) The Spaceknights join the fight against the Builders. | INFINITY MARVEL NOW! |
| Thor/Road Force #1-2 (2013-2014) Thor and the Road Force take on the Dire Wraiths. 1st appearance: Road Force | ||
| New Warriors #1 (2014) The New Warriors clash with Hybrid. | ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! | |
| ✔ | Nova #15 (2014) Nova (Sam Alexander) clashes with a band of Spaceknights called the Disavowed of Galadoria. | ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! |
| Road Force #1 (2014) The Road Force see off another Dire Wraith. | ||
| Captain America featuring Road Force #1 (2015) Dire Wraiths cameo; the Dire Wraiths are among the creatures seen in Limbo. | ||
| ✔ | Guardians of Infinity #4 [2/2] (2016) The Human Torch and Venom (Flash Thompson) have a run-in with the Disavowed of Galadoria. | |
| ✔ | Annihilation: Scourge – Omega #1 (2020) Devastator aids Earth’s heroes against the Void. | ANNIHILATION: SCOURGE |
| ✔ | Cable #1-4 (2020) The young Cable goes on a mission to obtain the Light of Galador – an ancient sword – from the Spaceknights. |
Notable Rom stories from the Marvel Multiverse…
| Universe | Title, Issue Number & Synopsis | Event/Crossover |
| Earth-9997 | Universe X #3, 10 (2000-2001) ‘The Greatest of the Spaceknights’ (who’s clearly Rom) assists Captain America and Captain Marvel when they’re attacked by Dire Wraiths in Limbo. | UNIVERSE X |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Rom: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus vol.1 | Power Man and Iron Fist #73 Rom #1-29 |
| Rom: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus vol.2 | Marvel Two-in-One #99 Rom #30-50 Rom Annual #1-2 |
| Rom: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus vol.3 | Incredible Hulk #296 Rom #51-75 Rom Annual #3-4 |
Reading Order ©OmniverseComicsGuide 2023
In your list you’re missing ROM # 23.
Hey António – Good spot! We got it in the Full Reading Order, but missed it in the Core List! Thanks for picking that up!