So on top of everything else going on this week in comics (like the release of Absolute Catwoman #1 and the second issue of Ben 10 — there’s demand for that second issue, but nowhere near the panic for #1), we got the neweset entry in Robert Kirkman’s “Energon Universe,” M.A.S.K. For those unfamiliar, the “Energon Universe” is Kirkman’s blanket label for the shared world in which the licensed Hasbro properties G.I. Joe and Transformers exist.
Anyhoo, not satisfied with just two Hasbro toy lines under one funnybook tent, Kirkman’s newest addition is the M.A.S.K. series based on the action figure/vehicle toyline of the mid-1980s (and the associated cartoon). Noe, I knew nothing about it specifically, other than it was indeed a toy line and cartoon that I never interacted with, and that there was a DC comic book that I never sold out of the back issue bins. But I figured, hey, this new series is tying into this other “Energon” stuff that’s selling reasonably well, maybe folks will pick it up.
Now as it turned out, this past New Comics Wednesday was a particularly busy one, with a large line waiting out the door prior to opening. And lo, did we sell a whole lot of comics that day, including a lot of demand for that M.A.S.K. book. As it turned out, I ordered kinda/sorta spot on, since as of Thursday evening I still had a couple of copies on the shelf. And I say “kinda/sorta” because I did have some demand for specific variants that I was unable to fill, and can’t get any reorders at this point. I even just got an email Thursday evening from someone asking me to put aside a couple of the blind bags for him, which, um, about 36 hours too late for that, my friend.
And speaking of those blind bags, where you pays your money and takes your chances on a comic wrapped up inside an opaque bag, in which you may find variants of varying rarity, or sketch covers, or something else entirely. And in the case of the M.A.S.K. blind bags, one of those somethings-else entirely was, well, a new ROM #1:
Yes, that’s right, “ROM” as in “ROM Space Knight,” the failed 1978 weirdo action figure that was too tall to play with your Star Wars figures:
…and yet lived on as a pretty successful comic book series from Marvel Comics:
…and was picked up years later by IDW for a series that faced bit of an uphill battle specifically because it wasn’t in the Marvel Universe:
and now, here we are, finding out basically NOW that ROM is the newest member of the Energon Universe, where he can finally team up with Snakes Eyes and Optimum Prime and presumably shake off the long shadow of the Marvel series. I mean, that’s the way to get readers excited about ROM again, tying him into a couple of other already popular comic books. I’m not joking about it needed to escape the Marvel influence if it’s gonna succeed…I really think that hurt the IDW run.
One of the things that surprised me when looking into this is the fact that ROM’s enemies from the Marvel Comics, the shape-changing Dire Wraiths, weren’t just a Marvel property. Apparently the name came from Parker Brothers (the original owners of ROM) as the bad guys, but presumably due to the failure of the initial toy, no Dire Wraith toys were ever made. So ’twas Marvel that made up what the backstory was for these enemies, and as such…the current owners, Hasbro, and the current licensee, Robert Kirkman, can use the name “Dire Wraiths” but they will have to be different from their Marvel progenitors. Huh, learn something new every day. Not something terribly important, mind you, but new nonetheless.
Anyway, if you want a copy of this new ROM #1, then it’s off to the eBays with ya, because the blind bags are probably all sold out from the shops, and you only had bit of a chance to get one that way anyway. I presume it’ll get reprinted eventually in an easier-to-acquire formet.
I believe it was the late Peter David who said he was once, during his days in Marvel Sales in the 1980s, taking questions from a convention crowd regarding the company, when the following exchange happened:
Person in crowd: “Hey, you guys publish G.I. Joe.”
Peter David: “Yes.”
PiC: “You also publish Transformers.”
PD: “Also correct.”
PiC: “They’re both owned by Hasbro.”
PD: “Indeed they are.”
PiC: “Why don’t you guys do a comic where G.I. Joe meets the Transformers?”
PD: [a picture of a giant mountain of money falling onto the Marvel offices forms in his head]
Okay, I’m using a little artistic license for that last line, but not much. But I only bring all that up to say…whoever that guy was in that convention crowd so long ago, you have a lot to answer for.
So, will Kirkman and Skybound/Image be bringing us a new Micronauts comic as part of the Energon Universe?
While I’m interested in seeing a new iteration of ROM: SPACEKNIGHT, im less thrilled about him being part of a larger “universe”.
Buying extra tie-ins, crossovers, and guest-appearances is not my ideal.
Oh well…
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In the UK, IPC published 80 issues of M.A.S.K. before it merged with Eagle, and continued for around another 20 issues. The comic featured stories and art from the likes of Peter Milligan and Ron ‘Judge Dredd’ Smith.There were also books, annuals and specials. Well worth seeking out.
The moment I saw that cover of IDW’s ROM #1 marks the first time I’ve ever wanted to buy a comic featuring ROM. That’s a solid redesign.
Also, remember when Chris Claremont used the Dire Wraiths one time in Uncanny X-Men? That was weird. Interesting, but weird.
Okay, I won’t claim to be the biggest ROM fan on the internet (that’d probably be Aaron Myers or maybe that person who did the self-insert romantic ROM website a million years ago– remember them?), but I feel like I gotta be in the top five. I own every appearance in one or two formats and an original art piece from that ROM-based Mantlo benefit from a ways back. So I’m a little miffed the only way to get this was luck, prophecy, or paying an ebay premium. I’ll hold off for now and see how it shakes out.
Sounds like ROM will appear in the Void Rivals series I know nothing about, but I guess I’ll have to start getting.
Who designed the look of Marvel’s original Dire Wraiths? Because they had a distinctive and disturbing design — not quite as hideous as, say, Nebulon’s true form, but memorably monstrous.
“I knew nothing about (M.A.S.K.) specifically, other than it was indeed a toy line and cartoon that I never interacted with”
If ROM was too tall to play with your Star Wars action figures, M.A.S.K. were the toys too small to play with your G.I. Joes. The figures were maybe half the size, but the vehicles were well designed.
@Oliver
Regarding who designed the Dire Wraiths, this is just a guess, but as Sal Buscema was the primary ROM artist at the beginning of the series, it was most likely him. Or else, perhaps, John Romita Sr., who was the overall Art Editor at Marvel at that time. But if I’m wrong, someone who knows will probably set the record straight.
@PTOR
This is actually the second go round for a shared “Hasbro Universe,” as back in 2016 IDW did a similar thing with tie-in comics/crossovers and a mini-series called “Revolution” featuring The Transformers, G.I. Joe, Action Man, M.A.S.K., ROM, and The Micronauts.
The idea was to build momentum towards an eventual Hasbro/Paramount Pictures shared cinematic universe that would feature all of the IPs mentioned above as well as, potentially, Visionaries, Inhumanoids, Jem and The Holograms, and more.
Apparently, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) was the first film to officially establish a HCU, with an ending hinting at an upcoming cross-over between the Transformers and G.I Joe film franchises.
Sean’s dead-on there: IDW had a ROM & THE MICRONAUTS mini, that’s not bad; except it’s not Marvel’s ROM or Marvel’s Micronauts. Some fun covers, though; except IDW’s ROM has fingers instead of the mitten-hands he did at Marvel? Gross.
I realize this is a case of me missing the point to a degree, but if I purchased what I thought was a MASK comic book and came home with a ROM comic I didn’t want I’d be slightly annoyed. I’m fully aware I could sell it on Ebay and just buy a copy of MASK but it’d still irk me.
I think the biggest problem with non-Marvel ROM and Micronauts comics (i.e. Hasbro/IDW/Image ROM and Micronauts comics) is that there are so many characters which Bill Mantlo created for both ROM and Micronauts that can’t be used.
It would be great if Hasbro and Marvel could reach a compromise deal, similar to Sony/Spider-Man films and the MCU, where Marvel owned Micronauts and Space Knights could be used Hasbro/Paramount films–or else Hasbro would let the MCU produce ROM and Micronauts films–and eventually MCU and Energon Universe characters could crossover in films produced by both companies.
“Who designed the look of Marvel’s original Dire Wraiths?”
Sal Buscema drew most of the early run, so probably him.
“Also, remember when Chris Claremont used the Dire Wraiths one time in Uncanny X-Men? That was weird. Interesting, but weird.”
They appeared in X-men, Avengers, AND some other books. And there was a 2 part story in ROM & Power Man/Iron Fist. The X-Men appeared in two early issues of ROM, which were of the few ROM issues to go for a (relatively) high price at the time. This IS Marvel we’re talking about.
Trivia: Steve Ditko drew the end of the ROM run, but he would NOT draw Spider-Man, so anytime Spidey is in those issues, it’s drawn by someone else.
“M.A.S.K. were the toys too small to play with your G.I. Joes.”
I never got why they were so small. Seemed an odd choice to me. Money saving idea for the manufacturers, as they make the real profit off of the vehicles, anyway?
OK, all these old properties have been brought back, someone bring back SECTAURS!
ROM was also in an issue of the Hulk!
Didn’t Walt Simonson design the Dire Wraiths? Seem to remember seeing this in an issue of Marvel Age.
Ugh… I’ve been buying the Energon books since the line’s inception, and I won’t be buying ROM. The line doesn’t need to get bigger.
GI Joe has been a lot of fun and Void Rivals has been okay, although I’ ve lost interest in the plot. Transformers went from Daniel Warren Johnson’s riveting blend of emotional character development and heart-pumping action to Kirkman’s frustrating mess of “cool” moments and status quo shifting. The pacing way off- Fight issue! Exposition issue. Fight issue! Trademark Kirkman Kliffhanger! Are these events taking place over days or weeks or months? Don’t think about it, here come 15 more characters you’re nostalgic for that won’t play any significant role in the stories plus 5 more pages of MASK set-up!
I don’t want any more Kirkman series, I don’t care about ROM. IDW using him in their universe was a mistake. He looked less impressive and distinct surrounded by Transformers.
MASK 1 (not by Kirkman) was pretty good at least, and I’ll stick with it for the next few issues.
Snark: I remember reading a collection of that run that included a text page describing the “heroic alien” and what happened in the pages of Hulk #296 that Marvel wouldn’t reprint.
Wikipedia claims that the backstory of the Dire Wraiths was created by Bill Mantlo and Al Milgrom, although Parker Brothers created the name “Dire Wraiths.” So, it seems likely that Al, as both an artist and editor, created the visual design of the Dire Wraiths, or maybe worked with Sal Buscema in shaping their appearance. The Marvel Comics iteration of the Dire Wraiths were supposed to be an evolutionary offshoot of the Skrulls.
Interestingly, Sal Buscema did some art for a Dire Wraiths comic that IDW released a few years ago.
Although they were created by rival toy lines, and I guess that is the issue, it is kind of surprising that there was never a ROM/Micronauts crossover story arc at Marvel, considering that Bill Mantlo was writing both books and creating many original characters beyond the toy tie-ins. Actually, a Mantlo scripted ROM, Micronauts, Hulk crossover story arc would have made a lot of sense.
Does anyone who follows Kirkman or the Energon books have any idea if he plans to use an iteration of the Micronauts eventually?
Also, I haven’t followed Marvel in quite a few years, but since they got the rights from Hasbro to reprint all of the ROM and Micronauts stuff, it seems like the time would be ripe for Marvel Comics to at least put out a Space Knights limited series, even if ROM isn’t in it (unless Hasbro owns the name “Space Knights”), and a new iteration of a Micronauts book, rebranded as “The Microns,” “The Quantumnauts” “The Enigma Force” or whatever. Again, test the waters with a limited series. They could include Marvel owned characters: Commander Rann, Marionette, Bug, Huntaar, Devil, Fireflyte, Lady Slug, Solitaire, Scion, etc. They could even fold some of the “Freedom Fighters” pseudo-Micronauts characters that were created for the “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania” film into the mix, including Jentorra, Quaz, Veb, Xolum, “Broccoli Man”, and “Furry Face” –although the last two characters deserve to get proper names.
You can look up trademarks on the US Patent and Trademark Office site.
Marvel has had the trademark on “Spaceknights” since 2001. It’s still active.
Hasbro’s trademark on “Rom the Spaceknight” is listed as dead/abandoned. They do still have an active trademark for “Rom” for use for comics.
There are a couple of trademarks for other forms of media for “Space Knight/s” (two words). But they’re also listed as dead/abandoned.
The Dire Wraiths were also the main villain for the last arc of the first New Warriors comic, written by Evan Skolnick with art by Patrick Zircher, and used a lot of the ROM backstory info without specifically calling out ROM.
@Matthew Murray
Thanks for the information. So, it seems that Marvel could do a Spaceknights side-project, featuring characters that were created by Bill Mantlo–as long as they don’t use ROM or the Dire Wraiths. Unless Marvel came to some sort of agreement with Hasbro not to use those Mantlo-created characters in any new stories, in exchange for Hasbro licensing the reprinting of the original Marvel Comics ROM series.
Back to Marvel and The Micronauts, as far as I can tell, they last appeared in October, 2012, rebranded as as “The Microns” in Marvel Universe Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes no. 7. This iteration of “The Microns” is from Earth-8096, and in addition to old favorites Arcturus Rann, Mari, and Bug, the team also had Flare (who seems a bit like a riff on Fireflyte), and Quark (who might be a riff on Huntaar). Here the team was fighting against Psycho-Man.
Before that, and after the cancellation of their second Marvel series Micronauts The New Voyages in 1986, they only made a handful of cameo appearances. They were drawn in as background characters in a scene in New Mutants no. 50 (1987); Rann, Mari, and Bug were featured in Cable no. 38 and no. 39 (1996)– also fighting against Psycho-Man; Bug had a one-shot comic where he went up against Annihilus (1997); Alpha Flight Vol. 2 no. 10 and no. 11 (1997)–where Bug, Rann, and Mari go up against Baron Zebek (a Baron Karza imitation); The Microns pop up again in Captain Marvel Vol. 4, no. 6, no. 7, no. 12., no. 15, and no 16 (2000-2001) and Psycho-Man eventually pops up as well; in Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk no. 1 (2010) Arcturus Rann and Mari pop up again as “The Enigma Force,” and Jentorra, and Carl/Death’s Head make their first appearances (but where is Bug? Maybe he was part of Guardians of the Galaxy by then?); The Microns as “The Enigma Force” also appear in Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk no. 2, no.3, and no. 4; in Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force no. 1 (2010) Bug rejoins the core team and Psyklop is also added–and the story cycles through two more issues of Incredible Hulks: Enigma Force; then in Scarlet Spider vol. 2, no. 10, we get the Enigma Force again with the first appearances of Flare and Quark, and “Redeemer” (who is basically a clever reworking of Acroyear!) — going up against Marquis Radu (a Karza rip-off?); this story arc continues in Venom vol.2, no. 26, Scarlet Spider vol.2, no 11, and Venom vol. 2, no. 27, and Minimum Carnage: Omega no. 1 (2013). I guess they did appear, briefly, on Earth-616 in that “Minimum Carnage” story arc, beyond that Marvel Universe Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes issue set on Earth-8096.
So, unless I missed something, it looks like Marvel Comics hasn’t really done much with The Microns/The Enigma Force for more than a decade now. I say it is time to revive them. And there is plenty of material and non-Hasbro characters to work. Even for villains, they could use Psycho-Man, Kang, Thanos, Annihilus, Baron Zebek, Marquis Radu, etc , etc.
“Snark: I remember reading a collection of that run that included a text page describing the “heroic alien” and what happened in the pages of Hulk #296 that Marvel wouldn’t reprint.”
Yes, Marvel couldn’t reprint it in a HULK tpb. It IS in the newer HC ROM collection.