Skip to content

ROM – DIRE WRAITHS #1

Written By:

Ed Fortune
ROM

WRITER: CHRIS RYALL | ART: GUY DORIAN, SAL BUSCEMA | PUBLISHER: IDW | FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Some franchises have this eerie ability to elicit excitement in some and utter confusion in others. A fine example is ROM: Spaceknight. This 1979 toy was an Action Man-sized robot with flashing red eyes and a bunch of cool accessories. Marvel comics whipped up a complicated backstory involving space-shifting alien monsters called Dire Wraiths. The company produced 75 issues of crazy ROM action back in the ‘80s, filled with incredible tales of a giant metal robot knight fighting all sorts of eldritch horrors.

Alas, Marvel lost the license (the toy didn’t sell well), and the whole thing was left in limbo for decades until toy manufacturing giant Hasbro decided to relaunch a bunch of characters via comics company IDW. (You’ll be unsurprised to learn a movie is being planned.) Which is a roundabout way of bringing us to Rom – Dire Wraiths #1. The ROM spin-off that exactly nobody asked for.

It’s the tale of a bunch of Dire Wraith’s trapped on the moon’s surface after a previous misadventure. It is, of course, set during 1969 so what we get next is an alternative take on the moon landings. What could have been a solid horror story of astronauts fighting horrors from beyond the stars is instead a rather dumb and cliché-filled tale of baddies versus goodies. Much of the plot serves to nod at other IDW ROM stories rather than being its own thing. 

The exceptionally cartoony art doesn’t help here; we get the feeling that the whole thing is always ten-seconds away from slapstick, despite some rather grisly scenes. ROM has always been goofy, but this is just rubbish.   

Ed Fortune

You May Also Like...

andy and barbara muschietti, aka the muschiettis, teaming with skydance for horror label nocturna

The Muschiettis Launch Horror Label NOCTURNA With Skydance

The It-team are joining forces with Skydance to launch a brand new horror division named Nocturna, THR reports. The brother-sister filmmaking duo known as the Muschiettis – Andy and Barbara
Read More
patty jenkins returns to the star wars film rogue squadron

Patty Jenkins Returns With STAR WARS’ ROGUE SQUADRON Film

Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has given an encouraging update on what was presumed to be a dead project, stating that she’s back in active development on her Star Wars
Read More

Comic Book CAPITAL P Launched

Capital P Book One is the first part of a twelve-issue comic book maxi-series from writer Sam Gardner Jr and artist Jerome Canty. The official tag line is “A hero
Read More
neve campbell as sidney prescott in scream

Neve Campbell Returns To SCREAM Franchise

In an unexpected turn of events, Neve Campbell is confirmed to be returning to the Scream franchise, after several upsets to the production of Scream VII. It’s particularly surprising news
Read More

The First Trailer for THE CROW is Here

The highly anticipated remake of The Crow has its first trailer, which you can check out below. The film stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven and FKA Twigs as Shelly
Read More

Submit Your Film to THE RAY HARRYHAUSEN AWARDS

The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation is once again holding an awards programme to recognise excellence in the field of stop-motion effects. This year’s submission fees have also been reduced!
Read More