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ROM: Marvel’s SpaceKnight, from failing toy to hit comics

In the late 1970s, the success of the Star Wars comics led to even more licensed comics. One of them was The Micronauts, a set of action figures that Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden turned into a successful comic book series. A success that Parker Brothers noted and hoped to be reproduced with one of his new toys, ROM the Spaceknight.

From The ROM Toys to The ROM Comics

Then Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, Jim Shooter asked writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema–two creatives who were open to work on non-superhero comics, in fact, Buscema was the only artist who agreed to do it—to develop a story as the toy came with close to no story element.

Mantlo was not aware of the toy before that and immediately thought about doing something in the vein of 1950s sci-fi with a touch of Arthurian myths. He added tragedy and Brandy Clark, ROM’s human ally, who eventually becomes romantically linked with him. But Jim Shooter and editor Al Milgrom himself provided a few ideas.

The final result has often been compared to the Silver Surfer, but ROM the Spaceknight had his own rich mythology that helped him stand apart. ROM is a noble warrior from the utopian planet Galador who volunteers to become a Spaceknight—a cyborg warrior—to battle the Dire Wraiths, a shape-shifting alien species threatening the universe—his primary weapon is the Neutralizer, which banishes Dire Wraiths to Limbo. Rom sacrifices his humanity to become a Spaceknight, clad in powerful armor that enhances his abilities but also isolates him emotionally.

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Comic Book News of The Week #3: A New History of the DC Universe and More!

What’s going on in the Comic Book World? Life can be pretty busy, so we highlight recent news and articles that may catch your interest!


Lost in the DC Universe Continuity? Mark Waid and a team of artists will make it easier to understand soon with New History of the DC Universe, a four-issue series that will align all of DC’s continuity over the past 90 years through the eyes of Barry “The Flash” Allen. 

“This is my dream project,” said series writer Waid. “It’s a chance to realign all of DC’s sprawling continuity into one master timeline, and to be joined by some of comics’ greatest artists to make it shine. With new information for even longtime fans, plus Easter eggs galore, this series will be an essential read for DC fans.”

The debut issue features art by Jerry Ordway and Todd Nauck, who join Waid in chronicling Barry Allen’s journey from the birth of the DC Universe to the rise of the Justice Society and the Golden Age of Heroes.

“I’m having an absolute blast with this project,” said co-artist Nauck. “Mark has come up with something cool for me to draw on every page, and it’s been an honor to share art chores with a comics legend like Jerry Ordway. The DC editorial team has coordinated a wealth of deep-dive references for me to draw from, and I’m learning new aspects of DC history I hadn’t known before—and I’ve been reading DC comics for decades!”

“As one of the artists who was part of Crisis on Infinite Earths in the 1980’s, added co-artist Jerry Ordway, I am thrilled to be involved in telling the story of this newest DC Universe with Mark and Todd.”

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Metamorpho: DC Comics’s Element Man, Rex Mason

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Metamorpho DC Comics Elemental Man

During the mid-1960s, unconventional comic book heroes like the Doom Patrol or the Metal Men found a bit of success at DC Comics. To build some more on what seems to be a trend, writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon were asked to create a new character in the same vein. The result was Metamorpho, who debuted in The Brave and the Bold #57 (January 1965).

Also known as the Element Man, Metamorpho found immediate success and started appearing in other popular comics like Justice League of America (even if he refused to become a full-time member). He also got his own ongoing comic book series, but it lasted only 17 issues. However, this was by far the end of the character.

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45 World War II Comics and Graphic Novels to read

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Armistice of the Second World War. Considered the largest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries, WWII shaped the world we live in today. Causing immense human suffering and physical destruction on an unprecedented scale, its conclusion resulted in a reshaping of the world’s political, economic, and social systems, laying the groundwork for international relations for the remainder of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century.

When it comes to our duty of memory, comics offer a unique way to revisit World War II. From historical accounts to personal experiences, they depict the war’s events, and figures, providing different perspectives on a conflict that shaped the modern world.

Today we invite you to continue exploring and discovering stories from World War II with our selection of comics, ranging from family stories transformed by war to the bloodiest battles and everything in between, exploring both intimate tales and large-scale events, capturing the trauma, sacrifice, and lasting impact of this defining moment in history.

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Micronauts: Marvel Comics went into the Micro Verse

In 1977, Marvel Comics was not doing that well until the movie Star Wars helped propel the newly launched comics based on George Lucas’s creation to the top of the charts. It was such a massive hit that the company started looking into more licensed comics, from Godzilla to Hanna-Barbera cartoon adaptations, Edgar Rice Burroughs comics, and Battlestar Galactica. It represented 20% of Marvel Comics’ production and some fans were not too happy about that. But it was a commercial success and it was not going to stop any time soon.

Introduced in 1974 by Japanese toy maker Takara (also known as Tomy in English), Mircoman was included in the line “Henshin Cyborg” but was not an 8 or 12-inch action figure, as it was the standard back then, but was 3.75-inch tall. The marketing used the size to sell the idea that this miniature bionic alien came from a place called Micro Earth. It was so successful that Microman got his own line. Soon, the American company Mego started importing them into the US under the name Micronauts.

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Comic Book News of The Week: Batman Initiative and More

What’s going on in the Comic Book World? Life can be pretty busy, so we highlight recent news and articles that may catch your interest!


Batman #1 by new Ongoing Creative Team Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez will be published in September. DC Comics has decided to create an initiative around that book to offer jumping on point in the Batman line for new readers, as Scott Snyder explains in his newsletter:

We launch Matt Fraction’s Batman with Jorge. Amazing, right?

But are you going to go in and try more Bat books? I don’t know if you will. That’s why we created an initiative around that book. We’re doing almost a mini moment of jumping on points for all those books where everybody has the new costume. Everyone is sort of beginning stories. There’s some cool new books coming out. So that group of books as a moment where you can explore all of them at once, the way you can explore the Energon Universe. So to my mind, what this is saying structurally, the success of the Absolute and Ultimate Universes and the Energon Universe and Ghost Machine and a lot of these things happening right now, the Massive-Verse that

and his co-creators are doing so well, is that people want to feel like they’re getting in on something that is kind of a moment. It feels tectonic. It feels seismic. It feels inviting. It feels like you can lose yourself in it. And it’s a bunch of books that are all speaking the same language. And you have all of a sudden this whole thing to explore, this whole landscape to explore.

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Gwen Stacy: Her Life, Her Death, Her Clones

Recently, Marvel Comics announced another storyline about Gwen Stacy, one of those characters who has been killed but never came back to life. At least, it was not the original Gwen who came back. Her death is probably one of the most iconic and well-known in the medium’s entire history, one that had such an impact on Spider-Man that touching it would be considered sacrilegious to many fans. This never stops the House of Ideas from trying to find a way around it, making Gwen Stacy a sensible subject. As a character, her life was short in comparison to many others, but her influence is still felt to this day.

The Creation of Gwen Stacy

Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Gwen Stacy first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 (1965). She was introduced as one of Peter Parker’s college classmates at Empire State University, alongside Harry Osborn. Initially, Gwen was a background character, but as Ditko departed the book and John Romita Sr. took over as the main artist, her role expanded.

Lee and Romita made Gwen a sophisticated and fashionable young woman. She became Peter Parker’s primary love interest, embodying an idealized romance often filled with drama, misunderstandings, and heartbreak. Being Spider-Man always complicated Peter’s relationships, and with Gwen, this often led to conflicts. Following the death of her father, NYPD Captain George Stacy, in The Amazing Spider-Man #90, Gwen blamed Spider-Man for the tragedy, not realizing Peter was behind the mask, and she decided to leave for Europe as a way to grieve far away from everything that reminded her of the tragedy. However, her love for Peter quickly brought her back to New York and they rebuilt their relationship.

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Comic Book News of The Week: First Look at Lanterns and More

What’s going on in the Comic Book World? Life can be pretty busy, so we highlight recent news and articles that may catch your interest!


In brightest day, in blackest night! Here’s your first look at Lanterns, the upcoming HBO television series based on the DC title “Green Lantern” featuring Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart.

The first image of our two superheroes walking side by side has been released, as the production for the season has just begun in Burbank. Lanterns will follow new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran has described the series as being “very much in the vein of True Detective.” 

Chris Mundy, who is the executive producer and showrunner for “Lanterns” (also known for “True Detective: Night Country” and “Ozark”), stated, “From the start, our driving force has been to deliver a layered drama – rooted in nuanced storytelling and rich world building – that balances tension and mystery with honest, authentic emotion. The goal is to create something that feels timeless and grounded without sacrificing the magic of the source material.”

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Meet Krypto the Superdog, Superman’s best friend!

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Nothing says Golden Age quite like a young sidekick, an imp from the 5th Dimension… or a Super Pet!

Krypto, a true product of this era, was created by Otto Binder and Curt Swan and made his first appearance in Adventure Comics #210 (March 1955). While he never headlined his own book, Krypto appeared in stories with Superboy and other super canines.

The Dog of Steel has already made multiple appearances in TV and film, but this year marks a new milestone in his journey. Krypto the Superdog will make his live-action cinematic debut in the upcoming Superman film by James Gunn.

If you’ve watched the trailer and found yourself asking, “Who is Krypto?“, Comic Book Treasury has the answer for you… and more!

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Marvel Gallery Editions: The Complete List

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Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Spider-Man Gallery Edition

You can buy your comics in multiple formats and collections, but not all editions are equal. People at Marvel Comics know comic book fans don’t have the same relationship with their books. Some comics are good to be read in bulk, some are made to be looked at for hours. For those last ones, Marvel Gallery Editions are perfect.

The Gallery Editions Marvel Comics is publishing are larger than standard comic books, typically measuring around 9.3 x 13.25 inches, which is bigger than any other editions put out by Marvel. The idea behind that format is to allow readers to appreciate the artwork’s fine details and to look at the pencil and ink work in the best possible condition–it’s a chance to take a closer look at the drawings of legendary creators like Sal Buscema, Jim Starlin, Bill Sienkiewicz, Todd McFarlane, Joe Quesada, Tim Sale, and others like you could not before.

Many Marvel Gallery Editions include introductions, essays, or behind-the-scenes insights, offering context about the creative process and significance of the works. They also sometimes reproduce pages directly from the original art boards, including annotations, corrections, and margin notes.

As those Marvel Gallery Editions are high-quality oversized hardcover collections, books that use premium paper and binding, they are also premium-priced.

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