HOPE YOU LIKE IT: The Art of DAKOTA ALEXANDER…
By DAKOTA ALEXANDER
Email from Dan, after we did faux covers for a few weeks: “Shall we pivot to splash pages or house ads for awhile?”
This got me to thinking of a certain Marvel house ad.
Picture it: 1979.
You’re flipping through the pages of your favorite Marvel comic and you see a startling full-page house ad.
“He strikes from outer space… cleaving through the sky like a fiery sword of justice… hurtling Earthward on his dread mission of cosmic vengeance! AND NOTHING CAN STOP HIM!!”
This impressive introduction reads almost like a manifesto, as it leaps off the page with Sal Buscema’s iconic illustration of ROM SPACEKNIGHT emerging from a blazing crater!
And if you saw this for the first time, you’d probably presume he would be a hero. However due to his imposing design and fiery entrance you would also be right to presume that this is not you’re average type of hero. This is something to be reckoned with.
The ad doesn’t mention that ROM was a toy tie-in but it’s one of the best-known examples of that kind of synergy. The toy version of ROM was developed by Parker Brothers and was a new venture for the company, which up until that time had mostly made board games.
Electronic toys were also still very new, so the decision was made to produce the figure as cheaply as possible. It had only a few points of articulation and bore little resemblance to its exciting and heroic comics counterpart.
Frankly, this seems more like a robotic henchman than a valiant spaceknight. Not to mention that the figure was 13 inches tall and, with all its accessories, was said to weigh close to 5 pounds.
“That’s right kids! Playing with ROM is also a great way to build up your forearm strength!”
Suffice it to say, the toy was not a hit. Marvel, however, was more successful, producing a cult-favorite series that managed to run until 1986. Some of its longevity was due to the stories by Bill Mantlo, and some of it was in part to Marvel’s insistence on incorporating the character into practically every major title it could.
As a kid, I knew of ROM without ever having to read a ROM comic. He was everywhere. The X-Men tussled with ROM, and so did the Hulk, Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, and even Power Man and Iron Fist.
But perhaps even more impactful than a ROM appearance, was the introduction of his adversaries, the horrifying Dire Wraiths.
1984’s The Uncanny X-Men #186, by Chris Claremont, Barry Windsor-Smith and Terry Austin. I guess it’s safe to say that the Comics Code Authority had less teeth than the Dire Wraiths at this point…
Man, those things scared the ever-loving crap out of me as a kid. Originally, the Dire Wraiths were just generic villains-of-the-week, but once they were developed into Lovecraftian body-snatchers, they truly became something iconically terrifying — even showing up in Marvel books by themselves, like The Uncanny X-Men #186, above.
So if ROM was on a mission to destroy these suckers, that just made him even cooler in my book.
But here’s my real point: Marvel’s ROM is cool on his own.
Frank Miller pencils, Joe Rubinstein inks
He has a unique look that blends late-’70s science-fiction with early-’80s video arcade-game design. He’s sleek, yet angular. If you love that era, you should love ROM’s character design.
But it’s more than that. He’s a total badass. He’s mysterious and imposing with his mission to hunt down and destroy quite possibly some of the nastiest creatures in Marvel comics. Sal Buscema even stated in a 2010 interview: “I liked the character. And I liked what they did with it. I thought the concept was quite good. It was unique. It made it attractive to do. I almost hate to say this, but it was pretty easy to draw, too.”
Sal Buscema pencils, Al Milgrom inks
I just love ROM. Yet while I know that he has devoted fans, like yours truly, it’s quite clear that the character is still very niche, and tends not to resonate as much with other fans of Marvel characters. I’ve posted lots of ROM art online over the years and rarely has it ever received a strong response.
WHICH IS A DARN SHAME IF YOU ASK ME.
But I digress…
So after reading the above-mentioned email from Dan, I was inspired by my memories of that awesome ROM house ad, which in turn fired up my love for ROM, and I decided to do some ROM art.
And, like I usually do, I took that ROM art and made a faux cover for ROM #1. Done with great respect to Frank Miller and Joe Rubinstein.
Hope you like it.
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Want more of THE ART OF DAKOTA ALEXANDER? Come back next week!
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MORE
— TALES FROM THE CRYPTIDS: An EC COMICS Series You Never Knew Existed — Because It Didn’t. Click here.
— A MASTER OF KUNG FU COVER You Never Knew Existed — Because It Didn’t. Click here.
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DAKOTA ALEXANDER is an American artist living in Japan. He’s worked on many projects, such as The Liberty Brigade, The Masters, Charon 13, and G.H.O.S.T. Agents. His latest is his love letter to Bronze Age superhero-horror comics, The Hunter, which is now available at his Etsy, Drums of the Serpent.
