ROM, Micronauts to return in Marvel reprints

Word Balloons #1164: Toy-based comics set to return to comic shops

Two toyline-based comics that launched in the late 1970s from Marvel are finally getting reprint editions from the House of Ideas. 

Both ROM and Micronauts were based on toy properties and were written by Bill Mantlo. Both, this week, were announced as getting hardcover omnibus reprint collections in 2024. Both will also receive reprint facsimile editions of their first issues in September.  

“ROM: The Original Years Omnibus Volume 1” will collect “ROM” #1-29 and “Power Man and Iron Fist” #73. Sal Buscema is the primary artist for the series. 

Here’s how Marvel describes the series: 

He strikes from outer space…and nothing can stop him! Marvel Comics is proud to present the iconic early adventures of the greatest of Spaceknights — Rom! Centuries ago, Rom pledged his life to protect his planet, Galador, from the evil Dire Wraiths. Now, Rom has tracked these vile creatures across the cosmos to Earth, where they have infiltrated the highest levels of power — including S.H.I.E.L.D. itself!

Armed with his energy analyzer, only Rom can see the Wraiths’ true form — and with his neutralizer, he can blast them into Limbo! But what will Earth make of this armored invader? Will Rom’s quest be aided or hindered by encounters with the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Jack of Hearts, Nova, and Power Man and Iron Fist? And when Galactus targets Galador, can Rom and his fellow Spaceknights save their homeworld from destruction?

Micronauts is the other property set for a reprint collection. Artist Michael Golden thrilled fans with his sci-fi designs on this series, which owed something to “Star Wars,” but featured adventures of the “Micronauts” exploring their own subatomic worlds and battling the evil Baron Karza. After the first 12 issues, the Micronauts often found themselves in the main Marvel Universe as well. 

Marvel shares: 

From out of the Microverse, it’s the Omnibus you thought could never happen! The subatomic superstars headlined a long-running series packed with rich world-building, fascinating mythology and big-scale, sci-fi excellence! With the series set in the main Marvel Comics universe, the Micronauts joined forces with the X-Men and the Fantastic Four and dared to go up against the likes of Doctor Doom, Arcade, and other iconic Marvel super villains. …

In Micronauts, Commander Rann, Princess Mari, Biotron, Acroyear and Bug traverse the universe aboard the microship Endeavor as they struggle to free Homeworld from the tyrannical Baron Karza. Their exploits also bring them to Earth where our micro-sized heroes encounter big-time heroes and villains including the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain Universe and Man-Thing. This Omnibus edition presents a stunning restoration, complete with letters pages and a host of bonus material, including house ads, original artwork and more.

“Micronauts: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus” will collect “The Micronauts” 1-29, Annual 1-2 and material from “Micronauts Special Edition” (1983) 1-5. Besides Golden, other artists providing work in the omnibus include Howard Chaykin, Pat Broderick and Steve Ditko.

An “Artists Edition” of six issues drawn by Golden was released in 2020, but otherwise both “ROM” and “Micronauts” have remained unreprinted despite the relative sales success of both in the 1980s, and the properties’ subsequent revivals at other comics companies in the interim.  In both announcements, Marvel described the collections as part of an “exciting new collaboration with Hasbro, a global leader in play.”

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma.