The Complete ROM In Hardcover

 

I have put tracking down this set a priority now that I know it exists. Speaking of ROM here is a post I wrote back in 2009. This is what I think of whenever the subject of ROM - Spaceknight comes up.

 

Before the age of Internet and email I was one of those people who loved to write letters to people and companies. In those days you could get all kids of cool posters or media packages if you only took the time to compose a good letter. With friends I always accompanied my letters with fancy calligraphy and pictures and cartoons and usuaklly a mixed tape. My REAL dream, like many of us comic book fans, was to get our letters printed in the letters columns (remember those?) of our favorite titles. I wrote to all of them but only ROM - SPACEKNIGHT and IRON MAN printed my letters. I still have them framed in the Cave of Cool like I had drawn and written the issues myself. Since I included my address I started getting letters from a V.A. Hospital in the States.

 

 

The letter writer was a big Rom fan and wondered if we could be pen pals. So for the next year of high school we wrote back and forth and talked about most everything you would with a email buddy. He sent me pictures of his life before and during Vietnam and told me many amazing stories about the craziness of war - enough of them to make me never want to go into combat myself. I mentioned that I was looking for back issues of ROM only in my initial letter to Marvel. We did talk comics but never anything really specific.

 

One day I received a package from a V.A. Hospital is Washington D.C. It seemed that my friend had died of cancer, something he never told me was imminent. In the box where many personal items he wanted me to have plus the first 50 issues of ROM in pristine mint condition. The letter from his nurse said that he collected comics and had about 6 or 7 regular people he wrote with and wanted to be sure that his friends each got their packages when he was gone. I really honor that time I got to know him and I know he still looks in on me every once in awhile. So anytime I see ROM I get all nostalgic. This site has many fan submitted pieces so I thought I would post some of my favorites here in honor of a brave man, who fought for his country and gave me a great friend while I was learning to be a man myself. Thanks Mitch, you were my brother.