ROM SPECIAL#1 Review
Publisher:
Image/Skybound
Creative Team:
W -Robert Kirkman
A -Matheus Lopes
A -Lorenzo De Filici
L -Rus Wooten
Solicit:
THE ENERGON UNIVERSE DEBUT THAT BROKE THE INTERNET! The superstar dream team of Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici reunites for the First Appearance of the character that fans have demanded since the launch of the Energon Universe – enter ROM! This full-length debut reprint, featuring all new covers, leads directly into the can’t-miss upcoming issues of Void Rivals!
Review
Since this is my first time reading a ROM comic I can’t be entirely sure, but I’d say it’s a safe bet that this introduction to the Energon Universe finds him in a rougher state than previous eras. ROM is missing an arm, missing an eye, missing his memories, and has just been quite literally thrown into prison. And yet for all that wear and tear, the character still has never looked better than in the hands of artist Lorenzo De Felici and colorist Matheus Lopes. With the majority of the issue set in a dark, dank prison, the color palette is necessarily muted, but with just enough pops of color to keep things visually interesting without them looking out of place or distracting.
And yet for all that wear and tear, the character still has never looked better than in the hands of artist Lorenzo De Felici and colorist Matheus Lopes. With the majority of the issue set in a dark, dank prison, the color palette is necessarily muted, but with just enough pops of color to keep things visually interesting without them looking out of place or distracting.
The first page introduces us to the special’s main antagonist Kulgith the Devourer, a half-humanoid, half-mantis alien who has taken a trio of adorable blue alien children that he intends to make his dinner. While the kids’ emotions are plain to read in every panel they’re featured in due to their Pixar-adjacent appearance, De Felici’s ability to make Kulgith’s praying mantis-like face as expressive as it is was pretty impressive to me. ROM, on the other hand, has no mouth, nose, eyebrows, or even a right eye with which to convey any emotion, leaving the brunt of building ROM as a hero in the hands of his dialogue, written and lettered by the ever-competent Robert Kirkman and Rus Wooten, respectively. ROM isn’t a particularly emotive character, but Kirkman uses this well to build him into something of a Kurosawa-esque space ronin.
De Felici’s ability to make Kulgith’s praying mantis-like face as expressive as it is was pretty impressive to me.
The entire issue is a recount of one of ROM’s adventures to help a stranger in peril, with the final pages of the issue hinting at and giving glimpses of many more, teasing his role in the upcoming pages of Void Rivals assisting Darak and Solila as they navigate the next stage of their own adventures after the events of issue 30.
The EU’s ROM special intentionally asks more questions than it answers, both to the reader and ROM himself, to great effect.
As I mentioned, this is my first time reading the character and I finished the issue just as enticed to discover his origins in the Energon Universe as the character himself.
In addition to all of this, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Carpet, a wholly original addition to ROM’s lore, who’s basically a sentient poncho made of slime. (Yes, you read that right. I don’t know how it works, but I promise it does.) After the ongoing love affair that myself and many other Void Rival readers have had these past few years getting to know our beloved Skuxxoid, I would not be surprised if 3 years from now we’re all in the same place with Carpet.
...I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Carpet, a wholly original addition to ROM’s lore, who’s basically a sentient poncho made of slime. (Yes, you read that right. I don’t know how it works, but I promise it does.)
Whether you’re a ROM fan or just a fan of fun sci-fi in general, this issue is a lighthearted and enjoyable introduction to this iteration of the character and an excellent primer for his future in the pages of Void Rivals. The Energon Universe has delivered at every level since its inception and ROM is just the latest example of how.
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