10 Popular Comic Book Characters Who Have Completely Vanished
3. Rom The Spaceknight
“Rom” was originally a toy co-created by Scott Dankman, Richard C. Levy, and Bryan L. McCoy, who sold the idea to Parker Brothers. It was from there it inspired the Marvel comic book by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, with first issue cover art by then-unknown young artist Frank Miller.
Well over two centuries ago, Rom was a human in the idyllic world of Galador when it was threatened by the shape-shifting warrior race known as the Dire Wraiths. Members of Galadorian society volunteered to become cybernetic “Spaceknights” to battle the Wraiths and banish them to Limbo. Rom was the first of many volunteers and chased the Dire Wraiths for more than 200 years, finally landing on Earth. There, he encountered many of Earth’s heroes and was aided by an Earth woman named Brandy Clark, who fell in love with him.
The Marvel comic far outlasted the toyline, and the Dire Wraiths became a more persistent villain than Rom’s longevity as a hero. In the end, his story was wrapped up, and he and Brandy returned to Galador and supposedly lived happily ever after. Although IDW has some plans for the property as part of the Transformers Universe, like so many things inspired by products or fads, Rom had his time, and when that time passed, he was gone.