Kulgith the Devourer (a Thri-kreen homage?) has kidnaped some kids from an Obrall settlement. ROM the Space Knight decides to rescue the children. ROM leaves his handgun (The Neutralizer) with Grakum and Jorvud (the distressed parents of the tykes).
Thinking that ROM is a robot, Kulgith throws the SpaceKnight in his cell for inorganic prisoners, ROM meets his cellmate... "Transformers Studio Series Deluxe Class" Kranix (the scientist from planet Lithone, the Lithonian who was captured by the Quintessons in The Transformers: The Movie (1986)). Carpet (a sentient alien jellyfish and ROM's "Man with No Name" poncho/companion) opens the pen for them.
Kranix points ROM in the direction of the cell for organic prisoners. Kulgith fights with ROM, ROM points out that he is a cyborg, ROM beheads Kulgith. ROM borrows one of Kulgith's arms and attaches it to his body. ROM takes the kids back to their kin.
ROM, the wandering guardian of the spaceways, continues his unending quest: to find Dire Wraiths... but do the evil magicians still exist?
We see ROM's future: saving a mermaid from shark-people, wrestling in Lord Gyconi (from The Gambler (Transformers: Generation 1 Season 2) and Void Rivals #12)'s Pit of Destruction, fighting a rock giant, giving food to starving people and tugging a spaceship.
Darak and Solila will find themselves face-to-face with ROM in Void Rivals #32.
What I did like:
A fantastic foil cover by Lorenzo De Felici.
Like an old, tired toy from the late 1970s, ROM is missing an eye and an arm, his left knee is also damaged.
ROM's missing arm is clearly an homage to RoboCop (1987), fans will remember seeing ROM comics twice during Paul Verhoeven's movie.
ROM's systems can heal his wounds and he has his rocket pack.
Printed in Canada.
What I did not like:
Only a standalone issue. We need an ongoing!
Still No announcement that Skybound is adapting the unproduced second season of Inhumanoids!
ROM doesn't rip the cell door off its hinges.
NO Subspace, NO Energy Analyzer, NO Universal Translator!
NO Dire Wraiths!
ROM's memory is hazy.
ROM does not remember what his Neutralizer does.
Kulgith easily hurts ROM by stabbing him in the gut.
ROM can bleed but the foreign organic body parts that ROM attaches to his body decay.
Only ROM can hear what Carpet says.
ROM does not know what kind of creature Carpet is.
ROM #1 can only be found randomly inserted in M.A.S.K. #1 blind bags.
Blind plastic bags destroy the planet, blind paper envelopes would have been eco-friendly.
I give it an 8/10. ROM returns! I'm extremely disappointed that Carpet was not named Mantlo, Mantle or Manteau, in honour of Bill Mantlo.
ROM Special #1 will be available on August 26, 2026, it reprints ROM #1 (released in the M.A.S.K. #1 Blind Bag program).
