“Rom and the Micronauts” ends its mini-series this week. An odd duck of a piece of the Hasbro universe, I’ve never quite known what to make of it. Is it a continuation of “Micronauts?” Of “Rom?” Of both? This issue doesn’t answer that but it does give a bit of direction for our favorite space knight.
Written by Christos GageCover by Paolo Villanelli
and Mattia Iacono
Illustrated by Paolo Villanelli
Colored by Alessandra Alexakis
Lettered by Shawn LeeGods and Monsters! The epic conclusion to the Wraith Goddess saga! As the Dire Wraiths use Microspace technology to finally awaken their dark goddess, it’s up to Rom and the Micronauts to stop them! But will they be able to defeat Baron Karza’s machinations and newly enhanced Wraiths before she arrives on Earth?
I knew nothing about the IDW Micronauts when first beginning this mini. Kudos to the creative team for making them accessible. What this means, though, is that I have no idea what lasting effect this series has had on them. For ROM, this mini has taken a few big bads off the board and I don’t quite know how to feel about it. The “ROM” series was short and felt like it was building to something larger and wide-reaching, while this seems to end a majority of the threat in one fell swoop. It’s too soon. However, as a conclusion to this mini, it does a solid job and for those who entered this alone, it’s satisfying.
It’s a grand battle with the stakes are sufficiently raised as the wraiths are revealed planet wide, the Wraith queen and the entropy storm combine (I think) and Baron Karza and D’rge fight ROM and the Micronauts for one final battle. Villanelli’s clean linework and uncluttered paneling allows for the fight to remain clear and driving. The action never lets up, save for the requisite operatics that are part and parcel of any good space opera. D’rge even quotes a bit of Ahab’s final speech from Moby Dick at Orphion.
Does D’rge see himself as Ahab and Orphion as the White Whale? Isn’t the metaphor best reversed, with Orphion searching for the creature that stole a piece of him, haunted at all hours by the knowledge that the two of them are inextricably yoked together? That Orphion cannot die except by the hands of his eternal foe, which is exactly what happens here? Most likely not. Were this to have been a larger theme within “ROM” or even here, the “Moby Dick” parallel might have been more effective. As is, the line it is sufficiently melodramatic and bombastic as to achieve the desired effect.
What isn’t as effective is the actual logistics of the Micronauts. For a series that deals with so many characters of varying sizes, Villanelli’s art makes it hard to tell sizes apart. How small are the Micronauts supposed to be relative to the Spaceknights? In one panel they look to be about the size of their heads, while in another the they look to be the same size as them. This isn’t true of every page. Early on, on a splash page that successfully kicks off the battle, the size differences are apparent.
Later on, though, panels such as the bottom one of page 18 have Space Glider and Biotron either closer to the reader than the Romza (the ROM/Karza fusion) and are the correct size or they are much farther away and very large. It’s hard to tell because of their positions in the panel and a lack of any depth of field effect.
This has been a problem for the whole mini, because we don’t get enough panels firmly showing their smaller size. Instead, Villanelli opted to have them moving around in admittedly dynamic ways. I’m also confused about the mechanics of how the Micronauts change size and what those limits are but that’s unimportant to this issue.
Despite this, VIllanelli absolutely nails the cosmic horror of the Wraith Queen. It’s a writhing, clayface-esque mess, with multiple screaming heads. Even though it doesn’t have a personality or much of a true presence beyond angry goddess from beyond the veil, it’s design is enough to leave a lasting impact. It’s just a shame that it was defeated so easily. I know for the sake of the mini this was the best pacing but to see such an integral part of the larger “ROM” story go down so easily and without a continuation in sight doesn’t feel right.
Continued belowThe end result of this battle, however, did. It is a somber moment, one of introspection and sadness for ROM. Orphion is dead. The comic takes the time to slow down from the denouement exposition to show ROM holding his body in a 2/3 page bleed panel. ROM stands with stars in the background, evoking the legacy of the Solstar Order, and the overlap of ROM and Orphion onto the other panels emphasizes the sacrifice and the sadness. His head is hanging, not held high. This is the most important result of the battle. Not what they won but who they lost.
While the comic itself ends on a more positive “the adventure continues” message, this tone of sobriety and somberness continues to hover over the Solstar Knights. I wish these final pages were more decompressed, so as to give the art time to breathe and the characters a chance to express more than just exposition, but such is not the “Rom” style.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – Concluding this mini on a bombastic and somber note, it couldn’t hide some of the more persistent flaws of the mini. May more “Rom” and “Micronauts” come soon.
