It's ROM-on-ROM action in the SpaceKnight's only solo UK outing: a summer 1982 reprinting of the (appropriately) double-length US issue 25.
I've covered this before (I think) but: ROM, based on the Parker toy, made his UK debut in the pages of FORCES IN COMBAT. It was the only strip to survive the merger with FUTURE TENSE. After a brief homeless hiatus, the reprints began again (albeit backtracked to US issue 1 again) as a supporting feature in STAR WARS MONTHLY. That slot, ROM's last regular UK home, didn't last long as the strip was dropped in favour of THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES.
ROM's last UK appearance was in THE THING IS BIG BEN issues 15-16 (July 1984), reprinting his team-up with Ben Grim from MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE 99 (cover-dated May 1983).
Stateside, ROM first appeared in ROM SPACEKNIGHT issue 1 (cover-dated December 1979) and ran for a distinctly creditable 75 issues, ending in February 1986 (plus four US-format annuals between 1982 and 1985). Despite being a licensed property, ROM was fully integrated into the larger Marvel Universe (issue 72, omitted from the British reprints, was an official SECRET WARS II tie-in).
Big ROM Spaceknight fan here...awesome blog! I'm not sure if you'll see this reply to a months-old post, so I'll be short: Could you email me to discuss a few specifics about ROM's publication history in the U.K.? A.ROM.Curator at gmail.com please & thank you.
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