Rom #14

Jan 1981 · Marvel · 0.50 USD

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★ 1st appearance — Terminator

About this Issue

Rom #14 — 'The Ultimate Android!' — represents a pivotal early example of Bill Mantlo's deliberate strategy of weaving the licensed Spaceknight into the core Marvel Universe by pitting him against established villains rather than original creations. The Mad Thinker's obsession with studying Rom as a technological specimen naturally pulled the Fantastic Four's oldest foes into the book, anchoring the series' credibility within Earth-616 continuity. The issue is structurally unusual in containing a second, self-contained backup story — the 'Saga of the Spaceknights' — in which Rom's beloved Ray-Na is killed by Dire Wraiths, delivering one of the earliest and most emotionally resonant losses in the series and deepening Rom's tragic dimension as a character. Because the entire Marvel run went unreprinted for decades due to licensing disputes between Parker Brothers/Hasbro and Marvel, this issue — like all its siblings — was effectively invisible to new readers until a Hasbro–Marvel agreement finally enabled the omnibus reprint program launched in 2024.

Contains 2 stories

The Ultimate Android!

17 pp · Science Fiction, Superhero

Ace O'ConnorDire Wraiths [Steve JacksonBarry Dunston] (villains)Dr. Rachel Sweet (cameo flashback)

In "The Ultimate Android!", Rom returns to Clairton only to face off against the Mad Thinker and his terrifying Awesome Android, just as personal tensions rise—Brandy prepares for her wedding to Steve, unaware he's been replaced by a Dire Wraith, while reporter Ace O'Connor finally realizes too late that her boss is a Wraith in disguise.

Untitled Science Fiction story

5 pp · Science Fiction

Dire Wraiths

In "null," Rom races to protect the planet of his beloved Starshine after learning Wraiths have invaded, leading to a desperate rescue mission with Terminator and Starshine herself. As the battle unfolds, the stakes rise tragically when Ray-Na is lost in the conflict.

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $2

CGC 9.8 · 12 in census $101

CGC 9.6 · 3 in census $30*

CGC 9.4 none in existence

CGC 9.2 none in existence

CGC 9.0 · 1 in census $20

CGC 8.5 none in existence

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CGC 8.0 none in existence

CGC 7.5 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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Newsstand $1.74 VF · Newsstand $2.25 VG $2.9 FN $2.9 VG $2.9 VF $3 Newsstand $3 VG $3

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History

The Rom series was launched in December 1979 as a direct tie-in to Parker Brothers' electronic action figure, with Marvel deliberately setting the character inside Earth-616 partly to attract creators reluctant to work on material perceived as outside the main continuity. Bill Mantlo — described by colleagues as always eager for assignments — wrote every issue of the 75-issue run, with Sal Buscema as his primary artistic collaborator throughout much of the series. Issue #14's Saga of the Spaceknights backup was based in part on a story suggestion credited to Steven Grant, one of several instances where outside contributors fed ideas into the book. The story's central conceit — the Mad Thinker deploying the Awesome Android against Rom as a subject of scientific study — reflected Mantlo's consistent practice of treating the licensed hero as a full-fledged Marvel character worthy of encounters with the publisher's pre-existing villains.

Trivia · 8 facts

Story title: 'The Ultimate Android!' — written by Bill Mantlo, penciled and inked by Sal Buscema; cover date January 1981, on-sale date October 21, 1980.
Primary antagonists are the Mad Thinker and the Awesome Android, who have both been fixtures of the Marvel Universe since Fantastic Four #15 (June 1963); their appearance here marks a significant early crossover between Rom's world and classic FF-era villainy.
The Mad Thinker dispatches the Awesome Android to capture Rom for scientific study; Rom defeats the Android, which — in an early hint of its emerging proto-sentience — exerts a sliver of independent will and flees with its master rather than continuing the fight.
The Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, The Thing) appear only in flashback, consistent with the Mad Thinker recalling past encounters; they are not active participants in the main story.
A second story in the same issue — 'Saga of the Spaceknights,' based in part on a plot suggestion by Steven Grant — depicts the death of Ray-Na, Rom's beloved, at the hands of Dire Wraiths on the planet Agricon, with Starshine and Terminator also featured; this is one of the most emotionally consequential events in the early run.
The large roster of X-Men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel, Beast) and Avengers (Vision, Ultron, etc.) indexed in the issue likely represent flashback or reference appearances tied to the Mad Thinker's research files, rather than active story roles — consistent with the Grand Comics Database and Marvel Fandom wiki character listings for this issue.
The entire original Marvel Comics run of Rom (75 issues, 1979–1986) was unavailable in any collected reprint format for decades following the expiration of Marvel's Parker Brothers license; a Hasbro–Marvel agreement finalized around 2023–2024 finally enabled the original issues to be reprinted in omnibus form.
Rom #14 is included in ROM: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 1, which collects Rom #1–29 and was released in early 2024 — the first authorized collected reprint of these stories.