Writer – Bill Mantlo
Artist – Sal Buscema
Inker – Sal Buscema
Colours – Bob Sharen
Letters – John Costanza

Rom and his newfound friends, Brandy and Steve, finally make it back to Steve’s place for some much-needed relaxation after the last issue’s nightmare.  Their flight from the Dire Wraiths and the haunted house has left them taxed mentally and physically.  Time ticks on though and Brandy has to get to work.  No rest for the weary it seems.  Rom has entered his rest mode after recharging but unbeknownst to him, the Hellhounds are still after him and he now must battle for his life.  This was a really great chapter in Rom’s ongoing saga from the regular creative team of writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema.  Mantlo gives everyone’s favourite robotic hero a very brief respite and then throws him back into the action as if he were a rag doll and he does so against some great villains and some true monsters in the form of the Hellhounds.  Project Safeguard is in a little turmoil due to their dealings with Rom and their leader is not in a forgiving mood because of it.  There is also no forgiveness in the ranks of the Dire Wraiths and it is interesting to see that there is little trust on their side even though they all want the same thing.  That being said, they do not necessarily have to get along as they face a common enemy and that in itself makes any type of rivalry or argument moot.  Mantlo even throws in a little joke about the Safeguard building being dreamed up by a ‘fantastical writer.’  Buscema proves to be the right man for the job, his pencils always on point and more pointedly, able to make anything look good and able to fill the book with some very exciting action sequences.  He and Mantlo make for a good team and this issue proves to be one of the best so far in the series.  As for what is next, one can at least assume that it will involve the Wraiths in some way or another form of evil and readers would not have it any other way.  Superb as always.

4.5 out of 5