Writer – Bill Mantlo
Artist – Steve Ditko
Inker – Steve Leialoha
Colours – Petra Scotese
Letters – Janice Chiang

The sixty-sixth issue of Rom marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one as the war with the Dire Wraiths is over. With all endings comes a floodgate of emotions and Rom, despite being a cyborg, is no stranger as he is still part man. Now that his mission is over, there is no reason for Rom to remain upon the Earth, not even Brandy Clark, the woman he loves with all his heart. If Rom were fully a man, if he were truly human or if Brandy had remained Starshine, maybe things could have worked out differently, but he knows that their situation will only bring more heartbreak should he stay. It is a monumentally sad issue that Bill Mantlo and Steve Ditko deliver and you realize that things are now going to change, though everything does and they should given the amount of time that has passed in this series. So it is that Rom leaves Brandy with Rick Jones, who still has his cancer and leaving quite a plot thread hanging at the same time as the Spaceknight heads into space. The future is wide open and it should bring a lot of new adventures for our hero though you also have to wonder if he will ever make his way back to Earth and back to Brandy at some point. A great story from Mantlo with some really good artwork from the legendary Steve Ditko make this a perfect ending to the long-running storyline.

3.5 out of 5