Writer – Bill Mantlo
Artist – Steve Ditko
Inker – P. Craig Russell
Colours – Petra Scotese
Letters – Janice Chiang

Though Rom might have left Earth now that the Dire Wraith menace was defeated, Bill Mantlo still takes us back there to check in on Rick and Brandy.  Brandy is not doing too well, missing Rom something fierce, like a piece of her has been cut out and Rick understands that perfectly.  Yet, he cannot help but think of the present and how they all should move on together, as hard as that might be.  Rom meanwhile is making his way through space, looking for a purpose now that he has done what he was created to do.  As he reminisces, he discovers a planet with a beacon pulsing out into the galaxy.  Investigating said planet, Rom finds it to be lifeless, that is until he meets up with some sort of guardian, a being that is protecting what appears to be an ancient ark.  Soon, after a little bit of a misunderstanding, Rom meets an ancient people who only come out of suspended animation once every millennium when their planet blooms again and return to slumber as the planet starts to die a half a day later.  This current issue of Rom by Bill Mantlo and Steve Ditko is both sad and hopeful and is one of the more touching issues in the series to be found, simply because it examines life and all that there is to live for.  Sometimes the simplest stories are the best and this story called Lifesong, which features nothing overly complicated or any long-running plotlines is a moving little piece of fiction that gives our hero the confidence to move on with his life, wherever that may lead.  Really good stuff.

4 out of 5