Issue(s): ROM #14
Cover Date: Jan 81
Title: "The ultimate Android!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Sal Buscema - Inker

Review/plot:
The Mad Thinker assumes that ROM is a robot, and decides to try and control him.

He's even built a little ROM toy.

The Thinker's motivation is a concern that his mastery of androids is threatened by the appearance of newer forms of artificial intelligence that he can't control.

The Thinker sends his Awesome Android to soften ROM up.

When the Thinker discovers that ROM is actually a cyborg, not a robot, he decides to destroy him instead. But the Awesome Android, affected by ROM's Neutralizer, turns on his master.

In a subplot, Brandy's fiance has been captured and replaced by a Dire Wraith. And a reporter, Ace O'Connor, reveals what she's learned about the Wraiths only to discover that her boss is one.

These early Dire Wraiths, which will later be revealed to be just the male half of the species, don't suck the brains out of a person to duplicate them. They're more like Skrulls. It's too bad they hadn't thought of the second version initially as they are much more frightening.

A Tales of the Spaceknights back-up shows that ROM's girlfriend Ray-Na was killed by Dire Wraiths.

This seems to contradict the scene from ROM #5 where ROM recalls telling Ray-Na that their love would never die and then repeats that vow in the present day. But i guess you could reason that he meant it in the sense that he'll always remember her.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• The Mad Thinker first appeared in Fantastic Four #15
  
• He then returned to fight both the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in Fantastic Four #28
  
• While there's no footnote for it, the appearance of the Golden Age Human Torch in the scene that depicted the androids that the Thinker can't control must be a reference to Fantastic Four annual #4, where the Thinker tried to utilize the Torch android but it broke free of his control.
  
• Reporter Ace O'Connor has a photo of Jack Of Hearts' appearance from ROM #12.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A