Issue(s): ROM #29
Cover Date: Apr 82
Title: "Even a Spaceknight can cry!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Chic Stone, Mike Esposito, Frank Giacoia, Al Milgrom, & Rick Magyar - Inker
Ann Nocenti - Assistant Editor
Al Milgrom - Editor

Review/plot:
A funeral service for Starshine.

The Mole Man (along with Digger and some Moloids, and probably the rest of the Outcasts off panel), secretly attends the funeral as well. It's unclear whether they are in Starshine's grave or someone else's.

It's too bad he never did become a consistent ally against the Wraiths, or at least return for the big finale, as he suggests here.

Reflecting on the death of Starshine, ROM thinks about others that have died in the war against the Dire Wraiths.

His inclusion of Ray-Na sent me digging, and it turns out her death was shown in a back-up from issue #14.

Soon after that, ROM detects an anomaly and travels to a town that is seemingly abandoned except for a single family suffering from radiation sickness. The family tells a story where Bruce Banner came to town and soon people starting suffering from radiation problems. The pink misshapen town resident named Lincoln fought him off, but people continued to be sick, and soon Lincoln disappeared.

ROM investigates and finds Lincoln (aka "Link". He's Link, and he's been Missing)...

...and learns that the radiation is really coming from him. But after a quick fight (caused by ROM again not adequately explaining that the gun-shaped Neutralizer he is summoning is not a signal that he's attacking)...

...ROM neutralizes the radiation coming from Missing Link, and he lets the town continue to believe that Hulk was responsible for it.

This is the second time that ROM has heard about the Hulk (the first was from Jack of Hearts), and a ROM/Hulk encounter will again be teased next issue, which also features an old Hulk foe (very old, in this case).

Lots of inkers on this issue, and while the art is serviceable, it's not Sal Buscema's best. To be fair, the Missing Link is an uninspiring villian, but even the Mole Man is looking a little undernourished.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Pushed back in publication time to allow ROM #31-32 to take place between Hulk #268-269.

References:

• The Hulk's last encounter with the Missing Link was in Hulk #179.
  
• And the first encounter was in Hulk #105-106.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The title refers to Avengers #58(duh).

My only issue of Rom ever. I did like the family's one-sided telling of the Hulk encounter. As well as the way Rom let them believe the hulk was the problem.

Rom's lie will cause problems later in Thunderbolts.

Hey, Michael

What kind of problems?

Clay Brickford seeks revenge on the Hulk.