CCL Messageboard

Welcome Guest Active Topics
CCL Messageboard » Comic Book Talk » Marvel Comics » Who Owns ROM Now?
Thundercron
Wednesday, November 1, 2023 4:31:06 PM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller
Location: Redland, Oregon
Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,403 | Points: 88,302
Shop at My Store
It was announced a few months ago that Marvel would be reprinting their old ROM material. We've already gotten the Facsimile version of ROM #1, and the first Omnibus is right around the corner. At the time, the trades reported that Marvel would only be reprinting old ROM material, with permission from IDW, which would continue the strange licensing agreements Marvel has had with them for many years.

I just found out Marvel will now be doing ROM variant covers of Marvel comics when the Omnibus is released. Since they are publishing all new ROM material and making money off it, does that mean Marvel now has 100% of the rights to the character? That would definitely be exciting for me as a life long ROM fan. I picked up all the IDW issues when they came out, but didn't read a single one. It just didn't interest me if the character didn't have the backstory Marvel laid out previously (plus, the character design was tweaked a bit to not really look like Marvel's ROM).
MoonKnight1
Thursday, November 2, 2023 1:42:23 PM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Forum Admin, Guru, Member, Moderator, Sports Host, Super Seller
Location: Richmond, VA
Joined: 5/24/2010 | Posts: 10,265 | Points: 48,929
Shop at My Store
I believe that Hasbro still owns the rights to ROM as a whole but they are allowing Marvel to reprint the old comics. Not sure how they are allowed to do the new covers. Maybe they are homage covers?

https://www.cbr.com/hasbro-rom-returns-marvel-omnibus/


Hall of Heroes Quote of the Week

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny - C.S. Lewis


Check out my eBay store here: Hall Liquidations
Thundercron
Thursday, November 2, 2023 2:38:17 PM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller
Location: Redland, Oregon
Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,403 | Points: 88,302
Shop at My Store
WEBVG wrote:
CCL taught me that other than issue #1 and maybe one other, ROM is a low value book not worthy of the price of the Omnibus price when you can get the originals for less than that. I still have a set and enjoyed them when they were coming out originally and again when I put my current set together.

The IDW series never really sold here or got much interest outside of one subscriber and the issues I read didn't really feel as enjoyable as the old stuff. I've still got the entire run and the FCBD issue in stock right now. Apparently even giving away FCBD issues wasn't enough to get people to take a set out the door as they came in.

If Marvels going to do a bunch of variant covers, which is something they do every month anyway for one stupid reason or another, just ignore them unless you see one you have to have. Over the last 6 months I've scaled back variant cover purchases to just those titles I know I have people that want every cover option for. I can't see ROM being HOT enough of a topic to trigger a bunch of collectors chasing sets. DC's slashed the returnability on theirs as well so most DC's I just order A covers for now unless requested. There are a couple individual artists that have a good long term track record I'll buy extras to stock but theme of the month usually ends up as a dud and not selling until all the A covers have sold out.

The only DC book on the strip cover return list for November I can see is the Batman Day Bundles finally showing up as long as we turn in 25 issue bundles, I assume strip covered.



ROM has always been a good seller for me, both here and at shows. Issue #31 can fetch upwards of $30, which I've done here on CCL.

Also, despite mentioning I'm a life-long ROM fan, thanks for the counsel to just "ignore" the variant covers, because they are "stupid." Do you give all your customers this advice when they are excited about something they like?
Thundercron
Thursday, November 2, 2023 2:41:39 PM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller
Location: Redland, Oregon
Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,403 | Points: 88,302
Shop at My Store
MoonKnight1 wrote:
I believe that Hasbro still owns the rights to ROM as a whole but they are allowing Marvel to reprint the old comics. Not sure how they are allowed to do the new covers. Maybe they are homage covers?

https://www.cbr.com/hasbro-rom-returns-marvel-omnibus/


I guess I misspoke. I know Marvel doesn't own the character outright. Rather, I was speaking about the comic license.

I saw that article a few months ago. Still doesn't explain if Marvel will be doing all new material. Based on the variant covers, they are doing new material. UNLESS it's a weird deal where they repurpose old art for the covers, like they did with that Venom #1 Todd McFarlane cover many years back, which was just reused art from one of his first appearances.
MoonKnight1
Thursday, November 2, 2023 8:33:26 PM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Forum Admin, Guru, Member, Moderator, Sports Host, Super Seller
Location: Richmond, VA
Joined: 5/24/2010 | Posts: 10,265 | Points: 48,929
Shop at My Store
You've probably seen this already but here it is anyway!

https://www.thegeektwins.com/2022/01/who-owns-live-action-movie-and-tv.html

I like this part:
"Guardians of the Galaxy movie director James Gunn thought the spaceknights could be in the MCU. “ROM, the story, is owned by Marvel Comics,” Gunn explained to Screen Rant in 2017. “So the Dire Wraiths, you know, all that story is owned by Marvel Comics. The character and the toys are owned by Paramount, so you can’t have both. "

I did not remember this either:


Hall of Heroes Quote of the Week

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny - C.S. Lewis


Check out my eBay store here: Hall Liquidations
Thundercron
Friday, November 3, 2023 5:08:15 AM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller
Location: Redland, Oregon
Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,403 | Points: 88,302
Shop at My Store
MoonKnight1 wrote:
You've probably seen this already but here it is anyway!

https://www.thegeektwins.com/2022/01/who-owns-live-action-movie-and-tv.html

I like this part:
"Guardians of the Galaxy movie director James Gunn thought the spaceknights could be in the MCU. “ROM, the story, is owned by Marvel Comics,” Gunn explained to Screen Rant in 2017. “So the Dire Wraiths, you know, all that story is owned by Marvel Comics. The character and the toys are owned by Paramount, so you can’t have both. "

I did not remember this either:


Yeah, I knew about Gunn always wanting to use ROM. Not only him, but Brian Bendis talked a few times back in the late aughts that his dream project would be a ROM reboot. This was back when Bendis was Marvel's Golden Boy, so you'd think they'd take the hint and get the rights so they could start printing money.

Here's a cool promo video made for the toy back in the day: https://youtu.be/Lf5tbogiKUc?si=cBsdwil8NsJvNMSR

You can see Parker Brothers had the idea in name only for the Dire Wraiths. Marvel created their look, which I think is how Marvel got away with using the characters after the ROM license expired, even while IDW created their own, different looking versions later on.

Fun Fact #1! John Romita, Jr. did the art chores for the ROM corner box.

Fun Fact #2! Dire Wraith action figures were planned for the Silver Surfer Toy Biz line, but were scrapped.

Fun Fact #3! ROM was the first Marvel property to appear on the cover of Time Magazine (it's true!).
Thundercron
Friday, November 3, 2023 3:18:18 PM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller
Location: Redland, Oregon
Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,403 | Points: 88,302
Shop at My Store
WEBVG wrote:
Quote:
ROM has always been a good seller for me, both here and at shows. Issue #31 can fetch upwards of $30, which I've done here on CCL.

That appears to be pretty much what I just said if you'd take time to comprehend what you're reading.

Quote:
other than issue #1 and maybe one other,

I've sold most issues of Rom on CCL for a buck and under. Even with a couple higher dollar one's mixed in it's still not worth the cost of an omnibus and even #1 already has a cheap facsimile out so even that one can be had cheap now.


Quote:
Also, despite mentioning I'm a life-long ROM fan, thanks for the counsel to just "ignore" the variant covers, because they are "stupid." Do you give all your customers this advice when they are excited about something they like?


Once again, if you read your own words it appears your excitement" is about
Quote:
Marvel now has 100% of the rights to the character? That would definitely be exciting for me as a life long ROM fan.


Not one mention of you being excited about variant covers and you went further to say you were NOT excited about the IDW stuff.
Quote:
It just didn't interest me if the character didn't have the backstory Marvel laid out

I don't see anything here saying these variant covers are anything relating to the original Marvel years or that you expected them to be.

As you should be well aware, you can expect all the variant covers to most likely end up in the dollar bins and here at CCL which simply means as stated the first time,
Quote:
unless you see one you have to have.

so, yes, I would tell my customers not to piss money away on something they didn't feel they had to have when it's almost certain if they want it at all, it can be had later at dump it prices. Buy the book for what's inside. If there's a particular cover you like, get that one which I mentioned in the first post. But don't piss away money on stuff you don't really love just to feed Marvel.



Comprehension. I guess we both can accuse each other of lacking in that department, so it's a stalemate right there.

Of course it's cheaper to buy the individual issues rather than the Omnibus, but a ROM superfan isn't concerned with that. I already have a few complete runs, plus a baker's dozen of #1 and 31. That's not the point. I'll get the Omnibus because it's one of my favorite runs of all time, and it'll look dope on my bookshelf. Heck, I might get two of each if they have variant covers. It's the same reason I'll be getting the ROM Month variant covers. Not to "feed Marvel", but because they are producing something I like.

I still find it odd for a shop owner to encourage customers to not buy books new, and to wait until a few months or year later when the shop has to sell them below cost.
BlueMoon
Friday, November 3, 2023 6:52:19 PM
Rank: Watcher
Groups: Member, Super Seller
Joined: 9/28/2007 | Posts: 633 | Points: 9,960
Shop at My Store
You shouldn't feed the trolls, bro. It just encourages them.

I tried to search for ROM here, but with this new update, it was too much of a PITA, so I went to a competing site, where I was able to quickly and easily search for the title. #31 is the second Rogue, right? What about 17 and 18? They sell well at all?

If I recall correctly, there are a couple Miller covers in there, too, right? Heck, they might BE 17 and 18.

Thundercron
Friday, November 3, 2023 7:35:48 PM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller
Location: Redland, Oregon
Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,403 | Points: 88,302
Shop at My Store
BlueMoon wrote:
You shouldn't feed the trolls, bro. It just encourages them.

I tried to search for ROM here, but with this new update, it was too much of a PITA, so I went to a competing site, where I was able to quickly and easily search for the title. #31 is the second Rogue, right? What about 17 and 18? They sell well at all?

If I recall correctly, there are a couple Miller covers in there, too, right? Heck, they might BE 17 and 18.



Try searching "Rom 1979". That will isolate the title nicely. In related search news, try finding "Ion" (the Green Lantern tie-in) in the database. Scrolling for days, waiting for the titles to populate. Yikes. No good.

Yes, #31 is second appearance of Rogue. Takes place immediately after Avengers Annual #10. Issues #17 and 18 sell ok (more so #17).

Frank Miller did the covers to #17 & 18. He also did #1 and 3, off the top of my head.
MoonKnight1
Friday, November 3, 2023 9:47:34 PM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Forum Admin, Guru, Member, Moderator, Sports Host, Super Seller
Location: Richmond, VA
Joined: 5/24/2010 | Posts: 10,265 | Points: 48,929
Shop at My Store
Also still can't find Sleepwalker in the search. Broken Heart


Hall of Heroes Quote of the Week

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny - C.S. Lewis


Check out my eBay store here: Hall Liquidations
Thundercron
Friday, November 3, 2023 10:09:34 PM
Rank: Beyonder
Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller
Location: Redland, Oregon
Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,403 | Points: 88,302
Shop at My Store
MoonKnight1 wrote:
Also still can't find Sleepwalker in the search. Broken Heart


When I type in Sleepwalker into the search, now I get this alert:

"Info! Conversion from type 'DBNull' to type 'String' is not valid."

Don't remember seeing that before. Maybe useful info for Joe?
Users browsing this topic
Guest

Forum Jump

Access

You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.

Main Forum RSS : RSS

This page was generated in 0.191 seconds.
(0.079 seconds)


All images on comic collector live copyright of their respective publishers. © Copyright 2025, Panel Logic Media Inc. PL-CCL