ROM #72 Review - Secret Wars II

Issue Review
ROM #72

Direct Market Release Date: July 16, 1985

Credits

Title: When you wish upon a star!
Story: Bill Mantlo
Art: Steve Ditko & Bob Layton
Letters: Janice Chiang
Colors: Petra Scotese
Editor: Mike Carlin
Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter

Summary

While contemplating his attempts to understand human desire, the Beyonder encounters the mountain retreat of Rick Jones, Brandy Clark, and Cindy Adams. Peering into their past, he sees that Brandy Clark has lost everything in battling the Dire Wraith invasion of earth, Rick Jones has terminal cancer from exposure to Gamma Radiation, and Cindy Adams has the mind and memories of the Wraith that killed her parents.

Noticing that each of them have personal desires, the Beyonder appears to them as a lost hitchhiker. Rick Jones takes the Beyonder in and feeds his, as the group start talking about their biggest wishes. Rick Jones wants to be a super hero, but then changes his mind and wants to be rid of this cancer. Brandy Clark wants to regain her lost powers. With the help of the wraith inside her head, Cindy Adams notices that the Beyonder isn't even wet, despite having come in from a raging storm, and demands that he reveal who he is.

The Beyonder sheds his disguise, and proceeds to grant the trio their wishes. Rick Jones is free from Cancer, Brandy Clark is in her Starshine armor, and the wraith is no longer inside Cindy Adams' mind. Immediately, they begin to regret their hasty wishes, as Rick Jones begins to think he should have just cured ALL cancer, Cindy Adams wished for her dead parent's to be alive again, Brandy Clark thinks it may have been wiser to restore ROM's humanity, rather than make her a Space Knight.

The Beyonder states that he can make all of these wishes come true, and when tested levitates a mountain range high into the sky. The animals begin falling off the mountain, and Rick Jones is turned into a super hero, and saves all but one animal. The trio begin to realize that there are consequences to their wishes.

Despite this revelation, the young Cindy Adams makes one final wish - for her parents to be alive again. The Beyonder states that he cannot grant this, but he can send Rick and Brandy to Limbo to save them. The duo are transported to Limbo, and retrieve the two Wraiths who killed Cindy's parent's. The Beyonder retrieves their souls and brings the parents to life again. During the tearful reunion, the Beyonder cautions Rick and Brandy that her happiness will change, and fade over time. Rick and Cindy tell him that it's a part of growing up, and the Beyonder begins to acknowledge that contentment is fleeting.

Before leaving Cindy with her parents, The Beyonder cures Rick's Cancer for good, and transports Brandy across the galaxy to be near ROM.

Quotes

Rick Jones: It's... the cancer... again! THAT'S what... I'd wish for now! not to live... in legend -- just to LIVE!

The Beyonder: Where I come from there is no incompleteness.. None of that which you humans call desire. I decided to experience desire for myself. And now I feel incomplete. I had to determine whether completeness could be regained by the gratification of all desire.
Rick Jones: So -- Now having given us what we wished for -- we're supposed to be "complete"? Well, I don't know... I suppose we should be content, but I can't help thinking I was a little bit selfish in wishing for a cure for myself! Heck, there must be millions of people in the world afflicted with Cancer! What about them?
Cindy Adams: I got my wish too -- but maybe if I thought about it I'd have wished for my mom and dad to be alive again! I.. could have lived with the wraith inside my mind then!
Brandy Clark: And I might have wished that you'd restored ROM's humanity again, rather than make me a space-knight!

Rick Jones: She.. She got it -- Everything she wished for with no consequences...
Brandy Clark: Other than perfect happiness!
The Beyonder: Yes. The child radiates completeness, contentment. But that will change.
Brandy Clark: What do you mean? Will something happen to her?
The Beyonder: That thing which you humans call "time" will happen to her, overtaking this moment, bringing with it new desires.
Rick Jones: Well, that's okay!
The Beyonder: Is it? I don't... understand.
Rick Jones: Hey! It's life you're talking about!
Brandy Clark: For now Cindy is a child -- content because she has her parents back!

Commentary

Unfortunately, Rom #72 won't be included in the Secret Wars II Omnibus, as ROM's rights are owned by Parker Brothers/Hasbro, and the ROM license has long expired. It's a shame on a number of levels - not only is this a good tie-in, with art by comics legend Steve Ditko, but the series as a whole is highly regarded, and if online chatter is to be counted, a reprinting of the ROM series should sell very well.

While the story is essentially the typical "genie in a bottle" story, it happens to fit very well with the characters and their motivations. The Beyonder plays the Deus Ex Machina role well here, getting rid of Rick's cancer, reuniting Cindy Adams with her parents and Brandy Clark with ROM, all of which is made more acceptable by the fact that the series was coming to a close in 3 more issues.

Bill Mantlo's scripting about Cindy Adams' youthful happiness, and how time changes our desires was very poignant, and is perhaps one of the best moments of the Beyonder's explorations.

Up next...

Secret Wars II continues in Avengers #261!