IDW Announces Creative Teams for ROM and Micronauts Relaunches

IDW Publishing has long had a good relationship with Marvel Comics (as well as DC Comics), which helps for putting out the “Artist's Edition” art books. That relationship with Marvel will extend in a different way come 2016, as IDW is relaunching two cult favorite properties that Marvel Comics adapted into series in the 1980s: ROM The Space Knight and Micronauts. At New York Comic Con, IDW announced the creative teams for these two series.     For Micronauts, writer Cullen Bunn (Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe) and artist David Baldeon (Nova, Skylanders) will be the first team on the new version of the mini-heroes. As for ROM, there is a tag-team effort on both ends of the project. IDW Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall is teaming up with Christos Gage (Spider-Man, Netflix’s Daredevil) to write the series, and two Italian artists, David Messina (Star Trek: Countdown) and Paolo Villanelle, will provide the visuals.   Micronauts ran in various volumes from 1979 until 1986 and was originally based on the Mego Micronauts toys. Although it never became a huge hit, it did develop a devoted fan base due to the writing of Bill Mantlo and art of Michael Golden. It centers on a number of worlds in the Microverse. Both Image Comics and Devil’s Due previously restarted the property briefly in the early 2000s.     ROM Spaceknight was arguably the bigger title of the two for Marvel, though it was also never at the top of the sales chart. Again based on a toy (this time from board game manufacturer Parker Brothers), and again based on the writing of Bill Mantlo with frequent art from Sal Buscema, ROM also ran from 1979 until 1986. The character is part of the space world of Marvel. Mantlo created an extended team for ROM called the Spaceknights. Although Marvel no longer has the ROM trademark, they do own the Spaceknights, so it would seem as though they will not appear in the new IDW series (though anything is possible!).   Chris Ryall is a noted fan of both Micronauts and ROM, especially the latter, and has supposedly been trying to get the trademark for these series for quite some time. Since much of the worlds of these series was created by Mantlo, it will be interesting to see how the writers of the two series keep the spirit of the originals but make it new and their own. Both Micronauts and ROM will debut for IDW in 2016.