Two-hundred years ago, the evil Dire Wraiths threatened the peace-loving planet, Galador. In their homeworld's darkest hour, a thousand brave, young Galadorians sacrificed humanity itself to become Cyborg Warriors, a last desperate line of defense. Though hopelessly outnumbered, these Spaceknights triumphed and pursued the remnants of the Wraith horde across the universe. Now, alone in the Enemy's mightiest stronghold, on a backward planet called Earth, one Galadorian Warrior faces his most awesome challenge.

Stan Lee Presents: The Greatest of the Spaceknights--ROM!

To help build interest in the toy, Parker Brothers teamed with Marvel Comics to create a tie-in comic book featuring the character. The comic expanded on the simple premise that Rom was a cyborg and gave him an origin, personality, set of supporting characters, villains, and one other vital ingredient - interaction with the rest of the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, the toy failed and only sold 200 - 300 thousand units in the US, with creator McCoy blaming the failure on poor packaging and marketing. Parker Brothers subsequently abandoned the line and returned to manufacturing board games.

Ironically, the comic outlasted the toy the title was created to support. It was written by Bill Mantlo and initially illustrated by artist Sal Buscema. The series lasted for seventy-five issues over a seven year period, with Rom's regular encounters with mainstream heroes and villains firmly establishing him as part of Marvel continuity.