Rom 0

## [Source]

***Rom 0*** is the Free Comic Book Day prelude to IDW Publishing's *Rom* series. It contained two stories; Earthfall: Prelude starring Rom, and To The Victors The Spoils starring Action Man. The issue was released on May 7, 2016.

## Publisher's Summary

*He strikes from outer space... hurtling Earthward on his dead mission of cosmic vengeance! Rom is back for the first time in decades, and nothing can stop him! This introductory story re-introduces the character and leads into July's all-new, ongoing series! Plus, in an exclusive prologue to June's debut issue, the U.K.'s greatest weapon is on the warpath-and the fate of the world is in Action Man's hands... as usual.*

## Earthfall: Prelude

***Earthfall: Prelude*** is a comic story featuring Rom. It was later republished in *Rom 1*.

### Plot

Police officers Camilla Byers and Omar Ruiz respond to reports of a fire in the woods along Highway 101 in Northern California. On arrival, they find a group of soldiers already on the scene. The source of the disturbance is the arrival of Rom on Earth. Of the four soldiers, three are Dire Wraiths, shapeshifting alien magicians posing as Humans. Rom kills two with his Neutralizer, while the third kills officer Ruiz to power his spells and turn into a Wraith Hawk. Rom kills him too, then informs the surviving soldier and Officer Byers that their world has been infiltrated.

### Appearances

**By type**

Characters

* Rom
* Omar Ruiz

Locations

	+ California
		- Highway 101
		- Pismo Beach

Organizations and titles

* Officer
* Solstar Order
	+ Space Knight
	+ Lord of the Solstar Order
* United States Army

Sentient species

	+ Wraith Hawk
* Human

Weapons and technology

* Neutralizer

Miscellanea

### Trivia

#### Real life references

* There is some confusion as to which police force Officers Camilla Byers and Omar Ruiz are serving in. Firstly, they are shown driving a correctly-liveried Pismo Beach Police cruiser. However, their brown uniforms and shoulder insignia depict them as members of the California State Police; the Pismo Beach Police wear dark blue uniforms. In the real world, the California State Police no longer exists, having merged with the California Highway Patrol in 1995. In addition, neither Byers or Ruiz wears an actual police badge on their chest. For the purposes of this wiki, Byers and Ruiz are depicted as members of the California State Police.
* The military vehicle show overtaking Byers and Ruiz's police cruiser is a Stryker armored fighting vehicle.
* When the Dire Wraith soldier mentions Rom's name, Omar Ruiz replies with "What, like CD-ROM?"

## To The Victors The Spoils

**To The Victors The Spoils** is the prelude to IDW Publishing's Action Man *series. It was republished in* Action Man 1*.*

### Plot

Action Man Programme Director Pauline Bestley briefs the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Doctor X's latest plan. Doctor X has stolen an experimental spacecraft with an antimatter drive. The drive has inadvertently been set to overload, which could trigger a chain reaction to destroy the Earth.

Ian Noble, a member of Action Man's support team, infiltrated Doctor X's organization against orders. However, his presence in the facility, located beneath the River Thames, alerted Director Bestley to the danger. Mike Brogan, the current Action Man, storms the facility and rescues Ian from Doctor X's henchmen.

Reaching the spacecraft, they find they only have seventeen seconds until it explodes. Determining the craft to be spaceworthy, Mike Brogan pilots the ship away from Earth where it explodes, killing Action Man but saving the world.

### Appearances

**By type**

Characters

* Mike Brogan (As "Action Man")
* Doctor X (Mentioned only)
* Ian Noble
* Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Events

Locations

	+ London
		- River Thames
			* Doctor X's Headquarters
		- Secret Intelligence Service Headquarters

Organizations and titles

	+ Action Man
	+ Agent
* Doctor X's organization
	+ Doctor X's henchmen
* M.I.5
* S.A.S.
* S.F.S.G.

Sentient species

Vehicles and vessels

	+ Experimental spacecraft

Weapons and technology

* Firearm

Miscellanea

### Quotes

"*Don't mince words … just how close are we to armageddon?*"
"*Extremely close, Prime Minister.*"
"*Ah! You—you seem to be taking the end of the world well.*"
"*Potential end of the world … and we have the situation in hand.*"
—The Prime Minister and Pauline Bestley[src]

"*I'm asking if it flies.*"
"*Yeah, yeah, but we've got to figure out a way to—what? No! What are you—*"
"*We have 17 seconds, Ian. I'm saving the world. It'll be up to you to protect it.*"
"*Don't— you can't—*"
"*Ian, it's a good way to go out. And a good world to stand on guard for. I'm happy. Hope you're happy, too.*"
—Mike Brogan and Ian Noble[src]
### Behind the scenes

#### Action Man references

* The design for Doctor X's henchmen are based on the X Robots introduced in 2004.
* Ian Noble refers to Mike Brogan by the nickname "Eagle Eyes." In 1978, the Action Man figures were redesigned to include an "Eagle Eyes" feature which allowed the figure's eyes to move back and forth.

#### Real world references

* The headquarters of the Action Man Programme, the Secret Intelligence Service Headquarters, is a real building in London that serves as the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service (commonly known as MI6).
* Of the three organizations that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom namechecks, M.I.5 is the British Security Service, the S.A.S. are an elite branch of the British Army, and S.F.S.G. is a special operations unit of the British Armed Forces.
* Mike Brogan is a member of Mensa, the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. He is also a 3-star Michelin chef.
* Mike Brogan's last words, "I'm happy. Hope you're happy, too" are song lyrics taken from David Bowie's song *Ashes to Ashes*. The verse's full lyrics, "I'm stuck with a valuable friend/"I'm happy. Hope you're happy, too."/One flash of light/But no smoking pistol" are particularly relevant given the context of the scene.
* Given the later revelations that Action Man Programme operative Mercy Gale is the current Doctor X, having a headquarters close to Secret Intelligence Service Headquarters makes a lot of sense.

## Cover gallery

Action Man Prologue FCBD Cover. Art by Chris Evenhuis

## Notes and references

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 ***Rom 0***
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 *Action Man 1*
3. ↑  *Rom #0* on Comic Vine
4. ↑ *Rom 1*