Rom: Spaceknight (Repaneled, sort of...)

I was thinking about using this for another submission to Repaneled, but figured I have enough upcoming submissions coming down the pipe to make Anthony sick enough of me as it is.  :-)   Also, I have about 4-5 different paintings I'm working on at the moment and wanted to have something to post this week.  

Here is the original:

I did this painting about a year ago, loosely based on the panel above, which I always thought was a really cool introduction to a character: a meteor crashes on Earth and out walks Rom amidst flames and fused rocks.

I like the visual of Rom and, when I read it as a kid, the comic book was a sort of exercise in paranoia: Shape-shifting aliens, Dire Wraiths, would kill people and take their place... Great shades of the Pod People from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"!  Rom would show up and banish them to Limbo with his Neutralizer, horrifying humans who had no idea their loved ones were dead and replaced by monsters.  And many probably still didn't know/believe even after Rom left.  A great book when I was a kid!

Hmmm, now that I look at the painting again after a long time of it just sitting around gathering dust, Rom's midsection looks a little off to me.  And maybe I should have put more flames around Rom, as well.  Oh, well... I suppose it is better to let it go and say "Good enough", or else it will stay on the easel forever being over-worked for all eternity.

This was done with Acrylic on 11" x 14" gessoed 1/8" hardboard.

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