The Rocketeer
Encyclopedia
The Rocketeer is a superhero
created by writer/illustrator Dave Stevens
. The character first appeared in 1982 and is a homage to the Saturday matinee heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.
The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack
that allows him to fly. His adventures are set in 1938 Los Angeles
, and Stevens gave them a retro, nostalgic feel influenced by the King of the Rocket Men
movie serial, the syndicated Commando Cody
TV series (both from Republic Pictures
), and pinup diva Bettie Page
.
In 1991, The Rocketeer
was released as a feature film by Walt Disney Pictures
and was directed by Joe Johnston
. Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens
has a small cameo in the movie. He is the German test pilot who is killed when the Nazis' version of a rocket backpack explodes during its take-off sequence. This is a part of the smuggled black-and-white film footage showing the Nazis' top secret rocket backpack tests.
's Starslayer
series from Pacific Comics
. Two more installments appeared in Pacific's showcase comic Pacific Presents. The fourth chapter ended in a cliffhanger that was later concluded in a special Rocketeer issue released by Eclipse Comics
. The complete story was then collected by Eclipse in a volume titled The Rocketeer (ISBN 1-56060-088-8). It was published in three states: a trade paperback edition, a trade hardcover, and a signed, limited edition hardcover. Noted fantasist Harlan Ellison
, a fan of the Rocketeer and also friend of Dave Stevens, wrote the introduction to the book. Both Dave Stevens and Harlan Ellison signed the limited edition on a specially bound-in bookplate.
The story was continued in the Rocketeer Adventure Magazine. Two issues were published by Comico Comics
in 1988 and 1989, the third installment did not appear until years later, published in 1995 by Dark Horse Comics
. All three issues were then collected by Dark Horse into a slick, trade paperback titled The Rocketeer: Cliff's New York Adventure (ISBN 1-56971-092-9) that quickly went out-of-print.
On February 28, 2009, IDW Publishing
announced a hardcover collecting the entire series for the first time, intended to be published in October 2009. Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer, The Complete Adventures contained new coloring by Laura Martin
, who had been chosen by Dave Stevens prior to his death. The book appeared in December, two months later than announced, in two versions: A standard trade hardcover edition with full color dust jacket
and a second, more lavish, deluxe edition (ISBN 978-1600105371), limited to 3000 hardcover copies. The deluxe edition used different Stevens artwork for its dust jacket and was issued in an illustrated, all color slipcase
. It also had full color illustrated endpapers. While the deluxe contains the same Rocketeer comics reprints as the trade edition, it adds more than 130 pages of previously uncollected Rocketeer material: sketches, preliminaries, character designs, script pages, photographs, and original art pages, with commentaries by Dave Stevens and several peers who occasionally assisted him on The Rocketeer. The deluxe edition sold out almost immediately upon publication, but a second printing was planned by IDW.
IDW debuted the first issue of a brand new comics series, Rocketeer Adventures, in May 2011. Issue #1 featured work from John Cassaday, Mike Allred, Kurt Busiek, and Michael Kaluta, plus pin-ups by Mike Mignola/Dave Stewart and Jim Silke. Every issue published offered four different variant cover designs by Alex Ross. To celebrate the launch of this all-new Rocketeer series, IDW's Hundred Penny Press also simultaneously released a $1 re-issue of the original The Rocketeer #1 by Dave Stevens, fully remastered and recolored by Eisner-winner Laura Martin.
) for Commodore Amiga and also PC
machines. Using digitized sound and 256-color VGA graphics, it consists of a sequence of several levels, each of them in different action style, and the story is carried between levels with comic book-style strips and spoken dialogue. A version of this title later appeared on the Super Nintendo
.
There is also a game for the NES
, a side-scrolling platform jumping game
closely based on the movie adaptation.
listed the Rocketeer as the 76th greatest comic book character stating that the Rocketeer taps into that popular desire to fly; IGN also states that his saga remains a compelling one.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
created by writer/illustrator Dave Stevens
Dave Stevens
Dave Stevens was an American illustrator and comics artist. He is most famous for creating The Rocketeer comic book and film character, and for his pin-up style "glamour art" illustrations, especially of model Bettie Page...
. The character first appeared in 1982 and is a homage to the Saturday matinee heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.
The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack
Jet pack
Jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
that allows him to fly. His adventures are set in 1938 Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and Stevens gave them a retro, nostalgic feel influenced by the King of the Rocket Men
King of the Rocket Men
King of the Rocket Men is a 1949 Republic movie serial, in twelve chapters, notable for introducing the "Rocketman Character" who reappeared under a variety of names in later serials Radar Men from the Moon, Zombies of the Stratosphere and the semi-serial Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the...
movie serial, the syndicated Commando Cody
Commando Cody
Commando Cody was the hero in a 12-episode science-fiction serial made in 1952 by Republic Pictures entitled Radar Men from the Moon, which was followed up 1953 with the 12 episode Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe....
TV series (both from Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
), and pinup diva Bettie Page
Bettie Page
Bettie Mae Page was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. She has often been called the "Queen of Pinups"...
.
In 1991, The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer (film)
The Rocketeer is a 1991 period superhero adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and based on the character of the same name created by comic book writer/artist Dave Stevens. Directed by Joe Johnston, the film stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino...
was released as a feature film by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
and was directed by Joe Johnston
Joe Johnston
Joseph Eggleston "Joe" Johnston II is an American film director and former effects artist best known for such effects-driven movies as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji, The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park III, the period drama October Sky, The Wolfman, and Captain America: The First Avenger.- Life and...
. Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens
Dave Stevens
Dave Stevens was an American illustrator and comics artist. He is most famous for creating The Rocketeer comic book and film character, and for his pin-up style "glamour art" illustrations, especially of model Bettie Page...
has a small cameo in the movie. He is the German test pilot who is killed when the Nazis' version of a rocket backpack explodes during its take-off sequence. This is a part of the smuggled black-and-white film footage showing the Nazis' top secret rocket backpack tests.
Premise
In 1938 Los Angeles, Cliff Secord, a local racing pilot and barnstormer, discovers a mysterious package in his airplane, hidden there by two gangsters who were fleeing the police. In that package, Cliff soon finds what the police were really looking for: a stolen rocket-pack.Publication history
The Rocketeer's first adventure appeared in 1982 as a backup feature in issues two and three of Mike GrellMike Grell
Mike Grell is a comic book writer and artist, known for his work on books such as Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Jon Sable Freelance.-Early life:...
's Starslayer
Starslayer
Starslayer: The Log of the Jolly Roger was an American comic book series created by Mike Grell.-Publication history:Grell originally created Starslayer for DC Comics, but plans to publish it were halted after the mass cancellation of titles known as the DC Implosion. Instead, he offered it to...
series from Pacific Comics
Pacific Comics
Pacific Comics was an independent comic book publisher that flourished from 1981-1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began out of a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes...
. Two more installments appeared in Pacific's showcase comic Pacific Presents. The fourth chapter ended in a cliffhanger that was later concluded in a special Rocketeer issue released by Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics
Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...
. The complete story was then collected by Eclipse in a volume titled The Rocketeer (ISBN 1-56060-088-8). It was published in three states: a trade paperback edition, a trade hardcover, and a signed, limited edition hardcover. Noted fantasist Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
, a fan of the Rocketeer and also friend of Dave Stevens, wrote the introduction to the book. Both Dave Stevens and Harlan Ellison signed the limited edition on a specially bound-in bookplate.
The story was continued in the Rocketeer Adventure Magazine. Two issues were published by Comico Comics
Comico Comics
Comico: The Comic Company was an American comic book publisher, headquartered in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Its best-known comics include the Robotech adaptations, the Jonny Quest continuation written by co-creator Doug Wildey, and Matt Wagner's Mage: The Hero Discovered and Grendel...
in 1988 and 1989, the third installment did not appear until years later, published in 1995 by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
. All three issues were then collected by Dark Horse into a slick, trade paperback titled The Rocketeer: Cliff's New York Adventure (ISBN 1-56971-092-9) that quickly went out-of-print.
On February 28, 2009, IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
announced a hardcover collecting the entire series for the first time, intended to be published in October 2009. Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer, The Complete Adventures contained new coloring by Laura Martin
Laura Martin
Laura DePuy is an award-winning colorist who has produced work for several of the major comics companies, including DC Comics, Marvel Comics and CrossGen.-Career:...
, who had been chosen by Dave Stevens prior to his death. The book appeared in December, two months later than announced, in two versions: A standard trade hardcover edition with full color dust jacket
Dust jacket
The dust jacket of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book covers...
and a second, more lavish, deluxe edition (ISBN 978-1600105371), limited to 3000 hardcover copies. The deluxe edition used different Stevens artwork for its dust jacket and was issued in an illustrated, all color slipcase
Slipcase
A slipcase is a four or five-sided box, usually made of high-quality cardboard, into which binders, books or book sets are slipped for protection. Special editions of books are often slipcased...
. It also had full color illustrated endpapers. While the deluxe contains the same Rocketeer comics reprints as the trade edition, it adds more than 130 pages of previously uncollected Rocketeer material: sketches, preliminaries, character designs, script pages, photographs, and original art pages, with commentaries by Dave Stevens and several peers who occasionally assisted him on The Rocketeer. The deluxe edition sold out almost immediately upon publication, but a second printing was planned by IDW.
IDW debuted the first issue of a brand new comics series, Rocketeer Adventures, in May 2011. Issue #1 featured work from John Cassaday, Mike Allred, Kurt Busiek, and Michael Kaluta, plus pin-ups by Mike Mignola/Dave Stewart and Jim Silke. Every issue published offered four different variant cover designs by Alex Ross. To celebrate the launch of this all-new Rocketeer series, IDW's Hundred Penny Press also simultaneously released a $1 re-issue of the original The Rocketeer #1 by Dave Stevens, fully remastered and recolored by Eisner-winner Laura Martin.
Computer games
The Rocketeer was also adapted for a computer game (Rocket RangerRocket Ranger
Rocket Ranger is a 1988 action adventure computer game developed and published by Cinemaware. The game is set in an alternate history World War II where Nazi scientists are about to make an astonishing breakthrough that will allow them to win the war...
) for Commodore Amiga and also PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
machines. Using digitized sound and 256-color VGA graphics, it consists of a sequence of several levels, each of them in different action style, and the story is carried between levels with comic book-style strips and spoken dialogue. A version of this title later appeared on the Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
.
There is also a game for the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, a side-scrolling platform jumping game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
closely based on the movie adaptation.
Comics
- The character Gabe from the Penny ArcadePenny Arcade (webcomic)Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
webcomic confuses the term racketeering with rocketeering as both a satirical jab at a recent event and a tribute to the Rocketeer character. - Eric Canete's cover for Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin#1 pays homage to the Rocketeer film's Art DecoArt DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
-style theatrical poster. - The webcomic Basic Instructions occasionally features the character "Rocket Hat", who battles the Moon Men.
Computer games
- In the computer game Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 the Allied Forces have flying infantry units called the Rocketeers.
- The CapcomCapcomis a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
video game Dark VoidDark VoidDark Void is a video game developed by Airtight Games using the Unreal Engine 3 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. In the game players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished. The game mixes on-foot and mid-air combat...
features a jetpack-wielding protagonist and draws heavily from the World War themes of the Rocketeer.
Television
- In the Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode "420" during the "Bag o' Weed" song, Stewie sings "When stupid people need a thrill, they rent The Rocketeer."
Songs
- The song "Rocketeer" by Foxy ShazamFoxy ShazamFoxy Shazam is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 2004. The band is composed of lead vocalist Eric Sean Nally, guitarist Loren Turner, pianist Sky White, and bass player Daisy. Later, trumpeter and back-up vocalist Alex Nauth joined, and Aaron McVeigh became the band's permanent...
is an homage to the film. - Far East MovementFar east movementFar East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...
collaborated with One Republic's Ryan TedderRyan TedderRyan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
for the song "RocketeerRocketeer (song)"Rocketeer" is the second single off Far East Movement's 2010 album Free Wired. The track features Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic. It was produced by Stereotypes and The Smeezingtons...
" released in 2010.
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed the Rocketeer as the 76th greatest comic book character stating that the Rocketeer taps into that popular desire to fly; IGN also states that his saga remains a compelling one.