Retro Fun: The Rocketeer
At the end of the year I heard all this praise for a new hardcover collection of the series The Rocketeer. Apparently it had some amazing coloring work and was just a fun retro read. So when I saw it come through at the library I snatched it up.
My only knowledge of this character was from the movie that came out in 1991. I saw it in theaters during that summer, and remember liking it. I've revisited it a few times over the years since and I still think it's highly enjoyable. The film stars a young Billy Campbell, Alan Arkin, and Jennifer Connelly. Timothy Dalton does a fine job playing an Errol Flynn type actor, although at the time that I saw it originally I only knew him as James Bond. It's just goofy retro fun, and as long as you don't take any of it seriously, then sit back and enjoy.
However because of my limited knowledge I just thought that the Rocketeer was one of those old radio characters like The Shadow. Reading The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures I discovered that this character was created in 1982 by Dave Stevens. The comic series first ran in 1988 but then only sporadic since then. Stevens died in 2009 after a battle with leukemia.
Stevens meant Rocketeer to be a homage to the past pre-war heroes like Doc Savage and The Shadow. His art style is a complete reflection of that. I loved the painterly style and rejection of realism. There is a definite intent to use the art deco edges on the covers, but inside the pages all the characters have a glossy rounded sheen. Cliff is a scrappy guy, not your usual superman type hero. He is often his own worse enemy. I think that Cliff is caught up in that whole 30s-era pilot persona. He's cocky, romantic, and not afraid to throw a punch. Headstrong to a fault, he's just crazy enough to strap a rocket to his back.
(Side Note: Cliff Secord looks exactly like Yorick Brown of Y the Last Man. Of course without the monkey and gendercide. It was a little distracting and strange considering the series were released almost 20 years apart. Go ahead compare them, it's eerie.)
Secord's girlfriend Betty is a straight-up pinup. Obviously Stevens meant her to be Betty Page, whom he was friends with. It was nice to see a woman who was voluptuous but also loyal to her man. It doesn't feel exploitative because Stevens imbues her character with a genuineness. She is caught between love and money. I loved the panel where having been rejected by Cliff, she tells his New York buddy "You said you had a job for him...Make him take it!" It shows that she does care for Cliff, but also understands that he's self-destructive sometimes. Stevens really creates a sense of the old-time 30s romance between them.
In the end this was a wonderful surprise that I suggest to comic readers who like fun. Have a great week! Book Slave.
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