Customer Reviews

The Rocketeer: The Complete Deluxe Edition

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For just a moment forget that there was a Rocketeer film.
This story is what that film was based on but that flawed, though herculean effort, pales when compared to the real thing. It's hard to translate perfection like this to the big screen. I may be impossible and it's definitely improbable.
I read the comic which was actually a back-up feature For Mike Grell's Starslayer (?) series from Pacific comics back in '82. Flipping through the book I gravitated to Dave Steven's effort naturally. Here was a comic story featuring adventure, vintage aircraft, an old curmudgeon, inventor, Peevy (modeled after the great comic artist, Doug Wildey) and his protege', the naive, but fast to learn, daring young pilot, Cliff Secord (who looks a bit like Dave Stevens himself).
Perhaps it was the newfound appreciation for this time period after "Raiders of the Lost Ark" featuring Harrison Ford as professor and archaeologist, Indiana Jones. But it was a hit. Everyone I initially showed it to shrugged their shoulders but I was hanging with the wrong crowd. Everywhere else this story was a hit. It wasn't a big hit, but it was a certified hit.
By the time the trade edition of the first story was collected in the mid-eighties people were in love. The reasons are simple; the first thing that grabs the reader is an artist who can not only draw but he can draw better than most of the comic artists alive. The adventure is fast paced with good action and set in a period of America coming of age in the world around her. Between thrilling air races, espionage and the past coming back to find him Cliff Secord is a very sympathetic character between trying to do what's right and trying to keep an even keel.
No spoilers, but in many ways this is a classic tale and Dave Stevens gives it a new feel and a great protagonist who constantly grows and changes to better fit his situations. Growing into full manhood is tough enough (especially when you think you're already there) without a rocket lashed to your back to make things even more interesting.

Then there's the fact that this story renewed older Americans' love affair with the now late Betty Page, while introducing us younger guys to her charms. Dave was classy and fun in his effort to bring this fifties pin-up gal to our attention. She was perfectly suited to this tale. It was easy to insert her into it as the character of Cliff Secord's love interest. Dave's efforts, whether on purpose or by coincidence revived a healthy interest in the then retired and reclusive Betty Page.

The Deluxe package is a testament to the love for the man, his story and his stunning art. Dave Stevens was not heavy on stylization. He approached the art like an illustrator. It's not the details, it's the love of drawing, and done skillfully that makes his work stand out. He's the natural heir to artists like George Evans, Reed Crandall and Al Williamson with a little Frank Frazetta for spice.
Back-up features include layouts of the pages, design work, thumbnail drawings of sequences and a lot of rare art from character sketches to fully produced promotional art. These are almost fully half of the volume. These pages show the process of creating a fine sequential story with all the bells and whistles.
The slipcase is stylish and protects the book, and it does so beautifully.
Reading it when it arrived was like visiting an old friend, long gone. The story is completely re-colored by the late Dave Steven's choice of colorist, Laura Martin. She did an exemplary job. The lettering was provided by the gifted Carrie Spiegle.
From editor Scott Dunbier to Thomas Jane's eloquent and touching introduction and all the great artists who helped Dave put these stories out, this really is as good as it could be.
By all means, if the price of this volume is prohibitive, do yourself a favor and get the trade hardcover edition. At less than half the price it's still one of the best books put out this year and a quality book to boot. This is a fun, solid read, and one of the best drawn comics to ever see print. Such a rare balance of beautiful art and eloquent storytelling is rare.

Publisher IDW deserves serious recognition for this volume.

I'm probably in the minority here, but if it hadn't been for the 1991 Disney movie, I would never have heard of "The Rocketeer." The movie caught my eye because of my childhood fascination with television's black-and-white Saturday morning hero Commando Cody, who battled bad guys wearing a leather jacket, a bullet-shaped helmet and a rocket pack strapped to his back. Commando Cody's lineage went back to three old Republic serials: "King of the Rocket Men" (1949), "Radar Men From The Moon" (1952) and "Zombies of the Stratosphere" (1952). But there was another side to "The Rocketeer" that I did not learn about until recently. I had not realized that the character created by the late Dave Stevens was featured sporadically in a little-known series of comic books from 1982 through 1995. "The Rocketeer: The Complete Deluxe Edition" collects all of Mr. Stevens' superb work, plus hundreds of sketches, notes and preliminary layouts, into a single heavy, oversized, visually stunning volume.

Simply put, this is a remarkable treasure. Housed in a sturdy, eye-catching slipcase and with a handy ribbon place-marker, the book itself is exceptionally well made and of extremely high quality. The covers are solid and strong, the binding is tight, the pages are thick and glossy, and the colors and production values of the artwork printed on them are the best I have ever seen in any book--period. The page size allows the artwork to be printed quite large, which, with the minimal margins, shows off the incredible details and intricacies of Mr. Stevens' work to best advantage. This is truly a volume to enjoy and to savor over many readings. The craftsmanship of the drawings, the meticulous line work, the amazing coloring--all create a visual feast for the eye that gets better every time you look at it. This is a book that is sure to get better over time.

Roughly half of the pages in the Deluxe Edition consist of photographs, pencil sketches, yellow-legal-pad pages of Mr. Stevens' notes, storyboards, uncolored final drawings, conceptual layouts and so on. These "extras" provide a fascinating glimpse into the creative process that Mr. Stevens went through to develop his stories and characters. While they may not be of interest to casual readers who just want to read the finished stories, and who may thus choose to purchase "The Rocketeer: The Complete Collection," I found them to be a good "value-added" feature well worth the additional cost.

If you have the slightest interest at all in "The Rocketeer," I most highly recommend this book without hesitation. You'll not only be satisfied with it; you'll be overwhelmed.

The other reviews here tell the tale that makes this story so compelling. I just have to weigh in that I just received the Hardback, slipcase edition and it's truly a beautiful edition! The pages are of the highest quality and the color and ink are superb!

Truly a wonderful find for any Rocketeer fan!

The 1st printing has an all red color slipcase. The reprint has a slipcase with a brown color design. All copies now sold by Amazon are the reprint edition.

The Rocketeer was undeniably one of the best introductory short-lived character ever created. The artwork was just dazzling, the setting perfect, the plots were cliff hanger types. Technically, the planes and Betty Page girl were just incredibly rendered. I think that the comics world really lost a terrific talent in Dave Stevens as this beautiful comic demonstrates.

Dave Stevens was one of the best artists/ illustrators ever. I love this over sized book. The graphics are amazing. Two thumbs up!!!!

Great version of the Rocketeer. The extras make you realize what a labor of love the Rocketeer was for Dave Stevens.

One wishes Stevens had been able to complete more Rocketeer material, as the story feels a little incomplete, but what is here is very good. The new digital coloring by Laura Martin (Planetary, Astonishing X-Men) makes the art look more three-dimensional, and I think it really enhances it (some purists will complain, however). What is most impressive about this book is the design of the book itself. This is a case where splashing out for the "deluxe edition" really gets you something special compared to the regular edition. The book is oversized with a slipcase, and the extra material that has been included takes up almost as many pages as the main story. The way the extras are presented is great, and there are even a few fold-out pages. This is quickly becoming difficult to find, so if you do see a copy, snag it. You won't be disappointed if you have an interest in comic book storytelling.

This deluxe edition of the Rocketeer along with the companion book "Brush With Passion" are a real tribute to the art of Dave Stevens. I'll simply echo all the other reviews written so far: this book is wonderful. The production, value added content, and of course the art. And I think that's what really makes everyone love this book, Dave Stevens was a master of comic book art and these pages really show off the Rocketeer in the best presentation possible. Five stars!

Been collecting 30 years, this book just is just WOW, one of th ebest coloring jobs ever done, great source material, the collectors edtion is LARGER FORMAT. I own the hardcover from the 90's But this is the way it should be.......thank you for a great job