The Rocketeer, Dave Stevens' opus, is finally collected in one volume! The Rocketeer and The Rocketeer: Cliff's New York Adventure are being completely re-colored, as per Dave Stevens' wishes, by renowned colorist Laura Martin. The best possible reproduction and the highest production values will ensure that this is the definitive Rocketeer collection.
The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Speeding across the sky like a jet-propelled dream, Stevens's Rocketeer is one of the most enduring and endearing images of '80s comics. Set in the '30s, these tales follow Cliff Secord, an impulsive young stunt pilot who finds a mysterious jetpack that enables him to fly. And then his troubles—and the fun—begin. A charming, lively tribute to the pulp era—several characters from well-known pulp serials make clandestine appearances—Stevens's lively, gorgeous art captures every wide-eyed gasp and clenched-jaw struggle of the breakneck tale. While Stevens, who died in 2008, is a master of adventure, Cliff's girlfriend Betty, a delightful homage to pinup queen Bettie Page, often steals the show. Due to Stevens's slow output, only a handful of Rocketeer stories exist, collected for the first time following a checkered publishing trail and being out-of-print for over a decade. Those who have never seen the complete Rocketeer will be satisfied with the regular hardcover edition; an oversized deluxe edition brings together concept art, sketches, and background materials that make this the definite record of one of comics' most appealing recent characters. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
The high-flying hero of this gloriously retro comic book, which inspired a 1991 feature film, is Cliff Secord, a pleasantly lunkheaded, barnstorming aviator in 1930s Los Angeles who comes into possession of a stolen rocket pack that enables him to fly. A bullet-shaped helmet designed by Cliff’s mechanic pal, Peevy, completes the look, inspired by the 1949 King of the Rocket Men movie serial. The story lines, involving Nazi spies and the like, are slight but serviceable. What made The Rocketeer a fan favorite was Stevens’ luscious artwork, especially his rendition of Cliff’s girlfriend, Betty. Stevens’ talent for drawing cheesecake-style gorgeous women was unsurpassed, and Betty, an overt homage to pinup queen Bettie Page, was the most dazzling of them. It took Stevens, notoriously slow and meticulous, a dozen years to produce the relative handful of stories gathered in this slim volume that, unfortunately, must stand as The Rocketeer in toto, since Stevens died in 2008. In this lovingly designed, newly recolored collection, though, that legacy is very impressive in quality, however meager in quantity. --Gordon Flagg
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
In 2008 the comic book field lost one of its more stylish artists when Dave Stevens passed away after succumbing to leukemia (he was only 52). But the stuff he leaves behind, and especially the Rocketeer, will always garner big ups as a lasting standard bearer for art fans and specifically for those aspiring to make a career of it in independent comic books. The Rocketeer, a fleeting glance might tell you, resembles a superhero, but really, in tone and sensibilities, he belongs more in the company of those daredevil dudes from the cliffhanger serials back in the '30s and '40s. Not coincidentally, Cliff Secord's exploits take place circa 1938, Los Angeles.
In the early 1980s, THE ROCKETEER was a refreshing change from the mainstream capes and cowls flaunting superpowers. Cliff Secord's era evoked the Golden Age of comic books and also of Hollywood. You look at Dave Steven's illustrations - reminiscent of Will Eisner, Wally Wood, and Frank Frazetta - and how he renders the aesthetics of the 1930s period, and there's immediately this whiff of nostalgia and you can almost hear that rousing score from all those pulp movies. And nothing embodies this retro imagery more than Cliff Secord, dashing in his aviator outfit and brash and hot-headed as Errol Flynn or Clark Gable.
Cliff Secord is young and bold and desperately in love. He's a stunt pilot for the Bigelow Air Circus, but he's not making enough money to appease his sexy gal Betty, what with Betty of late spending time with and posing seductively for a scuzzy Hollywood photographer. When Cliff finds an experimental rocket pack (called the Cirrus X-3) in his airplane, he envisions a shortcut to raising money.
Except that German spies soon come knocking on his door, looking for the jet pack and before he knows it, Cliff Secord is in the middle of a high-flying adventure and espionage intrigue. Even more importantly, his girlfriend Betty, feeling smothered by Cliff's jealousy and overbearing attention, is gradually slipping away.
The stories are good, but the art, the art, the art. Dave Stevens can really draw, and while his heroic illustrations of the Rocketeer resonate with the daydreaming kid in us, his provocative renderings of lush-figured dames (I'm looking at you, Betty) are equally memorable. "Betty" is a homage to 1950s pin-up queen Bettie Page, and in fact THE ROCKETEER re-popularized those vintage pin-ups. Dave Stevens and Bettie Page actually became good friends all the way up to his death.
Pulp fiction buffs should recognize several well-known literary pulp figures. Although Stevens was careful not to directly reference Doc Savage and his henchmen Monk Mayfair and Ham Brooks, their likenesses show up in the first story arc, and with someone eerily resembling Lamont Cranston popping up in "Cliff's New York Adventure." This Shadow-y figure ends up helping Cliff thwart a murderous carny freak out to moidah the members of his old troupe, of which Cliff used to be a member.
Sorry to say, thanks to Stevens' sporadic production, there aren't that many Rocketeer stories floating around. THE ROCKETEER - THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES collects the backup tales from Mike Grell's STARSLAYER #1-3, the featured stories from PACIFIC PRESENTS #1-2, THE ROCKETEER SPECIAL EDITION #1, and THE ROCKETEER ADVENTURE MAGAZINE #1-3 (these three issues also known as "Cliff's New York Adventure"). This trade collection also comes with a red ribbon bookmark, thereby officially upgrading it to the "hoity-toity hardcover" category. Covers to the individual issues are reproduced here, as well as the custom postcard with which Dave Stevens used to respond to his fan mail. If you're looking for even more comprehensive bonus material, then you gots to get your paws on The Rocketeer: The Complete Deluxe Edition which not only has the very same stories as in this trade but also offers up tons of conceptual designs and prelim sketches and so forth. That's gonna cost ya, though.
I also really dug that bulldog-shaped diner.
In the early 1980s, THE ROCKETEER was a refreshing change from the mainstream capes and cowls flaunting superpowers. Cliff Secord's era evoked the Golden Age of comic books and also of Hollywood. You look at Dave Steven's illustrations - reminiscent of Will Eisner, Wally Wood, and Frank Frazetta - and how he renders the aesthetics of the 1930s period, and there's immediately this whiff of nostalgia and you can almost hear that rousing score from all those pulp movies. And nothing embodies this retro imagery more than Cliff Secord, dashing in his aviator outfit and brash and hot-headed as Errol Flynn or Clark Gable.
Cliff Secord is young and bold and desperately in love. He's a stunt pilot for the Bigelow Air Circus, but he's not making enough money to appease his sexy gal Betty, what with Betty of late spending time with and posing seductively for a scuzzy Hollywood photographer. When Cliff finds an experimental rocket pack (called the Cirrus X-3) in his airplane, he envisions a shortcut to raising money.
Except that German spies soon come knocking on his door, looking for the jet pack and before he knows it, Cliff Secord is in the middle of a high-flying adventure and espionage intrigue. Even more importantly, his girlfriend Betty, feeling smothered by Cliff's jealousy and overbearing attention, is gradually slipping away.
The stories are good, but the art, the art, the art. Dave Stevens can really draw, and while his heroic illustrations of the Rocketeer resonate with the daydreaming kid in us, his provocative renderings of lush-figured dames (I'm looking at you, Betty) are equally memorable. "Betty" is a homage to 1950s pin-up queen Bettie Page, and in fact THE ROCKETEER re-popularized those vintage pin-ups. Dave Stevens and Bettie Page actually became good friends all the way up to his death.
Pulp fiction buffs should recognize several well-known literary pulp figures. Although Stevens was careful not to directly reference Doc Savage and his henchmen Monk Mayfair and Ham Brooks, their likenesses show up in the first story arc, and with someone eerily resembling Lamont Cranston popping up in "Cliff's New York Adventure." This Shadow-y figure ends up helping Cliff thwart a murderous carny freak out to moidah the members of his old troupe, of which Cliff used to be a member.
Sorry to say, thanks to Stevens' sporadic production, there aren't that many Rocketeer stories floating around. THE ROCKETEER - THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES collects the backup tales from Mike Grell's STARSLAYER #1-3, the featured stories from PACIFIC PRESENTS #1-2, THE ROCKETEER SPECIAL EDITION #1, and THE ROCKETEER ADVENTURE MAGAZINE #1-3 (these three issues also known as "Cliff's New York Adventure"). This trade collection also comes with a red ribbon bookmark, thereby officially upgrading it to the "hoity-toity hardcover" category. Covers to the individual issues are reproduced here, as well as the custom postcard with which Dave Stevens used to respond to his fan mail. If you're looking for even more comprehensive bonus material, then you gots to get your paws on The Rocketeer: The Complete Deluxe Edition which not only has the very same stories as in this trade but also offers up tons of conceptual designs and prelim sketches and so forth. That's gonna cost ya, though.
I also really dug that bulldog-shaped diner.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was a late arrival to the superb artistry of Dave Stevens; the wonderful, if unsuccessful Disney production of "The Rocketeer" made me curious about the mind behind it, and I was stunned, when I had a chance to read the graphic novels, by not only how successful the screen adaptation was (it should have been, with Stevens directly involved), but how much richer his original artwork was! His line work was not only crisp and clean, but whimsical, sensual (nobody ever drew Bettie Page better), and amplified and enriched his pulp fiction storyline. As a 'baby boomer' illustrator, myself, I love the retro style of the eras of Art Deco and film noir, and Stevens (who was actually younger than me), was so dead-on in recreating the era, his artwork becomes a Valentine to that Age.
Sadly, Stevens is no longer with us, gone far too young, but his legacy of art remains, to be loved and appreciated by new generations of artists and fans. "The Rocketeer: The Complete Collection" is an absolutely wonderful volume, and if you haven't purchased it, yet, what an extraordinary adventure you have ahead...I envy you!
Sadly, Stevens is no longer with us, gone far too young, but his legacy of art remains, to be loved and appreciated by new generations of artists and fans. "The Rocketeer: The Complete Collection" is an absolutely wonderful volume, and if you haven't purchased it, yet, what an extraordinary adventure you have ahead...I envy you!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The art work in this book is top rate. It's a shame that this artist didn't do more of the rocketeer series.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely not Disney's Rocketeer
At times I loved the vibe of the comic, but Stevens' depiction of Betty just made me uncomfortable. I get it, she's Betty Page. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Matt Sedlar
5.0 out of 5 stars
Old time pizzazz
I've always been a big fan of the pulps and the old serials. This terrific book brought them both to life in glorious color, with a terrific dash of pinups to boot. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mike Fitz
5.0 out of 5 stars
As Always, better than the movie
Saw the movie when it came out, loved it. Just learned about the book. Art blew me away, and the story makes more sense. It's obvious that the movie was Disneyified a lot. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Nate
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and adictive
I love cartoons. This one is my first on a ebook reader. It works very good on my kindle keyboard. Even with colorless display, this cartoon is very nice and I recommend it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Salvatore
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun romp through my adolescence
I loved this comic when I was a young teenager and it was a blast to revisit. The digital format and reading on the Kindle Fire is a blast and easy, even for my near-sightedness.
Published 5 months ago by T. Willitts
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the money...
Three stars fora three star story, it was entertaining but I was lead to believe this covered more of the Rockefeller story.
Published 5 months ago by steve
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!
I saw the movie years ago and have long loved the character of the Rocketeer. I knew he was based on a comic book character and despite being a comic book fan I had never gotten a... Read more
Published 12 months ago by M. Bentley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Art
I find this collection to be really interesting. They story - well, it just doesn't do much for me.
The hero - I just can't find him interesting at all. Read more
The hero - I just can't find him interesting at all. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jetpack
5.0 out of 5 stars
collector's item
I Received it in excellent condition and the collection is a true work of art. The Rocketeer is Dave's best work.
Published 17 months ago by rondori
5.0 out of 5 stars
the Rocketeer is awesome!!
The art is fantastic...all fans of the Rocketeer will love this. I wish there were more stories available. Read more
Published on March 2, 2011 by D. Johnson
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