Review: "The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures: Deluxe Edition"

The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures: Deluxe Edition by Dave Stevens ( IDW / Hardcover with slipcase / 248 pages )


I am a big fan of the pulp era (Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Phantom and The Spirit—to name a few). I have a pretty extensive collection of the radio serials, some of the books, and some of the movie serials. The Rocketeer is an homage to that time of pulps and serials. I was a fan of the movie but had never read the comics. This edition seemed like an excellent opportunity to correct that oversight.


RECOMMENDATION: If you are a fan of pulps and the Rocketeer, I would highly recommend this book. It is pricey—but worth it.


REVIEW: The book is absolutely gorgeous. It is a very large and hefty hardcover in a slipcover. The story is fun. It is set in a somewhat idealized past. The Rocketeer is not a typical pulp hero but I still feel it is an excellent homage to the pulps and serials. The Man of Bronze (who is better known as...?) and two of his aides (can you name them?) make an appearance as does Lamont Cranston (who is better known as ...?). The art is incredible. Dave Stevens draws amazing women—especially Betty. Betty looks exactly like the pictures I have seen of Betty Page. The colors are amazing. In the special features you see a few examples of the original comics. It is very typical of the time (early '80s, I believe). The re-coloring by Laura Martin is amazing and really brings the inks to life.


The movie is definitely inspired by the comic books. The biggest change is to make the movie "kid-friendly." This is mostly done by changing Betty (art photographers' model) to Jenny (aspiring actress). It would have interesting to see Jennifer Connelly as Betty—not Jenny! The inventor of the rocket was not Howard Hughes—in spite of what Peevy seems to think. There were no gangsters—only Nazis.