The Rocketeer is a fictional

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s originally published by Pacific Comics. Created by writer/artist Dave Stevens, the

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

first appeared in 1982 and is an homage to the Saturday matinee serial heroes from the 1930s through the 1950s. The Rocketeer's secret identity is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious

jetpack A jet pack, rocket belt, or rocket pack is a device worn on the back which uses jets of gas or liquid to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and became widespread in the 1960s. ...

that allows him to fly. His adventures are set in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1938, and Stevens gave them a retro, nostalgic feel influenced by the '' King of the Rocket Men'' and '' Commando Cody'' movie serials (both from Republic Pictures), and pinup diva Bettie Page."Dave Stevens."
''twomorrows.com.'' Retrieved: October 21, 2010. The character was adapted into the 1991

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...

film '' The Rocketeer'' by director Joe Johnston.

Premise

In 1938 Los Angeles, Cliff Secord, a local racing pilot and barnstormer, discovers a rocket pack hidden by two gangsters fleeing the police. When he decides to take it for a spin, his life is turned upside down - in more ways than one.

Publication history

The Rocketeer's first adventure appeared in 1982 as a backup feature in issues #2 and #3 of

Mike Grell Mike Grell (born September 13, 1947) is an American comic book writer and artist, known for his work on books such as '' Green Lantern/Green Arrow'', '' The Warlord'', and '' Jon Sable Freelance''. Early life Grell studied at the University of ...

's '' Starslayer'' series from Pacific Comics. Two more installments appeared in Pacific's showcase comic ''Pacific Presents'' #1 and 2. The fourth chapter ended in a cliffhanger that was later concluded in ''The Rocketeer Special Edition'' #1, released by

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. It was ...

in 1984. Eclipse then collected "all 5 action chapters" in volume seven of their Eclipse Graphic Album series, ''The Rocketeer'' (1985), featuring an introduction by

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

. On February 28, 2009,

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly re ...

announced a hardcover collecting the entire series, intended to be published in October 2009. ''Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures'' contained new coloring by

Laura Martin Laura DePuy (credited later in her career as Laura Martin, having married Randy Martin in 2001) is a colorist who has produced work for several of the major comics companies, including DC Comics, Marvel Comics and CrossGen. Career A sometimes comi ...

, who had been chosen by Dave Stevens prior to his death. Following Stevens' death, IDW began publishing additional Rocketeer comics. In 2011 and 2012, several stories by authors including

Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s, hosted his own radio show on ...

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the ''Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled '' Astro City'', a four-year run on '' The Avengers, Thunderbolts'' and '' Superman.'' Early life ...

Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', '' Fantastic Four'' and ''Da ...

, and others were collected in ''Rocketeer Adventures'', volumes one and two, edited by Scott Dunbier. Two full length graphic novels, Mark Waid's ''The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom'' and Roger Langridge's ''The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror'', which was narrated by a version of

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

, were published in 2013. Finally, in 2014, Waid published another graphic novel linking the Rocketeer with The Spirit in ''The Rocketeer & the Spirit: Pulp Friction''. In September, 2014, IDW issued ''The Rocketeer: Jet-Pack Adventures'', a prose anthology of ten short stories written by authors including

Yvonne Navarro Yvonne Navarro (born 1957 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American author who has published over twenty novels. Of those twenty, the titles ''AfterAge'', ''deadrush'', ''Final Impact'', ''Red Shadows'', ''DeadTimes'', ''That's Not My Name'' and ''M ...

, Don Webb, Gregory Frost,

Nancy Holder Nancy Holder (born August 29, 1953) is an American writer and the author of several novels, including numerous tie-in books based on the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. She's also written fiction related to several other science fiction ...

Nancy A. Collins Nancy A. Collins (born September 10, 1959) is an American horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has also written for comic books, including the '' Swamp Thing'' (vol. 2) ...

. Set between 1939 and 1946, the stories feature appearances by such historic figures as

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in t ...

, Hedy Lamarr,

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

's Johnny Weissmuller, and writer Zane Grey.

Background

Allusions

Besides pulp characters, actors of the 1940s and 1950s have also visually inspired two characters: Lothar, the villain in "Cliff's New York Adventure", is based on the likeness of acromegalic horror movie star

Rondo Hatton Rondo Hatton (April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946) was an American journalist and actor. After writing for ''The Tampa Tribune'', Hatton found a career in film due to his unique facial features, which were the result of acromegaly. He headlin ...

; and Cliff Secord's girlfriend Betty is modeled after "Queen of Pinups" Bettie Page. A "Rocket Man" character, with a near-identical rocket backpack and similar uniform, appeared in four

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

movie serials from 1949 through 1953. The fourth serial, originally conceived as a syndicated Republic TV series, was first released under contractual obligation to movie houses as a regular multi-chapter theatrical serial; two years later, it was re-cut with new footage and additional music added and finally syndicated on NBC television stations as twelve 25-minute episodes. The four Republic Rocket Man serials were: '' King of the Rocket Men'' (1949), ''

Radar Men from the Moon ''Radar Men from the Moon'' is a 1952 black-and-white Republic Pictures' 12-chapter movie serial, the first Commando Cody serial starring newcomer George Wallace as Cody, Aline Towne as his sidekick Joan Gilbert, and serial veteran Roy Barcroft ...

'' (1952), ''

Zombies of the Stratosphere ''Zombies of the Stratosphere'' is a 1952 black-and-white Republic Studios serial directed by Fred C. Brannon, with a screenplay by Ronald Davidson, and special effects by Republic's Lydecker brothers. It was intended to be Republic's second se ...

'' (1952), and '' Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe'' (serial 1953, TV series 1955)

In other media

Film

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

produced '' The Rocketeer'' in 1991, directed by Joe Johnston, and starring

Billy Campbell William Oliver Campbell (born July 7, 1959) is an American film and television actor. He first gained recognition for his recurring role as Luke Fuller in the TV series '' Dynasty''. Then he became known for playing Rick Sammler on ''Once and ...

, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin,

Timothy Dalton Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama '' The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence a ...

, Paul Sorvino and

Tiny Ron Taylor Ronald "Tiny Ron" Taylor (November 21, 1947 – November 28, 2019) was an American film actor and former basketball player, known for his work in feature films such as '' The Rocketeer'' ( 1991) and '' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' (1994), and i ...

. The film was released on June 21, 1991 and received generally favorable reviews from critics. * In 2012,

was reportedly considering a live-action

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sam ...

. * In 2021, It was announced that Jessica and

David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

are producing a revival titled ''

The Return of the Rocketeer ''The Rocketeer'' (released internationally as ''The Adventures of the Rocketeer'') is a 1991 American period superhero film from Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures. It was produced by Charles Gordon, Lawrence Gordon, and Lloyd Lev ...

''. The film will be written by Ed Ricourt in which David Oyelowo may possibly star. The story focuses on a retired Tuskegee Airmen who takes up the Rocketeer mantle.

Television

* A

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

was released on November 8, 2019 on

Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven ...

in the United States, and on November 10 on

in Canada. The series focuses on a young girl named Kit Secord (voiced by Kitana Turnbull) who receives the family jetpack for her birthday and uses it to protect the town of Hughesville from various villains. * In August 2021, '' What If...?'' director Bryan Andrews revealed that

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Ma ...

had considered incorporating the Rocketeer into the series, set in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

, during the events of

series premiere A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...

" What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?", in which they would have teamed up with Captain Carter, before deciding against it due to similarities between Howard Stark and

Video games

* The first officially licensed ''Rocketeer'' game was released for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

in May 1991. It is a side-scrolling action game published and developed by

Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine ...

, and followed the plot of the film.

Homages

Comic homages

* The character Gabe from the ''

Penny Arcade ''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 establ ...

'' webcomic confuses the term

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and ...

with 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 Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

-style theatrical poster.

Reception

IGN listed the Rocketeer as the 76th Greatest Comic Book Character, stating that the Rocketeer taps into that popular desire to fly. IGN also stated the Rocketeer saga remains a compelling one.

References

Bibliography

* Bilson, Danny, Paul De Meo and William Dear. ''The Rocketeer: Screenplay'': S.l. : s.n., dated June 13, 1990. * Cotta Vaz, Mark and Patricia Rose Duigna. ''Industrial Light & Magic: Into the Digital Realm.'' Hong Kong: Del Rey Books, 1996. . * David, Peter. ''The Rocketeer

Novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

of the Film''. New York:

Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...

, 1991

External links

*
Dave Stevens official site

*

at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

. Retrieved January 24, 2017
Archived
from the original on January 24, 2017.

at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved September 24, 2012

from the original on October 24, 2015. {{Authority control 1982 comics debuts American comics adapted into films Art Deco aviation comics Comico Comics characters Comico Comics titles comics characters introduced in 1982 comics set in the 1930s Cultural depictions of the Marx Brothers Dark Horse Comics superheroes Dark Horse Comics titles dieselpunk Eclipse Comics superheroes Eclipse Comics titles fiction set in 1938 fictional aviators fictional characters from Los Angeles IDW Publishing characters IDW Publishing titles Pacific Comics titles retrofuturism superhero film characters ja:ロケッティア