Welcome back to Longbox Junk, the place to find all the comic reviews you never asked for!
Yep. The world is still crazy. Even worse. . .no more new comics!
If you'll indulge me a moment of digression, may I humbly suggest that anyone reading this please continue to go to your local comic shop (if they're still open at all) every week and continue to spend the same amount of money you would normally spend for your subscriptions on back issues? Check out some stuff you let slide in favor of your regular pull. Maybe grab some trades. Let's stand together as comic fans and try to support these businesses in dire need.
DIGRESSION OVER. . .
And now to the comics at hand.
I discovered The Rocketeer many years ago through the Disney movie and assumed he was a character from that same era of heroes. After I hunted down some comics and information, I was surprised to learn that the Rocketeer was a product of the 80's!
Despite The Rocketeer's modern pedigree, I consider him one of the greatest pulp heroes ever created, and that he stands perfectly alongside his fellow heroes as both an individual character AND as a homage to the bygone era they are part of.
Let's take a look at some of his more recently-written adventures in this 4-issue mini from IDW that was the second in a set of two anthology-style series they put out. . .
ROCKETEER ADVENTURES 2
IDW (2012)
ISSUE 1
COVER: Darwyn Cooke
In this first issue we have three stories to consider. Let's look at each of them on their own. . .
THE GOOD GUYS
Written by: Marc Guggenheim
Art by: Sandy Plunkett
The first thing that caught my eye on this story is how almost perfectly the artist captures not only the look, but the dynamic and energetic feel of Dave Steven's art style! It's a little spooky, in a way, but fantastic. . .
The story itself is pretty good. The Rocketeer is shot down during a dogfight and the residents of a small town have to decide whether or not to turn him over to the authorities (because he IS a wanted criminal). It nicely showcases the idea of people in the post-depression NEEDING to believe in someone wanting to be a hero.
There's not much to it, (basically an extended conversation while The Rocketeer lies unconscious) but I give it a big thumbs-up for the amount of heart the writer manages to cram into such a small space.
THE DUCKETEER
Written by: Peter David
Art by: Bill Sienkiewicz
This story is based on the notion that if the Rocketeer DID exist, he'd be celebrated in many ways, including being made fun of in Looney Toon-type cartoons before movies.
This is basically a Daffy Duck/Marvin the Martian cartoon set on paper with Daffy playing the part of the Rocketeer. It's a fun idea and just as wacky and off the hook as those great old cartoons are!
I thought it was pretty funny, but Bill Sienkiewicz's art is a bit of a "love it or hate it" sort of thing because of his very unique (some might say strange) style. So for some, the art might bring this one down a notch or two.
A DREAM OF FLYING
Written by: Stan Sakai
Art by: Stan Sakai
This light and humorous story is about a boy that saves the Rocketeer and is rewarded with a flight with his hero. It has a clever twist at the end where it doesn't say it explicitly, but hints that the boy is a very young Clark Kent (the future Superman) in an unofficial inter-company crossover cameo. I liked it a lot! It has heart and shows the Rocketeer as a hero that kids can look up to.
The cartoony, yet detailed art style gives this story a joyful feel and is a perfect match for this tale of a young boy meeting a superhero. Overall, this whole little story brought a smile to my face.
CONCLUSION
Starting with a fantastic cover by the late, great Darwyn Cooke and going through three stories with a lot of heart and humor, I'd say that this first issue of Rocketeer Adventures 2 is a winner!
The only criticism I would have on this issue is that if you aren't already a fan of The Rocketeer, this is NOT a good introduction. It fully assumes you have knowledge of The Rocketeer and just goes from there. The stories are still quite enjoyable, it's just that established fans will get more out of them.
A good start. . .let's see what's next!
ISSUE 2
COVER: Dave Stevens
Like the first issue, there's 3 stories and a pinup here. Let's check them out!
WORK TO DO
Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Colin Wilson
This story takes place on a miserable, rainy, European battlefield during WWII. The art is simply fantastic here. . .it's dark and very detailed. Normally I associate The Rocketeer with brighter hues, but the art fits the tone of the story perfectly here.
BETTY'S BIG BREAK
Written by: Paul Dini
Art by: Bill Morrison
This story is played more for laughs, and is based on Cliff Secord's almost insane jealousy over his beautiful amateur actress girlfriend, Betty, as he spies on her during the filming of her first big part and accidentally ends up in the movie too.
The "comedy of errors" escalating through Cliff spying and trying to cover it up just brought a big goofy grin to my face. This story is a lot of fun! It's illustrated in a great Golden Age homage style that perfectly matches the light and humorous tone of the story.
AUTOGRAPH
Written by: Walt Simonson
Art by: John Paul Leon
Last, we have a pretty simple story about The Rocketeer saving a woman from being kidnapped by thugs and it turning out to be Judy Garland. It's a pretty good story, but what I liked most about it the fantastic artwork! It's sharp, detailed, and heavily-inked. There's one large panel of The Rocketeer flying up from the street that really caught my eye in particular. . .
Overall, a nice action-packed story backed up with some fantastic art gives this issue its third winner in a row! Special mention goes to the J. Scott Campbell pinup in this issue for the great colors and awesome sense of height. . .
We've got three more stories and a pinup.
Let's do this!
COULDA BEEN. . .
Written by: David Lapham
Art by: Chris Sprouse
After Cliff ruins Betty's night with his jealousy AGAIN, he flies her to the countryside to show her a farmhouse he's been thinking of buying. This leads to reflection from both of them on what their life would be like if they settled down. Cliff becoming a farmer and Betty taking care of the kids.
The more they think about it, the more they both realize they love each other for what they are and they don't have the right to take each other's dreams away. It's a great little story and digs deep into the relationship between Cliff and Betty. The art is also very nicely done in a sharp, realistic style. It's a different kind of Rocketeer story, but I liked it a lot!
NEXT!
BUTCHY SAVES BETTY
Written by: Kyle Baker
Art by: Kyle Baker
This one is played for laughs, turning the regular "Cliff is jealous of Betty" ongoing Rocketeer joke on its head as Betty interrupts Cliff auditioning a line of pretty girls for a stunt show with a shotgun. Hijinks ensue and Cliff's dog Butch ends up being the hero and saving the day.
I liked the humor in the "turnabout's fair play" nature of the story, as well as the surprise cameo of The Shadow's alter ego Lamont Cranston! But like the Bill Sienkiewicz story in the first issue, Kyle Baker's art is another unique "Love it or Hate it" style that might leave some readers not liking this one. Honestly, I'm not on the "Love it" side of the Kyle Baker fence in general. . .
HISTORY LESSON
Written by: Matt Wagner
Art by: Eric Canete
This was a pretty unusual Rocketeer story. It's told mostly with a series of full-page montage scenes until the end, when it's revealed that the narrator is teaching a history lesson about The Rocketeer to students in a far future classroom. It ends with school being dismissed and showing that everyone is flying around with jetpacks. A nice little story with an interesting twist.
Matt Wagner wrote this story, I would have LOVED to see his art on it as well. I'm a big fan of Wagner's art and it seems like a missed opportunity. I'm not saying that the highly-stylized art featured here is BAD, I just think it's a little disappointing that Wagner's talents are only half used here.
And here we are with the big finish! Starting off on a VERY nice foot with a fantastic poster-worthy cover by the late, great Dave Stevens. Let's check out the three stories beneath that awesome cover.
WAR HERO
Written by: Louise Simonson
Art by: Walt Simonson
Set in 1942 after the Pearl Harbor attack, Cliff Secord finds himself blocked from joining the military and relegated to making War Bond appearances as The Rocketeer because of his originally stealing his jetpack from the government. Cliff proves his worth to President Roosevelt by preventing a Nazi suicide bombing attack on the U.S. Capital during one of his shows.
This was a pretty good little story spotlighting the homefront war effort. It felt realistic in how the government was holding The Rocketeer back from the fighting to raise war bonds. Honestly, if Disney would have made a second Rocketeer movie, this story would have been a mighty fine starting point for it.
NEXT!
CLIFF SECORD, WARLORD OF BLARGON
Written by: David Mandel
Art by: J Bone
This story is about The Rocketeer travelling to another world where everything is pretty much the opposite of what he thinks it is. The story is actually pretty funny, with some great moments based on his utter misunderstanding of the aliens and their actions, but the art is sloppy and looks like something from an Indie comic. It just doesn't look right and takes this otherwise good story down a notch.
FAIR GAME
Written by: John Byrne
Art by: John Byrne
I got a sense of deja vu reading this final story. That's because basically, it's the same story as the first one in this issue. In this one, The Rocketeer stops a suicide bomber from killing the King of England during a visit to the World's Fair.
It seems like a strange choice to put two stories that are so similar in the same issue, but that doesn't make it a bad story at all. It's well-written and full of the heroic action I want in a Rocketeer story. John Byrne delivers some reliably good art to go along with his writing as well.
And there it is. . .IDW's Rocketeer Adventures 2 four-issue anthology mini-series.
Overall, I found this to be a great read, and would highly suggest that any fan of pulp fiction characters, or those just looking for some good fun in comics, keep your eye out for this one while diving through the back issue boxes.
It has a few rough spots here and there, but nothing is perfect in the world of comics. I feel that there was a lot of respect shown for the character. There's a pretty wide-ranging variety of stories and art. It has a nice, high-quality presentation by IDW, with good thick paper and great covers that are worth the price of admission alone.
But beyond all of the above, it's just plain FUN! There's action, there's adventure, there's humor, there's even a little romance. What more could you ask for in a comic book?
The only REAL complaint I have about this series (beyond my personal taste in art not being met a few times) is that the reader is pretty much assumed to already be a fan of The Rocketeer and to know all about the character coming in.
This is probably not the best doorway to becoming a fan of The Rocketeer if you're coming in cold with little or no knowledge of the character. It's kind of a shame because The Rocketeer IS a great character that more comic fans should get to know about. It's a good series. . .even great in some parts. . .but it's not a good introduction to The Rocketeer for new readers.
Up next. . .
There's still no news but bad news, so I'm going to try and keep things light here at Longbox Junk for the time being. I'm not entirely sure exactly what that's going to be. I think I'll grab some more of my daughter's comics and see if I can find something to make me smile, so I can tell you about it.
Be there or be square!
This story is played more for laughs, and is based on Cliff Secord's almost insane jealousy over his beautiful amateur actress girlfriend, Betty, as he spies on her during the filming of her first big part and accidentally ends up in the movie too.
The "comedy of errors" escalating through Cliff spying and trying to cover it up just brought a big goofy grin to my face. This story is a lot of fun! It's illustrated in a great Golden Age homage style that perfectly matches the light and humorous tone of the story.
Overall, another winner! Let's see what's next. . .
AUTOGRAPH
Written by: Walt Simonson
Art by: John Paul Leon
Last, we have a pretty simple story about The Rocketeer saving a woman from being kidnapped by thugs and it turning out to be Judy Garland. It's a pretty good story, but what I liked most about it the fantastic artwork! It's sharp, detailed, and heavily-inked. There's one large panel of The Rocketeer flying up from the street that really caught my eye in particular. . .
CONCLUSION
The first issue was good, but the second was even better! From the pulp-tastic Dave Stevens cover in front to the high-flyin' pinup at the back, this issue delivers action, adventure and humor to spare! Rocketeer Adventures 2 is shaping up to be an extremely solid mini-series.
NEXT!
ISSUE 3
COVER: Darwyn Cooke
Let's do this!
COULDA BEEN. . .
Written by: David Lapham
Art by: Chris Sprouse
After Cliff ruins Betty's night with his jealousy AGAIN, he flies her to the countryside to show her a farmhouse he's been thinking of buying. This leads to reflection from both of them on what their life would be like if they settled down. Cliff becoming a farmer and Betty taking care of the kids.
The more they think about it, the more they both realize they love each other for what they are and they don't have the right to take each other's dreams away. It's a great little story and digs deep into the relationship between Cliff and Betty. The art is also very nicely done in a sharp, realistic style. It's a different kind of Rocketeer story, but I liked it a lot!
NEXT!
BUTCHY SAVES BETTY
Written by: Kyle Baker
Art by: Kyle Baker
This one is played for laughs, turning the regular "Cliff is jealous of Betty" ongoing Rocketeer joke on its head as Betty interrupts Cliff auditioning a line of pretty girls for a stunt show with a shotgun. Hijinks ensue and Cliff's dog Butch ends up being the hero and saving the day.
I liked the humor in the "turnabout's fair play" nature of the story, as well as the surprise cameo of The Shadow's alter ego Lamont Cranston! But like the Bill Sienkiewicz story in the first issue, Kyle Baker's art is another unique "Love it or Hate it" style that might leave some readers not liking this one. Honestly, I'm not on the "Love it" side of the Kyle Baker fence in general. . .
Moving along!
HISTORY LESSON
Written by: Matt Wagner
Art by: Eric Canete
This was a pretty unusual Rocketeer story. It's told mostly with a series of full-page montage scenes until the end, when it's revealed that the narrator is teaching a history lesson about The Rocketeer to students in a far future classroom. It ends with school being dismissed and showing that everyone is flying around with jetpacks. A nice little story with an interesting twist.
Matt Wagner wrote this story, I would have LOVED to see his art on it as well. I'm a big fan of Wagner's art and it seems like a missed opportunity. I'm not saying that the highly-stylized art featured here is BAD, I just think it's a little disappointing that Wagner's talents are only half used here.
CONCLUSION
Unfortunately, of the three issues so far, this one is the weakest. That's not to say it's bad. Just compared to the first two issues, this one doesn't have as much going for it. The stories are still enjoyable little looks into the world of The Rocketeer, they just aren't quite as strong as what came before. I think the art choices sort of blunted this one for me. I'm not a fan of Kyle Baker's art and IDW missed an opportunity to showcase Matt Wagner as a writer AND artist.
AND FINALLY. . .
ISSUE 4
COVER: Dave Stevens
And here we are with the big finish! Starting off on a VERY nice foot with a fantastic poster-worthy cover by the late, great Dave Stevens. Let's check out the three stories beneath that awesome cover.
WAR HERO
Written by: Louise Simonson
Art by: Walt Simonson
Set in 1942 after the Pearl Harbor attack, Cliff Secord finds himself blocked from joining the military and relegated to making War Bond appearances as The Rocketeer because of his originally stealing his jetpack from the government. Cliff proves his worth to President Roosevelt by preventing a Nazi suicide bombing attack on the U.S. Capital during one of his shows.
NEXT!
CLIFF SECORD, WARLORD OF BLARGON
Written by: David Mandel
Art by: J Bone
This story is about The Rocketeer travelling to another world where everything is pretty much the opposite of what he thinks it is. The story is actually pretty funny, with some great moments based on his utter misunderstanding of the aliens and their actions, but the art is sloppy and looks like something from an Indie comic. It just doesn't look right and takes this otherwise good story down a notch.
AND FINALLY. . .
FAIR GAME
Written by: John Byrne
Art by: John Byrne
I got a sense of deja vu reading this final story. That's because basically, it's the same story as the first one in this issue. In this one, The Rocketeer stops a suicide bomber from killing the King of England during a visit to the World's Fair.
It seems like a strange choice to put two stories that are so similar in the same issue, but that doesn't make it a bad story at all. It's well-written and full of the heroic action I want in a Rocketeer story. John Byrne delivers some reliably good art to go along with his writing as well.
So even though it's oddly similar to another story in the same issue, this is a pretty good bite-sized chunk of nicely-done Rocketeer action that I can't really find anything to complain about at all.
And to finish things off, a very nice pin-up at the end of this issue by J.K. Snyder III that I NEED as a poster on my comic cave wall! What a great way to end this series.
CONCLUSION
And there it is. . .IDW's Rocketeer Adventures 2 four-issue anthology mini-series.
Overall, I found this to be a great read, and would highly suggest that any fan of pulp fiction characters, or those just looking for some good fun in comics, keep your eye out for this one while diving through the back issue boxes.
It has a few rough spots here and there, but nothing is perfect in the world of comics. I feel that there was a lot of respect shown for the character. There's a pretty wide-ranging variety of stories and art. It has a nice, high-quality presentation by IDW, with good thick paper and great covers that are worth the price of admission alone.
But beyond all of the above, it's just plain FUN! There's action, there's adventure, there's humor, there's even a little romance. What more could you ask for in a comic book?
The only REAL complaint I have about this series (beyond my personal taste in art not being met a few times) is that the reader is pretty much assumed to already be a fan of The Rocketeer and to know all about the character coming in.
This is probably not the best doorway to becoming a fan of The Rocketeer if you're coming in cold with little or no knowledge of the character. It's kind of a shame because The Rocketeer IS a great character that more comic fans should get to know about. It's a good series. . .even great in some parts. . .but it's not a good introduction to The Rocketeer for new readers.
Up next. . .
There's still no news but bad news, so I'm going to try and keep things light here at Longbox Junk for the time being. I'm not entirely sure exactly what that's going to be. I think I'll grab some more of my daughter's comics and see if I can find something to make me smile, so I can tell you about it.
Be there or be square!
I saw the Rocketeer movie so long ago that I don't remember much about it, so I guess I'll need to watch it again, someday. From your review, this short anthology series seems pretty good, and I like many of the creators involved. Thanks for covering this, as I didn't even know it existed!
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