posted
About three weeks ago comicdom lost another talented artist-Dave Stevens,creator of the Rocketeer and illustrator of "good girl" art,lost a long battle with leukemia.
It should be known that he did a series of illustrations of Bettie Page and was surprised to not only find her alive but she lived nearby!
For more info on Dave and his life and works go to:
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So IDW has launched The Rocketeer Adventures a four issue mini that is a collection of short stories by some of the industry's best creators, doing the incredible Dave Steven's character the Rocketeer. This goes along with IDW offering really beautiful looking collections of the original Rocketeer work. I also think some of the proceeds go to charity.
I though the first issue of the miniseries was mind-blowingly terrific! Just really fantastic stuff, with great stories by Mike Allred, Kurt Busiek & Mike Kaluta and John Cassady. Even the pin-ups, like the one by Mike Mignola were fantastic.
All three stories were really good and each artist delivered with their well known, eye-pleasing styles while using Steven's characters. This included many, but the focus is of course on the Rocketeer himself and Betty, who was drawn beautifully by all three. Like Stevens, the obvious Betty Page references used by them just made her a delight to see on every page. All three stories were actually complete stories, and each one had its own charm.
I can't wait for Darwyn Cooke next issue!
It's been awhile since a comic left me feeling like I totally got more than I paid for.
Highly recommended! Wish it was an ongoing!
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
With #4, the Rocketeer anthology miniseries comes to an end by IDW and I'm sorry to see it go. I hope they do another soon or even make it an ongoing. Each issue has been totally unique and terrific, a great tribute to Dave Stevens by showcasing his great creation with stories of the highest caliber.
#4 included stories by Dave Gibbon, Tony Harris and John Arcudi, each one in a different time period of the late 30's / early 40's. As with prior stories they capture perfectly the fun sense of awe Stevens developed as a great tribute to fiction of that era. The Rocketeer, Betty and the rest of the cast were represented in full.
Each story was 8 pages yet felt jam-packed. *This* is the blueprint for how you do an anthology.
I think readers not familiar with the Rocketeer would enjoy these immensely as well.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Those of you who have not checked out the Rocketeer are doing yourself a serious disservice. The two anthology volumes were absolutely terrific and a who's who of the industry's best doing great short stories. And now The Rocketeer and the Cargo of Doom is a full miniseries that is hitting all the right beats, quickly proving to be one of the best series out right now.
The creative team is possibly the best team in comics right now, as proven by their work on Daredevil: Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. Waid is undergoing perhaps his best era ever in comics (and that's says a LOT) and he is showcasing the art of telling a damn good, exciting character driven story. He's doing it in DD and he's doing it here. Meanwhile, Samnee's art is masterful, a mixture of excitement and pleasing aesthetic, falling squarely in the Martin / Pullido / Cooke / Sale school that is my favorite artistic movement in comics these last few years.
I love that the series is totally fresh and new, yet firmly embraces the pulpy roots that Stevens established for the character. The nods to Doc Savage and King Kong are subtle yet welcome--well not so subtle for King Kong as of the end of #2! A direct connection to Skull Island's dinosaur population opens the door for the too-awesome-for-words concept of the Rocketeer battling a tyrannosaurus in #3.
Waid & Samnee also smartly combine the classic Rocketeer cast (Cliff / Betty / Peevy) with some new characters in Sally (Peevy's niece with a huge crush on Cliff) and Earl (at first adversarial to Cliff and then revealed to be a man of integrity).
This is not just for those who like retro. It is totally modern in its storytelling. This is damn good comics--everyone will enjoy this.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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