Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities ROCKETO

did # 3 come out today? my CBS said no. and is there a zero ish?

I picked up my copy of #3 yesterday, Pete. Maybe your store was shorted?

And yes, there's a 0-issue. Tamper was kind enough to point out that it's available directly from Speakeasy-- you can find their online store at their website. I posted the address earlier in this thread.

I picked up #4 at my store this weekend, and I'm pleased to say that the quality of this book has not dropped in the slightest.

I just wish it got more attention.

It's moving to Image with the release of the trade in March. Maybe that will help.

It is really cool though. Sort of a Jules Verne lost world mixed with Greek myth.

Newsarama talks with Espinoza about Speakeasy's troubles and demise, ROCKETO's move to Image, his overarching plans for the series and other work he's doing.

Very cool article with lots of artwork, including covers to issues 5 and 6-- which now are only available as part of the Image trade collecting 0-6.

The Image trade arrived with my midmonth books!

Nice intro by Alex Ross, lots of sketches and artwork in the back. It's bound in the panoramic format of the Speakeasy issues, which is great. I haven't gotten to the new issues yet-- I decided to start from the zero issue and read the run in its entirety-- but the covers (printed or otherwise) are included.

Overall, a strong effort by Image. I hope the move gets this book some much-needed exposure.

NOOOOoooooo...!

And I was -just- getting excited for solicits sometime this summer for the next ROCKETO arc...

I'll have to tide myself over with the second Image TPB...

Hmmm... This might not be so bad...





I'd -still- rather see Frank putting out the next chapter of ROCKETO, though...

I'll be checking KILLING GIRL out... DCBS has it for half off.

AAARRGH!!

Jen Contino at Comicon's The Pulse has a new interview up with Frank Espinoza-- still no definite date for the start of the next arc, but a good interview nonetheless.

First Mice Templar, then Umbrella Academy...should I try this one too? If I can find the first issue, I'll try to check this out. The art looks up my alley anyway.

Its been a few years since I was last collecting a large amount of independent titles (and got severely dissapointed when they were all cancelled) so I've regained my enthusiasm for them.

I, of course, have no idea what this comic is about.

In Jen's interview with Frank E, he does a good job of summing it all up.

The original publisher, Speakeasy, only got the first four issues printed before they went belly-up. Then when Image assumed the publishing for ROCKETO, They released a TPB of 0 and 1-6 before resuming the singles with #7. 5 and 6 were never released as individual issues.

If the interview encapsulation strikes your fancy, the first trade is definitely worth picking up. Then there's the second trade that finishes collecting the Journey to the Hidden Sea arc (7-12).

Rocketo is a series that I have been interested in reading FOR YEARS. As my post above from 2008 shows, it actually really does take me years to getting around to reading all the great stuff that is recommended, but here I am, 9 years later, and I actually finally have read the two amazing trades! (When my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, I actually asked for this and Batman: Ego and told her how to get them on instocktrades.com).

Even here, it took me a few weeks to read the two trades because of how busy I’ve been, but I didn’t want to rush through them, because, quite simply, they have been a pure treat for the eyes and for the soul. If only myself and others had jumped on to this in 2006 and financially supported it, as we could have had so much more. But alas, I can only enjoy what exists, and enjoy it I did. Frank Espinosa is a true unrecognized genius in the comic book world, and he created something masterful here that few other creators do. Like Kirby or Mignola or Simonsin or whoever, he has created vast entire worlds and mythologies around a core group of characters that gives both epic, grandiose concepts and down-to-Earth human introspection. His artwork is 100% stylized, unlike anything I’ve seen before, though with obvious influences, and it can be jarring at first—especially his use of colors which borders between minimal and explosive. But once you start to become accustomed to the art, you can see his brilliance really shine through in his line work and how he conveys so much emotion in such little space.

It’s a full on adventure tale with elements of the old pulps, superhero, science-fiction cartoons of the 80’s, and just lots of other influences. The lead, Rocketo, is a hard-ass character that is so full of layers and emotion that by issue #12, you really feel a cathartic experience along with him.

These two trades are a real gem from the last 20 years of comics. It’s been a pretty amazing 20 years, honestly, with some incredible art coming from all different corners of the industry and world. Rocketo has to stand right up there with the best of them.

Another vote for Rocketo! I got the two volumes from the library, read the first one this week. What a fantastic old-style adventure story! It's a blend of post-apocalypic Earth, old recognizable myths, names and places, many newly invented ones, strange monsters, landscape and architecture. It's the sort of book you get happily lost in. I'm also a bit sad to have come to it this late and that there are no further volumes.

I see he's doing some versions of classics like Frankenstein and Dracula with zumzum books, but no more Rocketo, alas.

I'll be borrowing the first volume of this in a little while. Looking forward to it form the above reviews.

Please chime in with your thoughts, thoth... I've given up hope on Espinoza getting back to Rocketo, but I can wish...

I've read Book 1!

When I saw the cover, I thought it was going to be a bit of a struggle. I don't know much about Espinoza and the animation-style art wasn't something I was attracted to from the cover.

The opening pages where his colleague looks back from a time without the hero, reminded me of Slaine where an aged Ukko was writing the chronicle of his former King. That's not to say I didn't like it. Only that it was familiar. It is a good framing device. Here, we also had a visitor looking to access the maps.

I also had a tiny pause of thought when the narrator of the holo was going to begin telling us his life story. I know this part of the book wasn't initially intended to be connected to the main event,. It could have been dull enough to sink it before I got there. With the similar looking generations of the family, I was getting a Superman Family vibe. With the sea based story, I was getting some Aquaman and the guy looks as though he has powers similar to a Hal Jordan. Again, none of this is bad. By this point I was remembering that fire horses were sort of in Krull.

The giant, walking robot wasn't doing much for me. But by this time, I was getting to enjoy the art. The scene with his mother was excellent and what really got me was the prolonged sea voyage back.

A lot of the elements in that opening story are reinforced in the main one. So, it was very comfortable easing into the main tale. Having seen the adult Rocketo in action in the opening, made the main story seem less like a coming of age tale than it otherwise would have done. Quite a plus. The world building was lovely. There are a lot of very good graphic novels that present lovingly detailed backgrounds and this certainly ranks with those. With Rocketo, you get an added dose of pulp, which isn't always the case in the European ones, as exciting as they are in their own way.

There were quite a few unexpected twists, such as our main character's role in the war and what it cost him. The fate of the Prince was another one. The supporting cast all look to have interesting backstories. This allows Rocketo to play to his own strengths. His relationship with Turntable twists and turns giving an echo of those opening pages when one if them is looking back.

With an engaging cast, excellent world and history, solid, consistent adventure plotting. and with an excellent ending I'm looking forward to tracking down vol 2.