On The Complete Rocketeer

When people ask me what my favorite comic book movie is, there’s only one answer, and I don’t even have to think about it.

The Rocketeer.

Yes, Batman Begins blew me away. V For Vendetta, I’m sorry to say, Alan Moore, was well-nigh perfect. The Dark Knight, I wept at the end. Even Spider-Man was quite good.

And I’m optimistic for Watchmen.

But The Rocketeer is on an entirely different plane of existence.

It’s just… brilliant.

There’s nothing I can fault. The script is fun. The acting is superb. The set pieces are impressively staged. It’s a throwback to classic movie serials, cliched storytelling, and impressive stagecraft. James Horner’s best score comes from this. It’s wonderful, evocative, funny, brilliant stuff.

And, of course, Disney didn’t have a fucking clue how to market the damn thing.

Like most every fan of the film — and there are many, I assure you — I’ve never read Dave Stevens’ original comics.

Fortunately, that’s going to change.

This autumn, IDW Publishing is bringing out The Complete Rocketeer, collecting Stevens’ original comics, newly recolored.

I can’t wait to see what this looks like. I’m curious about the “deluxe hardcover” as well, like price point and extras.

This one’s going to be a keeper. I just feel it.

Now, maybe I’ll dig out The Rocketeer and watch it with all the joyful glee of a teenager. 🙂

Published by Allyn

A writer, editor, journalist, sometimes coder, occasional historian, and all-around scholar, Allyn Gibson is the writer for Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly PREVIEWS catalog, used by comic book shops and throughout the comics industry, and the editor for its monthly order forms. In his over ten years in the industry, Allyn has interviewed comics creators and pop culture celebrities, covered conventions, analyzed industry revenue trends, and written copy for comics, toys, and other pop culture merchandise. Allyn is also known for his short fiction (including the Star Trek story "Make-Believe,"the Doctor Who short story "The Spindle of Necessity," and the ReDeus story "The Ginger Kid"). Allyn has been blogging regularly with WordPress since 2004.

One thought on “On The Complete Rocketeer

  1. I agree with you on V For Vendetta. Never saw The Rocketeer, but I may pick up the new volume. Never read the comics either but read plenty about them and am interested to see what the fuss was about.

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