THE ROCKETEER/THE SPIRIT: Pulp Friction #1

THE ROCKETEER/THE SPIRIT: PULP FRICTION #1
IDW PUBLISHING with DC Entertainment – @IDWPublishing and @DCComics

WRITER:  Mark Waid
ARTIST: Paul Smith
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: Paul Smith with Jordie Bellaire
SUBSCRIPTION VARIANT COVER: Darwyn Cooke and J Bone
CONVENTION EXCLUSIVE COVER: Darwyn Cooke
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2013)

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens (who died in March of 2008).  Cliff Secord is a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack.  Donning the jet pack and a helmet, Secord becomes “The Rocketeer,” and begins a series of adventures set mainly in Los Angeles and beginning in the year 1938.

The Spirit is a comic book character created by cartoonist Will Eisner (who died in January 2005).  The Spirit first appeared on June 2, 1940 in what readers called “The Spirit Section,” a 16-page, Sunday newspaper supplement or insert that was carried in various newspapers from the 1940s and into the early 1950s.  Once known as Detective Denny Colt (believed by some to be dead), The Spirit is a masked vigilante who fights crime in Central City.

Now, the two characters come together in a new comic book miniseries entitled, The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction.  Written by Mark Waid and drawn by Paul Smith, Pulp Friction unites the two characters to solve the murder of a Central City politician whose corpse is found in Los Angeles.

The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction #1 opens in Central City in February 1941.  It is cold and snowy outside, but inside City Hall, it is quite heated.  The story moves to the following morning, three thousand miles west.  Betty, Cliff Secord’s lady, is doing a modeling shoot on a beach when she makes a grisly discovery.

When they learn that a denizen of Central City has been found dead L.A., The Spirit, Commissioner Dolan, and Ellen (the Commissioner’s daughter) head to Cali.  And The Rocketeer is ready to greet them.

Uniting The Rocketeer and The Spirit seems like such a no-brainer that I’m surprised that it’s just happening now.  The Spirit is a character from the “Golden Age” of American comic books, and The Rocketeer, who first appeared in the 1980s, harkens back to the “Golden Age” of both comic books and Hollywood.

The creative team of writer Mark Waid and artist Paul Smith is an excellent choice to chronicle the team-up of two beloved “old-timey” characters.  When Waid is at his best, his comic books are pure fun, and as a fan of and expert on Golden Age comic books, Waid can write stories that capture the spirit of the 1930s and 40s, but tell them in a modern idiom.  Best known in the 1980s for his elegant and animation-influenced drawing style, Paul Smith engaged comic book readers with his storytelling that hit on all points:  character, plot, and setting.  That serves him well in this series, which will mix adventure and action with mystery and suspense.  I must note, however, that Smith’s work in Pulp Friction is closer to Dave Stevens’ in nature than to Will Eisner’s – not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction looks to be one of the good things we will get this year.  It’s that wild ride comic book fans want.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: The Wake #1

THE WAKE #1 (OF 10)
DC COMICS/Vertigo – @vertigo_comics

WRITER: Scott Snyder
ARTIST: Sean Murphy – @Sean_G_Murphy
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
COVER: Sean Murphy with Jordie Bellaire
VARIANT COVER: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (September 2013)

Part One

The Wake is a new 10-issue miniseries created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Sean Murphy.  Snyder has described The Wake as a “deep-sea, sci-fi, horror epic, with elements of post-apocalyptic storytelling...”  The series follows a marine biologist who investigates new threats from the depths of the ocean.

The Wake #1 takes place in three different time periods.  Two hundred years in the future, a young woman and her dolphin companion are on a quest in a half-drowned city.  In the present, Lee Archer, a marine biologist in exile (sort of), is approached by Agent Astor Cruz of the Department of Homeland Security.  Cruz is calling upon Archer to examine and to give her analysis of something that was found at the bottom of the ocean.  The final chapter of the first issue takes place 100,000 years ago with a cave painter.

The Wake #1 is a great big tease.  In recent decades, comic books are published in which stories are “decompressed,” and those stories are told in arcs that can run five or six issues or more before the conclusion.  This means that comic book writers have to find ways to keep readers interested in buying multiple issues.  There are often single panels, scenes made of several panels, or sequences of pages that are more about sensation than storytelling.  Ultimately, a reader could pay $18 to $30 for what is basically a short story that is told as a 100+ page graphic narrative, so titillation is needed to give the reader a reason to keep buying future issues.

The Wake #1 barely classifies as a chapter.  It is bits and pieces of various prologues with some nice “gotcha” moments and shocking-reveal panels to make investing in a second issue seem worth it a comic book reader/comic book customer.  The Wake #1 is not a bad comic book.

Sean Murphy’s art that is published in color has a clean, attractive drawing style, and Scott Snyder is a good modern comic book writer.  Both have done quality and entertaining work, so on the reputation of the creators alone, The Wake is worth a look.  If lesser known or even unknown creators had created The Wake, I doubt Vertigo would be publishing it.  Maybe, Image Comics would.  That said, I do look forward to trying the second issue.

B

http://www.seangordonmurphy.com/
www.vertigocomics.com

Review: NUMBERCRUNCHER #1

NUMBERCRUNCHER #1 (OF 4)
TITAN COMICS – @ComicsTitan

WRITER: Si Spurrier
ART: P.J. Holden
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S., £3.99 U.K. (August 2013)

Numbercruncher is a new four-issue comic book miniseries from writer Si Spurrier (X-Men: Legacy) and artist P.J. Holden (The 86ers).  Venerable United Kingdom publishing concern, Titan Publishing Group, Ltd., now has a comic book division, called Titan Comics.  Numbercruncher is one of several titles Titan Comics is launching this summer.

Numbercruncher #1 introduces Bastard Zane, Operative #494.  In what amounts to a strange afterlife of numbers, data, and accounting, Zane is a bailiff for the Karmic Accountancy, where he pushes paper and occasionally deals with souls that break the rules of the afterlife.  The big boss of the afterlife is the Divine Calculator, an elderly white man who maintains the “soulpool,” in which “souls are counted, processed, and – sometimes – questioned.”

Richard Thyne is a brilliant young mathematician who dies young and enters the afterlife.  However, Richard wants more time with Jessica Reed, the woman he loves.  He makes a deal with the Divine Calculator and Bastard Zane to be reincarnated in his lover’s lifetime, but there is a twist/complication.

Honestly, regarding it concepts, I am not especially interested in Numbercruncher.  What does make the book worth reading is Spurrier and Holden’s execution of the progression of the narrative.  Numbercruncher has a wicked sense of humor, and the creators are mean-spirited and/or cruel towards their characters.  However, they do it with humor and with the best of intentions – for their readers, if not necessarily for their characters.  That is what interests me – the humor and the interaction between the characters – and not necessarily this series’ concept of an afterlife.

This early in the series, I’ll say that Numbercruncher looks to show its funny streak.  Just how imaginative it is will be seen over the course of the series.

B+

www.titan-comics.com
www.facebook.com/comicstitan

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: Hollywood Horror #4

THE ROCKETEER: HOLLYWOOD HORROR #4
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER: Roger Langridge
ARTIST: J Bone
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Walter Simonson with Jordie Bellaire – regular cover; Walter Simonson – Cover RI; and James White – Strange Adventures Retailer Exclusive Cover
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2013)

The Rocketeer created by Dave Stevens

The Rocketeer vs. Hollywood Horror, Chapter 4 “A Night at the Altar”

I’m only a little more than a week late, but I did it. I finally got around to reading the fourth and final issue of the latest Rocketeer comic book miniseries, The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror. This four-issue miniseries is written by cartoonist Roger Langridge and drawn by artist J Bone.

Created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens, The Rocketeer is stunt pilot, Cliff Secord. Secord finds a mysterious rocket backpack or jet-pack (the Cirrus X-3) that allows him to fly. Donning the jet-pack and a metal helmet, Secord becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer. His adventures begin in 1938 and continue into the 1940s (as of this writing), with most of his activities occurring in and around Los Angeles.

Hollywood Horror opens in the year 1939. Cliff’s girlfriend, Betty, is searching for her missing roommate, Dahlia Danvers, a newspaper reporter. Cliff is in trouble with the actual inventor of the jet-pack (Howard Hughes?), who has sent henchmen to retrieve it. Cliff’s friend, partner, and ace airplane mechanic, Peevy, learns that an old WWI acquaintance, scientist August “Augie” Lowcroft, is missing. Everything centers on impresario and mystic, Reverend Otto Rune and his Church of Cosmicism.

As The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #4 opens, Cliff as The Rocketeer arrives at the Octopus Club to rescue her from Otto Rune’s clutches. He finds Lowcroft and a monster right out of nightmares ready to stop him. And even if Cliff rescues Betty, can he repair their strained relationship? He gets by with a little help from his friends.

The fourth issue of Hollywood Horror is the best issue of the series. The previous series, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, was like a big-budget B-movie with its sci-fi and monster (in this case, dinosaurs) elements; it was also dark in tone. Hollywood Horror is lighter in tone, talky, and resembles a screwball comedy, with the sci-fi elements being negligible, even the monster. In fact, this series is more about Hollywood than horror, with it cameos by and allusions to Hollywood legends of bygone eras.

The final issue is fun and fast-paced. The resolutions and romantic make-ups, reunions, and reconciliations give The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #4 a “Hollywood ending.” Can we imagine The Rocketeer giving us anything but a happy ending?

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: Hollywood Horror #3

THE ROCKETEER: HOLLYWOOD HORROR #3
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER: Roger Langridge
ARTIST: J Bone
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Walter Simonson with Jordie Bellaire – regular cover
Walter Simonson – Cover RI; and James White – Strange Adventures Retailer Exclusive Cover
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2013)

The Rocketeer created by Dave Stevens

The Rocketeer vs. Hollywood Horror, Chapter 3 “In the soup”

I finally got around to reading the third issue of the latest Rocketeer comic book miniseries, The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror. This four-issue miniseries is written by cartoonist Roger Langridge and drawn by artist J Bone.

The Rocketeer is a fictional character created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious rocket (or jet) backpack that allows him to fly. Donning the backpack and a metal helmet, Secord becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer. His adventures begin in 1938 and continue into the 1940s (as of this writing). Most of his activities occur mainly in and around Los Angeles.

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror opens in the year 1939. Cliff’s girlfriend, Betty, is searching for her missing roommate, newspaper reporter, Dahlia Danvers. Cliff is in trouble with the actual inventor of The Rocketeer’s jet-pack, who has sent henchmen to retrieve it. Cliff’s friend, partner, and ace airplane mechanic, Peevy, learns that an old WWI acquaintance, scientist August “Augie” Lowcroft, is missing. Everything centers on impresario and mystic, Reverend Otto Rune and his Church of Cosmicism.

As The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #3 opens, Cliff is left without his jet-pack. Betty, who has infiltrated Rune’s organization, gets in deeper, with encouragement from a cagey husband and wife detective team. Peevy has a surprise for Cliff. Everything points to a big event at the Octopus Club, but first Cliff makes a stop at The Flying Swan, a bar where he meets the narrator.

The veiled references and cameo appearances by famous Hollywood types are what I like most about The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror. Clark Gable, Carol Lombard, and Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy are among the stars that appear this time. That the narrator of Hollywood Horror might be a fictional version of Grouch Marx makes this a special treat for me. The suggested guest appearances by Nick and Nora Charles and the hint of Doc Savage go a long way in selling this series’ late 1930s setting.

Hollywood Horror’s story and plot are good, but the allusions and cameos make them even better. Bring on the conclusion.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: Hollywood Horror #2

THE ROCKETEER: HOLLYWOOD HORROR #2
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER: Roger Langridge
ARTIST: J Bone
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Walter Simonson with Jordie Bellaire – regular cover
Walter Simonson – Cover RI; and James White – Strange Adventures Retailer Exclusive Cover
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2013)

The Rocketeer created by Dave Stevens

The Rocketeer vs. Hollywood Horror, Chapter 2 “These troubled times”

I finally got around to reading the second issue of the latest Rocketeer comic book miniseries, The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror. This four-issue miniseries is written by cartoonist Roger Langridge and drawn by artist J Bone.

Of course, some of you know that The Rocketeer is a character created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious rocket backpack (or jet-pack) that allows him to fly. Donning the jet-pack and a metal helmet, Secord becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer. His adventures begin in 1938 and continue into the 1940s (as of this writing). Most of his activities occur mainly in and around Los Angeles.

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror opens in the year 1939. Cliff and his girlfriend, Betty, are having their usual squabbles, but that is all about to be put on hold. Betty’s roommate, newspaper reporter, Dahlia Danvers, has gotten herself into some trouble and disappears. Cliff’s trouble is that the actual inventor of The Rocketeer’s jet-pack has sent two henchmen to retrieve it.

Meanwhile, Cliff’s friend, partner, and ace airplane mechanic, Peevy, learns that an old WWI acquaintance, scientist August “Augie” Lowcroft, is missing. Then, there is impresario/mystic, Reverend Otto Rune, and a couple of detectives or a detective couple or a couple who are detectives.

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #2 opens with a return, and with Cliff looking for a place to sleep for the night. The henchmen demanding the jet-pack confront Peevy. Cliff decides to focus on Otto Rune, with whom Betty is about to make a connection. Meanwhile, Rune and his Church of Cosmicism prepare for a big gathering.

After reading the previous Rocketeer miniseries, the most excellent The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, I had high expectations for the next miniseries – perhaps, too high. Hollywood Horror #1 received a mixed reaction from me.

Hollywood Horror #2 changed my opinion. Now, I can’t wait for the third issue (which will already be in comic book shops by the time I post this review). I love the vibe writer Roger Langridge has created for Hollywood Horror. It is a comedy and mystery mixed with the visual elements and sensibilities of 1930s and 40s era Hollywood B-movies and sci-fi movie serials.

Artist J. Bone’s quirky art captures what Langridge is doing and even does him one better. Somewhere between the cartoony graphics and the semi-deformed (like manga’s super-deformed) art, Bone is trying to invent a visual aesthetic for what might be the comic book version of the screwball comedy.

I also enjoy the cultural and pop culture allusions and references that appear in Hollywood Horror. The henchmen after the jet-pack might be working for Doc Savage, although I always thought that Howard Hughes was supposed to be the jet-pack’s inventor. Of course, the detectives are stand-ins for Nick and Nora Charles of Dashiell Hammett’s novel, The Thin Man, and the film series adapted from it. I’m sure Otto Rune is based on some (in)famous, Depression-ear occultist.

Sorry about before, Cliff – I’m in again.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: Hollywood Horror #1

THE ROCKETEER: HOLLYWOOD HORROR #1
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER: Roger Langridge
ARTIST: J Bone
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: Walter Simonson with Jordie Bellaire – regular cover
ALTERNATE COVERS: Walter Simonson – Cover RI; Roger Langridge and J Bone with Jordie Bellaire – subscription cover; Roger Langridge and J Bone – Comics Pro Retailer Exclusive Cover; and James White – Strange Adventures Retailer Exclusive Cover
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

The Rocketeer created by Dave Stevens

The Rocketeer vs. Hollywood Horror, Part 1

The latest Rocketeer comic book is The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror. The four-issue miniseries is written by cartoonist Roger Langridge and drawn by artist J Bone.

Created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens, The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious rocket backpack that allows him to fly. Donning the backpack and a metal helmet, Secord becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer. His adventures begin in 1938 and continue into the 1940s (for the time being). Most of his activities occur mainly in and around Los Angeles.

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #1 opens in the year 1939 with the usual; Cliff is late for a date with his girlfriend, Betty Page (if “Page” is still her last name). Soon, Betty will need Cliff as the Rocketeer. Her roommate, newspaper reporter, Dahlia Danvers, has gotten herself into something deep, and this deep means trouble.

Everyone seems to be talking about a missing scientist, Augie Lowcroft. Cliff’s friend and partner, Peevy, an ace airplane mechanic, just so happens to be acquainted Lowcroft. Also crawling around this case is Reverend Otto Rune, some kind of impresario/mystic, and a mysterious couple with a penchant for detecting.

Coming on the heels of the most excellent The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror is a change-of-pace for the franchise. Whereas Cargo of Doom was like an old Hollywood movie serial from the 1930s and 1940s, Hollywood Horror is a snappy comic adventure. Part screwball comedy and a whole lot of tongue-in-cheek, this looks like it will offer some B-movie, science fiction, monster fun.

Honestly, I don’t love The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror the way I did Cargo of Doom. In this first issue, J Bone’s art seems like a near-cubist take on Bruce Timm’s graphic style. I usually like Bone’s work, but this is hit or miss for me. It took me until the end of Chapter One to buy into Roger Langridge’s jesting take on The Rocketeer. If this is the tone of the book, then, Walter Simonson isn’t the appropriate cover artist for Hollywood Horror.

This isn’t really The Rocketeer the way Dave Stevens did it, which other creators have tried to emulate. Hollywood Horror could turn out to be really good, though, so I’ll keep reading.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: Cargo of Doom #4

THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #4
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Chris Samnee
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire – regular cover
Dave Stevens – Cover RI
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom comes to an end. This four-issue miniseries is the first new story arc featuring Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer, probably since 1995. The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom is produced by the Eisner Award-winning team of writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee (Daredevil).

For those who don’t know: The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious rocket backpack that allows him to fly. Donning the backpack and a metal helmet, Secord becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer. His adventures begin in 1938 and continue into the 1940s (for the time being). Most of his activities occur mainly in and around Los Angeles.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom is set in 1940 and finds Cliff with troubles on his hands. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) may take away his pilot’s license. Sally, the young niece of Cliff’s best pal, Peevy, is now working as a mechanic at Peevy’s. Sally has a mad crush on Cliff, and Cliff’s girlfriend, the bombshell actress Betty, is fuming about the crush and about Sally being around Cliff so much. If domestic drama weren’t enough, The Rocketeer falls into a conspiracy involving The Master, a mysterious figure, and an invasion of dinosaurs.

As The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #4 begins, The Rocketeer battles the dinosaurs that have escaped into Los Angeles and are terrorizing the citizens. Luckily, our hero has a ray gun that takes care of the problem, but how long will this miraculous weapon hold? Still fuming, Betty spurs Peevy into action to help Cliff. Meanwhile, Sally and CAA Inspector Earl Garland also plot to help Cliff, or is there more to their actions?

For some reason, I thought that The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom was supposed to be a five-issue miniseries. Regardless, the wrap-up in this last issue seems rushed. The action that focused on The Rocketeer lacks the impact that a man with a rocket backpack fighting prehistoric monsters should have. That sequence is actually overly compressed when it should be open and run several pages. The Peevy/Betty bit is funny, while the Sally-Earl Garland segments offer intrigue, but may be a little too oblique at this point.

Still, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom was and still is fun to read. I wouldn’t mind seeing Waid-Samnee give The Rocketeer another whirl.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: Cargo of Doom #3

THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #3
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Chris Samnee
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire – regular cover
Dave Stevens – Cover RI
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Mark Waid, you had me at dinosaurs. This is just another reason why I’m glad that I’m still reading The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly. Secord dons the pack and a metal helmet and becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer, whose adventures are set in 1938 and the following years, mainly in and around Los Angeles.

Rocketeer Adventures marked The Rocketeer’s return in 2011. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this anthology comic book featured Rocketeer short stories from some of the premiere creators in American comic books created in honor of Stevens. Now, the adventure continues in a new series, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, from writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom opens in 1940 and finds Cliff with troubles on his hands. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) may take away his pilot’s license. Sally, the young niece of Cliff’s best pal, Peevy, is now working as a mechanic at Peevy’s. Sally has a mad crush on Cliff, and Cliff’s girlfriend, the bombshell actress Betty, is fuming about the crush and about Sally being around Cliff so much. Then, he falls into the clutches of The Master.

As The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #3 begins, The Master prepares to make Cliff a dino-treat. However, Cliff didn’t survive this long as The Rocketeer with being wily and using his wits. Now, can he save L.A. from becoming the valley of the dinosaurs?

As far as I’m concerned, Mark Waid is one of the few name comic book scribes who consistently writes comic books that are fun to read and also recall the free-spirited, eccentric weirdness of old comic book stories. He is a traditionalist who can take Marvel and DC Comics’ intellectual properties and brands and recall them to bygone glory. I think that makes Waid just right for The Rocketeer, which is set in a golden age, but is not a Golden Age comic book character.

Chris Samnee’s textured inking heightens the drama in the dinosaur/fire destruction scenes. Add Jordie Bellaire’s colors and the drama is heightened even more. Finally, I feel like I’m getting every penny of the $3.99 cover price

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #4

ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #4
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITERS: Louise Simonson, David Mandel, John Byrne
ARTISTS: Walter Simonson, J Bone, John Byrne
INKS: Bob Wiacek, J Bone, John Byrne
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire, J Bone
LETTERS: John Workman, Shawn Lee, Neil Uyetake
PIN-UP: J.K. Snyder, III
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Darwyn Cooke (A, RI), Dave Stevens (B)
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Here, we are – the final issue of Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly. Secord dons a funky helmet, straps on the jet pack, and becomes The Rocketeer, beginning his adventures in 1938, in and around Los Angeles.

The Rocketeer returned to comic books in 2011 in Rocketeer Adventures. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this four-issue, anthology comic book was a tribute to Stevens and featured Rocketeer short stories (about 8 pages in length) from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. The tributes continue in Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2.

Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 #4 opens with “War Hero,” written by Louise Simonson and penciled by her husband, Walter Simonson. The story finds Cliff Secord fuming about being declared unfit for combat in World War II. Now, he is reduced to playing The Rocketeer in war bond drive theatre, but when the Nazi’s show up, Secord gets his chance to show that he is fit for combat.

In “Cliff Secord, Warlord of Blargon,” written by David Mandel and drawn by J Bone, The Rocketeer travels to another planet and completely misunderstands the rules and regulations. “Fair Game,” written and drawn by John Byrne, takes The Rocketeer to the 1939 World’s Fair (The 1939-40 New York World’s Fair, a favorite setting of Byrne’s). Cliff Secord is unhappy with his traveling accommodations, while his girl, Betty, is on the trail of a possible conspiracy. With royalty visiting the expo, the game’s afoot.

Although I’ve had my reservations about Rocketeer Adventures in its entirety, I am a bit sad about the end of Vol. 2. Some of the entries in these two miniseries have not been special or even amounted to much as stories, but they were fitting tributes to Dave Stevens. If there is ever a short list for most beautiful artwork ever produced for American comics, Stevens’ art has to be on that list or that list won’t be worth shit.

This fourth issue of Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 features contributions from two comic book legends, John Byrne and Walter Simonson. The Rocketeer first appeared in early 1982 (at least by the cover date) when Byrne was hitting his stride as a writer/artist, especially on Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four. Simonson would shortly shake the industry with his revamp of Marvel’s The Mighty Thor. David Mandel and J Bone’s contribution here, (“Cliff Secord, Warlord of Blargon”) is cute, but the attractions here are Byrne and Simonson.

“War Hero” offers more than just seeing Simonson art. The story is written by Louise Simonson, once a prolific comic book scribe, and letterer is produced by John Workman, whose collaborations with Walter make great comics. Simonson, with inker Bob Wiacek, also create some spectacular pages of aerial action.

Byrne’s “Fair Game” is spry and fun, and looks like some kind of adventure, espionage, newspaper movie from the 1940s. The fifth page offers some excellent panel design, and Byrne packs more action in pages 6 and 7 than most comic book creators can get in six or seven pages. It’s also nice that Byrne still uses thought balloons, which have largely become passé, most likely because Alan Moore did not use them in Watchmen. And, of course, you know that all comic books must follow the holy writ that is Watchmen.

If editor Scott Dunbier can recruit more veteran creators who worked and thrived in the 1970s and 80s, then, I hope we have more Rocketeer Adventures.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #2

THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #2
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Chris Samnee
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Chris Samnee with Dave Stewart – regular cover
Dave Stevens – Cover RI
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

In a world where there is a jet pack/rocket backpack that a man can use to fly, why can’t there also be a lost island where dinosaurs still live? This is the world of The Rocketeer.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens (who died in March of 2008). Cliff Secord is a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly. Secord dons the pack and a metal helmet and becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer, whose adventures are set mainly in Los Angeles and begin in 1938.

The Rocketeer returned to comic books in 2011 with Rocketeer Adventures. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this anthology comic book was a tribute to Dave Stevens. The series featured Rocketeer short stories from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. Now, the adventure continues in a new series, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, from writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom opens in 1940 and finds Cliff with troubles on his hands. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) may take away his pilot’s license. Sally, the young niece of Cliff’s best pal, Peevy, is now working as a mechanic at Peevy’s. Sally has a mad crush on Cliff, and Cliff’s girlfriend, the bombshell actress Betty, is fuming about the crush and about Sally being around Cliff so much.

As The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #2 begins, the mysterious Trask and The Master continue the plot they are hatching out of the docks at the Port of Los Angeles. Cliff learns that he has a new case worker from the CAA, a brawny black man named Earl Garland, who can hit back (unlike the last guy). The Master also makes a move on capturing The Rocketeer and reveals what he has stowed away in his ship’s cargo hold.

In my review of the first issue of Cargo of Doom, I admitted that I was not crazy about the comic book’s cover price ($3.99). I wrote that I might eventually balk at paying $20 to read the entire series. I haven’t balked yet.

This is a good series. Mark Waid offers characters that are more character types than fully-developed characters, but they work for Cargo of Doom. Samnee’s art is still tight and still eye-catching, especially with that killer figure drawing. How could I stop reading this? The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom is the kind of rousing, fantasy adventure that got me started reading comics.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #1

"Back in the sky high saddle, again..."

THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #1

IDW PUBLISHING

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Chris Samnee
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Chris Samnee with Dave Stewart – Cover A
Dave Stevens with Laura Martin – Cover B and Jetpack Comics Cover
Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire – Cover RIA
Chris Samnee – Cover RIB
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens (who died in March of 2008). The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly, and his adventures are set mainly in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938.

The Rocketeer returned to comic books in 2011 in Rocketeer Adventures. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this anthology comic book was a tribute to Stevens and featured Rocketeer short stories from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. Now, the adventure continues in the new series, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, from writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 opens in 1940. Cliff dons his Rocketeer garb and gear to rescue two people from a struggling airplane. One of those people is Sally, the young niece of Peevy, Cliff’s best pal and the one mechanic who can tinker with the Rocketeer’s jetpack. Sally has a mad crush on Cliff, and Cliff’s actress/bombshell girlfriend, Betty, is fuming about the crush and Sally. Meanwhile, something wicked has just docked at the port in Los Angeles, and the sinister mastermind targets The Rocketeer.

As much as I liked both Rocketeer Adventures series (or at least parts of Vol. 2), I wanted IDW to publish an actual Rocketeer story arc. I was excited to discover The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom while reading the list of comic books shipping this week (8/22/). I was immediately determined to get my hands on this comic book, and having just read it, I am not disappointed.

When Mark Waid is on, the comic books he writes are fun to read. In Cargo of Doom, he uses dialogue to form the characters for readers, and crackling dialogue is always preferable to a psycho-babble when it comes to developing comic book characters. This is why I think someone like Waid is more of a natural at creating comic book than other writers who seem to have some kind of quasi-literary credibility. Under Waid’s care, Peevy hasn’t been this spicy since Dave Steven’s original comics. As for the characters’ actions, Waid also makes that clear and straightforward, from the lecherous government agent to the mercurial Guptmann.

I had been planning on reading some comic books drawn by Chris Samnee, but I was reluctant to try some of his Marvel Comics work if that meant figuring out whatever is going on in the Marvel Universe. Samnee’s art bears similarities to the work of Darwyn Cooke, David Mazzuchelli (Batman: Year One era), and Bruce Timm, while remaining uniquely his own style. Samnee’s figure drawing is killer, and there is a bit of classicism in the way he poses characters, as if he were drawing human bodies for academic critics.

I must admit that I am not crazy about Cargo of Doom’s cover price, and I may ultimately balk at paying $20 to read the entire series. Still, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 is one of the year’s best debuts.

A-

I Reads You Review: ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #3

ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #3
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITERS: David Lapham, Kyle Baker, Matt Wagner
ARTISTS: Chris Sprouse, Kyle Baker, Eric Canete
INKS: Karl Story
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire, Eric Canete and Cassandra Poulson
LETTERS: Shawn Lee, Kyle Baker
PIN-UP: Eric Powell with Dave Stewart
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Darwyn Cooke (A, C), Dave Stevens (B)
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens, who died in March of 2008. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly, and his adventures are set mainly in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938.

The Rocketeer returned to comic books in 2011 in Rocketeer Adventures. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this four-issue, anthology comic book was a tribute to Stevens and featured Rocketeer short stories (about 8 pages in length) from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. The tributes continue in Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2.

Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 #3 opens with “Coulda Been…,” a story by David Lapham with art by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story, that finds Cliff Second and his girlfriend, Betty Page, imagining what their lives could be like. In “Butch Saves Betty,” the brilliant cartoonist Kyle Baker introduces Cliff and company to a shadowy client. Then, writer Matt Wagner and artist Eric Canete take readers to the future for a “History Lesson.”

David Lapham is a popular comic book creator, but I wonder if people really appreciate what a good writer he is. I see him as a comic book scribe who can always put an imaginative twist on the character/ensemble drama. Read 30 Days of Night: 30 Days ‘Til Death; it could have been just another vampire comic book, but isn’t. His “Coulda Been…” shows why making comic book characters “grow up,” especially those grounded in fantasy, is a mistake. The reason is that when you make characters act like real-world adults that fundamentally changes those characters, sometimes to the point in which they become different from what they were originally. Another good thing about this story is that the artist is the talented and under-utilized Chris Sprouse.

There is nothing special about the other two stories, other than that Kyle Baker draws one of them. What is special is the pin-up by Eric Powell (with colors by Dave Stewart). I could stare at a Powell drawing for an hour and not consider that a waste of time.

B