To those who have been paying attention to superhero
fiction, pulp noir or action-adventure films over the past few decades, The
Rocketeer is probably best known as a modestly successful 1991 adventure movie.
Originating during the indie comics boom of the
early 1980s, The Rocketeer debuted as a backup feature in Starslayer #2 from
Pacific Comics (publication date, April 1982). The character was the brainchild
of one of the most talented illustrators to ever work in the comic book medium,
Dave Stevens. Stevens, who had
previously dabbled in comics with cover work and concept design, based
his character on the movie serial
heroes of the 1930's, 40's and 50's. He drew specific inspiration from the
obscure film serials, Commando Cody and the King of the Rocketmen.
Inspired
equally by pulp magazines, movie serials, old Hollywood gangster films and a
general interest in aviation, Dave Stevens steeped his hero deeply in the
period of the 1930’s. Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot and barnstormer in 1938 Los
Angeles, discovers a mysterious jetpack and uses it in a fight against evil and
corruption. The stories featured many famous (yet unnamed for copyright
purposes) faces from the pulp magazine world, including a character who bares
strong resemblance to The Shadow as well as the jetpack’s inventor, an
unidentified Doc Savage. Cliff's girlfriend, Betty, is modeled after pinup
goddess, Bettie Page.
The Dave
Stevens stories, as well as some of the Rocketeer adventures that have come
since the character’s initial run, are some of my favorite stories of all time.
I think the appeal lies in escapist fantasy: the idea of flying and fighting
crooked gangsters with nothing but your wits and a strong sense of morality.
Development
for the film had begun almost immediately when Stevens optioned the rights in
1983. Initial plans fell through until writers Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo
were offered a free option by Stevens. The project went through several phases,
eventually being turned down by every major studio in Hollywood. A low budget
adaptation was also considered until Disney, seeing the potential for
merchandise, accepted a deal.
The
original story from the comics was slightly overhauled and Betty was changed from a pinup model to an actress
named Jenny Blake. The mysterious inventor of the rocket pack went from an
unnamed Doc Savage to the famous aviator, Howard Hughes. The film was
brilliantly cast with Billy Campbell as Secord, Alan Arkin as Peevy, and Jennifer
Connelly as the girlfriend. The film’s baddie, Neville Sinclair, an actor
doubling as a Nazi agent, was played by the incomparable Timothy Dalton. Tiny
Ron Taylor was very impressive as the Lothar character.
The film
bombed at the box office, mainly due to lack of a good marketing campaign as
well as being up against some pretty heavy hitters like Terminator 2:
Judgement Day and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Critical reviews
were mixed but, overall it’s a delightful piece of escapism. Although it takes
some liberties with the source material, this film can be seen as one of the best comic
book adaptations of all time and one of the best comic book movies, pre Marvel
Cinematic Universe.
The Rocketeer is probably the only pulp-inspired
character from modern comics that has carried on past an initial spark of
interest. Since initial publication he has seen the movie adaptation, toys,
video games and more comics (by different authors than Stevens) released by IDW
Publishing. Dave Stevens died tragically in 2008, at the age of 52, after a
long battle with cancer, but talk about a legacy. Pulp adventure characters
don’t seem to be as popular to modern audiences as the better-known superheroes of DC and
Marvel, so what a treat it is that IDW continues to help the character
endure.
Citation
‘http://www.pjfarmer.com/secret/marvelous/ironman.htm’.
‘http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/958/958239p1.html’.
2010.
