Kong Takes On Dinos in The Rocketeer: The Island First Look (Exclusive)

If you’re a ‘90s kid, then you know and love The Rocketeer. Back in 1991, Disney released a live action The Rocketeer movie that, while not a huge box office hit, became a beloved favorites for audiences. But what you might not realize is that the film was based on the superhero of the same name created by Dave Stevens, a superhero with a long history of adventures in comics across the decades. Earlier this year, IDW brought the beloved The Rocketeer back to the pages of comics with The Rocketeer: The Island, featuring a new story inspired by a never-before-published outline by Stevens. It’s proving to be an exciting new series and a hit with fans—sales have soared from issue #3 to issue #4, and now, we have an exclusive look at Kong in issue #3, as well as a first look at the thrilling issue #4 as well!

Written by John Layman with art by Jacob Edgar and color by K.J Diaz, The Rocketeer: The Island is set in 1938 and sees Cliff Secord, a.k.a. The Rocketeer, head off to save Amelia Earhart who disappeared in 1937 on her attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world. However, Cliff’s search and rescue mission turns into something more when the hero ends up on a mysterious island full of surprises. What sort of surprise? Well, Kong. Oh, and did we mention Kong vs. a dinosaur in issue #4?

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The Rocketeer: The Island #3 Sees The Hero Fight His Most Terrifying Enemy Yet (And #4 Is Even Wilder)

The Rocketeer has certainly never faced anything like this before. As you can see in the image above, Kong is an imposing figure—and for The Rocketeer, it’s going to be a race against time. Here’s the official description of Issue #3: “Betty’s been kidnapped for sacrifice! With his girlfriend and another crew member missing, the Rocketeer must race across the island to find and rescue them. But after running into dinosaurs along the way, he’ll need help to understand just what he’s up against. Fortunately, that help arrives in the most unexpected way. Unfortunately, it may be too late because… Kong is coming. The Rocketeer fights his most terrifying enemy yet!

But if you thought the arrival of Kong was a big deal, things only get more intense in issue #4. According to IDW, in issue #4, “Kong has kidnapped Betty, but he must protect her from the only beast on the island scarier than him—a giant T. rex named King Bloodscale! And all the Rocketeer can do is try to keep up! Will there be a new king of the island? Or will Beauty kill the Beast? John Layman and Jacob Edgar bring you a final fight you never saw coming!”

What’s great about The Rocketeer: The Island—and what is obvious from these exclusive looks at the upcoming issues—is that the book is a real labor of love. Layman has previously expressed the joy he’s gotten working on the title, even calling it one of his favorite projects.

“The Rocketeer project has been coming together for the past few months, and I can’t say enough about how much joy I’m getting every time a new page comes in,” Layman said. “Playing in David Stevens’ world, a retro-world of charm, humor, and rocket-fueled adventure, has been an absolute blast. As an artist, Stevens was an absolute virtuoso, and I feel like Rocketeer is an all-time classic comic character — he’s always been one of my favorites. IDW, a publisher I’ve already done work for on some of my very favorite comic projects, has given me another fantastic opportunity to get paid while having fun, while allowing me to honor a vision of a comic book hero of mine and play in a world I’ve loved for decades. Plus, the art and colors by Jacob Edgar and K.J. Diaz are just phenomenal and perfect for the book.”

The Rocketeer: The Island #3 hits shelves on May 27th. The Rocketeer: The Island #4 is out June 24th with final order cutoff May 18th.

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