After last year’s 40th anniversary celebration, IDW is returning to the world of Dave Stevens’s The Rocketeer — but unfortunately it’s just for a one-shot. The good news is that the one-shot in question is an anthology that brings together some big-name talent, and one of the stories actually takes place within the world of the 1991 movie, with a from the film’s screenwriters, Danny Bilson and the late Paul De Meo (if those names are familiar to you, it may be because they developed the 1990 The Flash TV show, and also wrote some comics together).
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The development of this new Rocketeer comic project began during the making of the documentary Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection, when filmmaker Kelvin Mao discovered that Bilson and De Meo had written an unpublished Rocketeer comic book story guest starring aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. Mao, along with the film’s executive producer Robert Windom, approached superstar Adam Hughes to illustrate the tale, and the project evolved into a celebratory one-shot anthology edited by Scott Dunbier.
“What an amazing gift born out of making Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection! It’s been a singular privilege collaborating with some of Dave’s longtime pals on a bona fide Rocketeer comic,” Mao said in a press release.
“The Amelia story was written by Paul and me as a tribute to Dave. Now it serves as a tribute to both of them,” added Bilson. “We’re very honored to have Adam bring it to life.”
“The Rocketeer, my favorite flying hero, has got a dish of a girlfriend, an unnecessarily cool outfit, and great hair. You’d hate someone like that in real life, but as a comic book character, he’s aces!” said Hughes.
The Rocketeer one-shot includes the aforementioned eight-page story by Bilson, De Meo, and Hughes, along with some other star-studded stories, including a 12-page story of Cliff Secord’s date night with Betty leading to trouble with a character IDW describes as “a vaguely familiar adventurer/archeologist,” so we’re assuming there’s a whip and a fedora involved. That one is written by Mao, drawn by Craig Cermak (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), and colored by award-winning Laura Martin. The book will also include a four-page story of the Rocketeer fighting a Japanese Zero in the South Pacific, written by Robert Windom (Seven Sons), drawn by the fan favorite Jae Lee (Batman/Superman), and colored by June Chung; pinups by Phil Noto (Black Widow) and Maria Laura Sanapo; and more!
“The short story that Jae and I created is intended to be a dreamy contemplation on life and love, but with some great Rocketeer action and Betty, of course! Jae’s ethereal style is a perfect fit for it,” said Windom.
“It was a huge honor contributing art for this project,” said Lee. “Dave Stevens has been an inspiration to me since I first saw his work. He’s captured the beauty of a time period that is forever golden.”
“As a fan of Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer since day one, I’m thrilled to see this book come to life,” Dunbier said. “Bilson & De Meo, Mao, and Windom have all captured the feel of Cliff, Betty, Peevy, and the rest. And the art… To quote a famous Rocketeer page…’WOW!’”
The Rocketeer one-shot will be available in comic book stores in May, and as you can expect with any event book like this, will ship with several variant covers — including Cover A by Adam Hughes, Cover B by Locke & Key artist extraordinaire Gabriel Rodríguez, and two special retailer incentive “Full Art” variants of the Hughes and Rodríguez art respectively.
