The Rocketeer Turns 40, Celebrates With Anniversary Comic
No matter how old he gets, The Rocketeer will always remain frozen in time, a late 1930s rocket jock at the edge of the Second World War. In the real world, Rocketeer is now 40 years old, and it’s been a wild ride for him. From his humble beginnings in the back of a comic book by Dave Stevens, to his landmark movie deal with Disney, to the movie underperforming and the property getting buried, to the character remaining relevant due to the movie becoming a cult classic anyway…
Point is, The Rocketeer is here to stay, and IDW, who currently holds the print rights, is celebrating with a special anniversary comic: The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition. This fancy reprint of Cliff’s earliest adventures has been unavailable for a long time, but the property turning 40 felt like a good time to bring it back. But it’s not all old stock…
IDW is also celebrating Cliff’s birthday with a never-before-seen Rocketeer comic, The Great Race. It will contain an all-new story as well as an oral history featuring Dave Stevens’s friends, family, and fellow artists (he ain’t around no more).
In The Great Race, stunt pilot Cliff Secord returns to a West Coast steeped in paranoia over the looming war in Europe. Having finally had enough of his near-death scrapes as the high-flying Rocketeer, the only thing in Cliff’s crosshairs is a prestigious, winner-take-all air race that runs from California to France! Maybe it’s finally time to smarten up and fly straight… by taking his best girl Betty to Paris! But other parties want to win the race for their own nefarious ends, and Cliff will need to decide which prize is truly the most valuable of all.
So rocket to your comic shop this April to find The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition, as well as the first issue of The Great Race. As far as Hollywood is concerned, Disney is currently considering a new movie starring a different character in the suit.