Indie Comics Spotlight: The Rocketeer

Today's episode is brought to you by Reburn. Please, treat yourself and get a copy of this brilliant indie comic.

The Rocketeer

"Using the stolen rocket-pack for the first time, racing pilot Cliff Secord has taken to the skies - in a desperate bid to save the life of a fellow flyer!" - from the opening of chapter 2, on page 19

That breathless style of narration and the accompanying first-rate illustrations (to wit: just look at that striking action hero pose adorning the cover . . . which is incredibly misleading, because his pistol-packing scenes last for a single scant page) ought to help in making The Rocketeer - possibly best remembered these days from the very good 1991 live-action film version by Disney, done in the vein of the Indiana Jones series - a sky-blazing success. However, I was disappointed by this book - it's one of those rare cases where the movie inspired by it is much better! The titular character is a dork who usually lucks into being heroic rather than, you know, actually being solid hero material. The two stories were subpar (they were supposed to be connected, but the second one confusingly heads off in another direction after an obligatory origin tale) and the so-called humor seemed forced most of the time. The sole saving grace? Said 'hero's girlfriend was drawn to resemble the real-life pin-up queen Bettie Page. However, a pretty face was not enough to save the day in this case.