The Rocketeer: The Island #4
(W) Dave Stevens, John Layman (A) Jacob Edgar
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!
The Rocketeer: The Island #3
(W) Dave Stevens, John Layman (A) Jacob Edgar
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!
The Rocketeer: The Island #2
(W) Dave Stevens, John Layman (A) Jacob Edgar
In 1937, Amelia Earhart went missing on her flight around the world. One year later, the Rocketeer is on a mission to find and rescue her!
After a rocky voyage, the Rocketeer and his crew dock on a mysterious island in the area where Amelia was last heard from. Immediately, they discover strange creatures that could just be real-life dinosaurs! Well, facing giant carnivorous monsters has to be better than staying on the ship with Betty and her cheesecake photographer, Marco… right?
John Layman (Chew, Spawn: The Scorched) and Jacob Edgar (Plastic Man: No More, The Ones) continue their thrilling new series based on a story by Dave Stevens!
Everyone’s favorite Flying Man is going undercover. Soaring into comic shops on July 8 is The Rocketeer: Infiltrator! from acclaimed creators Gabriel Hardman and Dean Kotz. During the height of World War II, Allied planes mysteriously explode midair and rumors spread of a Nazi superweapon. Cliff Secord, aka The Rocketeer, and actress Betty Paige will go undercover in an exciting espionage tale that will leave fans of Dave Stevens’ beloved franchise captivated.
The Rocketeer: Infiltrator #1 features covers by Gabriel Hardman, Dave Stevens, Dean Kotz, Joe Quinones, and Eric Britton.
The Rocketeer: The Island #1
(W) Dave Stevens, John Layman (A) Jacob Edgar
The Rocketeer returns to save Amelia Earhart in a brand-new story by creator Dave Stevens!
The year is 1938, and Cliff Secord (A.K.A. the Rocketeer) is recruited to lead a search and rescue mission. The mission? Find Amelia Earhart! Considering a year has passed since the famous pilot went missing, the Rocketeer is hesitant at first — that is, until he learns the expedition is to the same island Betty ran off to with the scummy photographer Marco! The Rocketeer will have to uncover the secret of the century’s greatest mystery while trying to win back his girlfriend. But what else awaits him on the island?
Beloved writer John Layman (Chew, Titans) and artistic powerhouse Jacob Edgar (Plastic Man: No More, The Ones) team up to tell the wildest Rocketeer story ever, based on a never-published outline by Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens!
The classic high-flying masked hero is reaching new heights in his wildest story ever next year. The Rocketeer: The Island launches in February from Eisner Award-winning writer John Layman, blockbuster artist Jacob Edgar and visionary colorist K.J. Díaz. Inspired by a never-published outline by The Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens, this all-new adventure brings readers back to 1938 as Cliff Secord, a.k.a. The Rocketeer, returns to save Amelia Earhart! But this search and rescue mission brings the fan-favorite hero to a mysterious island that is full of surprises.
The Rocketeer: The Island #1 goes on sale February 25. Fans have until January 19 to pre-order at comic shops to guarantee their copy of the debut issue. In addition to the covers above, there will also be a blank variant and an RI 1:50 variant by Nick Bradshaw.
The Rocketeer Deluxe: The Complete Adventures
(W) Dave Stevens (A/CA) Dave Stevens
In Shops: Nov 23, 2022
SRP: $100.00
Take flight with Cliff and Betty in this beautiful oversized collection that features the original complete comics saga!
This long-out-of-print collection, and Eisner-award winner for best design, features the entire Rocketeer saga by Dave Stevens, plus more than 100 pages of supplemental material-sketches, prelims, and tons more-giving new insight into the artist’s thought processes as he was developing The Rocketeer! And all wrapped up in a lovely slipcase!
Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer burst onto the shelves of comic book shops 40 years ago! This beautifully illustrated and charming story features the adventures of down-and-out stunt pilot Cliff Secord after he finds an experimental jetpack. With the help of his closest friend and confidante Peevy, and the support (mostly) of his beautiful girlfriend Betty, Cliff takes to the skies in 1938 Los Angeles. Intrigue abounds as Cliff finds himself fighting enemy spies and nefarious criminals, all the while trying to keep his personal life with Betty from being waylaid by his double-life as The Rocketeer!
Dave Stevens The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition
(W) Dave Stevens (A/CA) Dave Stevens
In Shops: Apr 27, 2022
SRP: $150.00
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the debut of The Rocketeer in comics with this beautiful book showcasing the art of one of the masters of the!
In April of 1982, The Rocketeer debuted as a backup feature from Pacific Comics. From those humble beginnings the artistry of Dave Stevens caught the imaginations of countless readers and became a worldwide sensation, even being turned into a big-budget feature film! And in 2010 when IDW launched its award-winning Artist’s Edition series, The Rocketeer was the inaugural release, even winning two coveted Eisner Awards that year. The book quickly sold out and went into a second printing. Now, more than ten years later, is soaring back with a new 40th anniversary printing.
As with all Artist’s Editions, the pages reproduced in this book have been meticulously scanned from the original art. Readers will be able to peruse these pages and see all the quirks and nuances that make original art so unique-blue pencil notations, white out, gradients in the ink, and so much more. Unless you were looking over Dave’s shoulder as he painstakingly drew these pages, this is your best chance to see the art of The Rocketeer as close to the originals as possible!
The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit devoted to promoting the art of comic book inking, has announced the winners of their lifetime achievement awards, The Joe Sinnott Hall Of Fame and The Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA).
Winners of the SASRA, in alphabetical order, are Gene Day, George Pérez, John Severin, and Dave Stevens.
Gene Day’s widow, Gale Erslavas, shared the following statement:
Gene was always practicing his inking style because he said an inker could make or break the comic book process. A good inker could make a mediocre penciller great and a bad one could ruin the pencils. I know I’m biased because I thought Gene was a great inker, but I believed his pencils were even better…I am very pleased to receive this lifetime achievement award, one that recognizes Gene’s work in the artform of inking. I can only wonder had Gene not died how much more he would have accomplished. I truly believe he would have reached the stars and beyond. Thank you so much!
In December, 2021, George Pérez publicly announced that he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and would be living out his final months connecting with and/or visiting community friends and fans while time allows. George could not be reached for comment but Jess Harrold, author of The Marvel Art of George Pérez, made the following statement:
This award is far from the first George has received, and it won‘t be the last, but I have no doubt it will mean a great deal to him…George knows the value of a good inker. He is effusive in his praise of those who, early in his career, made him a better artist, and those who, as time went on, were able to match him for sheer enthusiasm, hard work and painstaking detail. As an inker of other pencillers, George brings all of that to the table, with an innate recognition of comic books as a unique medium of collaboration. He will elevate your artwork to the best it can be – and you know he absolutely will not skip a single line. And when Pérez inks Pérez? Hold onto your hats…George Pérez is a true Titan.
John Severin’s daughters, Michelina Severin Van Gemert and Ruth Severin Larenas, made the following announcement not just for John but also for his sister, 2019 SASRA recipient Marie Severin, because the Inkwells did not have contact info for the estate at the time:
On behalf of the family of John Severin and Marie Severin we are very proud and honored to accept this Inkwell Awards SASRA lifetime achievement award for them. They were both pioneers in the comic book industry and we wish to thank everyone involved in bestowing this well-deserved award…Our Dad’s career spanned 60-plus years. He was referred to as an ‘artist’s artist’ known for his historical knowledge and accuracy, especially in western and military genres.
Our Aunt Marie was a pioneer, being one of the first female creators in the comic-book industry; a mentor and encouragement to future women comic-book artists. Her career spanned 50-plus years…Her talent became obvious, and she began to do pencilling and inking for Marvel Comics, with a knack for caricature…She also was a colorist, artist and inker for EC Comics, DC, Atlas and Dark Horse.
Both John and Marie Severin (Dad and Aunt Marie), despite their enormous successes in the industry, were modest and charmingly unpretentious people, who would have been both grateful and humbled by this award. Our family appreciates the Inkwells for this and we extend our warm thanks.
Dave Stevens’ sister and trustee of The Rocketeer Trust, Jennifer Stevens-Bawcum, made the following statement on behalf of her brother:
I would like to thank the Inkwell Awards’ nomination committee for this posthumous award to Dave. Thank you for keeping his memory alive and acknowledging the phenomenal talent that he possessed. His talent was apparent even in his teenage years without any professional training…Flawless is an understatement as I still am taken aback when I look at his work. I know that he touched many lives and inspired many to enter into the art field or continue in it when doubts crept in. He left an indelible mark on the world and we are the richer for it. Thank you again!
This year there are two new recipients of the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award: Brett Breeding and Bob Wiacek.
Brett Breeding said:
Thank you to everyone who voted for me for this year‘s Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award. I am humbled and honored to receive it…I was given the opportunity to work for Joe as his background assistant, and though it only lasted a short time, it provided me the chance to meet and visit Joe…one of the biggest thrills of my early days in comics… I think of him frequently and carry a small part of him with me every time I sit at my drawing board and start dipping ink. Having an award that carries his name will be a daily reminder of this giant of a man. I could not be more honored.
Bob Wiacek said:
Having known Joe Sinnott since 1968, I never thought I’d be receiving an award in his name, and for that I thank you. Though there are others who deserve this award more than I, like Reed Crandall, Bob Powell, George Roussos, and Bernie Sachs, who perfected the art of inking in their own way. If not for them and many others in this business, I would not have the job I love. I must also take this opportunity to thank Dick Giordano for giving me the chance to work with him and, more importantly, for opening my eyes as to what inking is all about. Thank you, Dick, and I will never forget you.
On behalf of the Joe Sinnott Estate, son Mark Sinnott said:
We are delighted and honored to welcome the two newest recipients of the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame award…Both have contributed so much inking talent to the comics industry throughout their illustrious careers. They both have certainly improved upon and enhanced the work of many pencillers…They both bring a world of talent and class, and are two of the nicest guys in the comics industry. I am proud to call them my friends. Joltin’ Joe would also be so proud of them, knowing that they have been selected as the newest members of this elite group. As always, keep slinging ink and never let your inkwell run dry. Congratulations on a fantastic career, Brett and Bob, and a job well done.
Full acceptance statements and information on both awards are at the Inkwell Awards‘ website.
This April, IDW Publishing invites pulp adventure fans on a trans-Atlantic journey in The Rocketeer: The Great Race! A brand-new four-issue comic book miniseries commemorating 40 years of Dave Stevens’ iconic hero, The Great Race soars to stratospheric storytelling heights courtesy of New York Times bestselling writer/artist Stephen Mooney!
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.
As an additional bonus, each issue of The Rocketeer: The Great Race will contain an oral history featuring Dave Stevens’s friends, family, and fellow artists, all culled together by Kelvin Mao, the director of the forthcoming documentary on the beloved artist!
The debut issue of The Rocketeer: The Great Race will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, including Cover A by Gabriel Rodríguez, Cover B by Stephen Mooney himself, a Blank Sketch edition for Cover C, and a Retailer Incentive edition featuring virgin artwork by Rodríguez.
April 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of The Rocketeer’s debut as a backup feature in 1982’s Starslayer #2. In addition to The Great Race, IDW will celebrate “Rocketeer Month” with an encore release of Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition, a new printing of the inaugural release in IDW’s multiple award-winning Artist’s Edition line. Long out of print, this completely redesigned reissue of the long-out-of-print Artist’s Edition reproduces an integral work of comics history, meticulously scanned from the original art.
