PDF The Rocketeer The Complete Adventures Dave Stevens Carrie Spiegle Laura Martin Books

Product details Hardcover 144 pages Publisher IDW Publishing (December 29, 2009) Language English ISBN-10 1600105386

The Rocketeer The Complete Adventures Dave Stevens Carrie Spiegle Laura Martin Books Reviews

• THE ROCKETEER is my favorite comic book hero film. If you've seen the movie , you'll find that Dave Stevens' Rocketeer, being the inspiration, is edgier and darker than the Disney film. In the book, Cliff Secord is a bit of a brash jerk, and Betty is not the sweet and innocent young beauty as portrayed by Jennifer Connelly in the movie. Also missing is the Errol Flynn - inspired villain , superbly played by Timothy Dalton.
  That being said, Dave Stevens' incredible artwork and storyline in his book have to be enjoyed as a separate entity, and a masterpiece of 1930's /40's pulp fiction fantasy. If you're familiar with the era and literature of the times, you'll really enjoy this.
• I'm probably in the minority here, but if it hadn't been for the 1991 Disney movie, I would never have heard of "The Rocketeer." The movie caught my eye because of my childhood fascination with television's black-and-white Saturday morning hero Commando Cody, who battled bad guys wearing a leather jacket, a bullet-shaped helmet and a rocket pack strapped to his back. Commando Cody's lineage went back to three old Republic serials "King of the Rocket Men" (1949), "Radar Men From The Moon" (1952) and "Zombies of the Stratosphere" (1952). But there was another side to "The Rocketeer" that I did not learn about until recently. I had not realized that the character created by the late Dave Stevens was featured sporadically in a little-known series of comic books from 1982 through 1995. "The Rocketeer The Complete Deluxe Edition" collects all of Mr. Stevens' superb work, plus hundreds of sketches, notes and preliminary layouts, into a single heavy, oversized, visually stunning volume.
  
  Simply put, this is a remarkable treasure. Housed in a sturdy, eye-catching slipcase and with a handy ribbon place-marker, the book itself is exceptionally well made and of extremely high quality. The covers are solid and strong, the binding is tight, the pages are thick and glossy, and the colors and production values of the artwork printed on them are the best I have ever seen in any book--period. The page size allows the artwork to be printed quite large, which, with the minimal margins, shows off the incredible details and intricacies of Mr. Stevens' work to best advantage. This is truly a volume to enjoy and to savor over many readings. The craftsmanship of the drawings, the meticulous line work, the amazing coloring--all create a visual feast for the eye that gets better every time you look at it. This is a book that is sure to get better over time.
  
  Roughly half of the pages in the Deluxe Edition consist of photographs, pencil sketches, yellow-legal-pad pages of Mr. Stevens' notes, storyboards, uncolored final drawings, conceptual layouts and so on. These "extras" provide a fascinating glimpse into the creative process that Mr. Stevens went through to develop his stories and characters. While they may not be of interest to casual readers who just want to read the finished stories, and who may thus choose to purchase "The Rocketeer The Complete Collection," I found them to be a good "value-added" feature well worth the additional cost.
  
  If you have the slightest interest at all in "The Rocketeer," I most highly recommend this book without hesitation. You'll not only be satisfied with it; you'll be overwhelmed.
• While I was vaguely aware that the Rocketeer was originally a comic, my main acquaintance was through the 1991 film (which is actually pretty good). I spied the Complete Adventures at a comic book store in Boulder but held off for reasons I can't recall. I'm glad I did because not too long after I noticed the Deluxe Edition on . No doubt IDW publishers wanted to do for Dave Stevens' classic work what DC does in their Absolute editions (I own quite a few of those). I had glimpsed the art work in the smaller version and decided to take a chance on the Deluxe Edition. And if a comics creator and subject deserved the deluxe treatment, Dave Stevens is definitely the one.
  
  I'm glad I did. It goes without saying that The Rocketeer Deluxe Edition is a fine tribute to both creator and artist extraordinaire Dave Stevens as well as his creation. This edition is bursting with roughs and an outline of the work that Stevens had in mind. This should be a must own for the serious comic art enthusiast. Then there's the oversized glory of the Rocketeer stories themselves. With the oversized format, one can appreciate the high level of craft Stevens brought to his work. It wouldn't surprise me if he labored intensely over even the most trivial of details because it shows in his fabulous art.
  
  If you loved the Rocketeer, then this is a must have. 5 stars!
• A pulp classic. The Rocketeer is a fictional character, a superhero created by writer-illustrator Dave Stevens. In 1982, Mr. Stevens showed a great storytelling ability and a great love for all things old and vintage in his Rocketeer series. He pays tribute to the best pulp fiction with references to old Hollywood films, Bettie Paige, The Shadow, Doc Savage and other pulpy storytelling devices like Nazis and the mob.
  
  This collection features all of Dave Stevens Rocketeer work (8 issues) and is appropriately titled Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer, The Complete Adventures, which is the standard trade hardcover edition. It contains new coloring by Laura Martin, who had been chosen by Dave Stevens prior to his death.
  
  This is what the wonderfully visual and action packed movie is based on. No comics collection is complete without this masterpiece!