Review: The Rocketeer - In The Den of Thieves #2

One of my favourite pulp heroes makes a welcome return to the racks this month, though somewhere along the way I may have missed an issue. Guess thats the problem when for some characters, they are always reaching for the sky!

Cliff has given up the Rocketeer in order to commit himself to Betty and the airfield. Though with memories of the “greatest adventure” fresh in his mind, he may be missing out on a totally different adventure entirely! To make matters worse, Peevy has gone missing, taken by Nazi’s! Now with no rocket pack and no help to speak of, how is Cliff going to save his best friend, beat the Nazi’s and keep his girl?

Stephen Mooney continues to plumb the depths and tones of this classic hero, with writing wise at least, in a manner that is evocative of the great Dave Stevens. Mooney demonstrates his understanding of the character and his universe, ensuring that the beats of previous books and the movie are met with familiar tropes in play. Would I like to see a more confident Cliff? Yes I would? Would I like to see more understanding from Betty? Yes I would. This then is the fine line that Mooney has to thread; does he go for nostalgia or for something new? One way out of this story telling pickle is to introduce new characters and feed them into the established crew, which is the stance that Mooney has taken.

The art and colors are provided by David Messina who tries hard to bring the classic pulp style to the fore, and in places he succeeds; in others though there is a disconnect that catches the eye. For example, Messina tris to give Betty the Bettie Page look, as others have done in the past; it works for the face put lacks details in the frame. Maybe more fishnets or thigh highs? Seriously though there is enough of the classic 30’s vibe to carry the art. Messina’s colors are solid, in a four color way. Bold colors gives the book a bright and vibrant feel. Finally, Shawn Lee deals with the verbiage well, given that there is plenty of story points to cover, never impacting on the pace of the story.

IDW continues to put a lot of effort into their licensed projects and products, pleasing fans of their specific favourite genre, be it Trek the Rockeeter and those that fall in-between.

Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Written by; Stephen Mooney
Art & colors by; David Messina
Letters by; Shawn Lee
Published by; IDW Publishing

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network