Dave Stevens The Rocketeer

[Kit Walker]

If anyone is interested in The Rocketeer, a new compilation of the comics will come out this month.  The Deluxe Edition looks like a nice addition to a Pulp library.     I was fortunate to preorder a copy and save some cost.  There is a nice preview at this site. 


http://ryalltime.blogspot.com/2009/12/rocket-science.html

[silvana]

Nice looking book. The recolouring looks great, I didn't preorder it as it was a bit pricey.
mmm... I'II have to save my pennies. Thanks for posting the link.

[Schweizer]

I was really excited to hear about this - I'm anxious to see the new colors, too - the colorist is local, and she's very good, but I liked the original colors, and am hoping this one won't be too over-rendered.

[Svennn]

That looks gorgeous but far too pricey for me

[archangel1]

I'm always a bit surprised at what people consider 'too pricey'.  $50 CDN for a 248 page, colour, slip-cased book seems quite reasonable to me.  Of course, in my case, I very seldom quibble about the price of books anymore.  I may hesitate but I usually end up purchasing them anyway.  I've seen too many treasures really go out of reach of my pocketbook because I wouldn't pay what I thought was a high original price.  Besides, purchasing items such as books or DVD's through a dealer like Amazon has really saved me a fair bit of cash lately.  There are some excellent deals out there, especially when combined with their 'Free Shipping' policies.  Delivery within 2 or 3 days ain't bad, either!

(Just added Rocketeer to my Amazon Wish List.  Maybe by Christmas...)

[pierrebi]

DAVE STEVENS (1955 - 2008) ... R.I.P.

is there any Betty PAge 28mm miniature?

[Westfalia Chris]

DAVE STEVENS (1955 - 2008) ... R.I.P.

is there any Betty PAge 28mm miniature?

Limited Edition by Black Cat Bases

[Heldrak]

DAVE STEVENS (1955 - 2008) ... R.I.P.

I didn't know that Dave Stevens was dead... What a shame.

The original Rocketeer was indeed a great comic, although re-colorization is probably a good idea for the earliest strips that were published in Pacific Comics Presents, etc. The printing and color on those was fairly abysmal.

I always thought that the movie was vastly underrated as well. IIRC it had the misfortune to come out in the trough between two other big blockbuster movies and it never got the critical regard or the box office that it deserved.

[archangel1]

I didn't know that Dave Stevens was dead... What a shame.

It's a great shame, considering how much of a hell the last part of his life must have been.  His leukemia was a very rare, very virulent strain and part of his treatment consisted of transfusions of whole blood.  Unfortunately, this resulted in a buildup of excess iron which further weakened his heart and other organs.  Add that to his chemo and fluid-filled lungs that had to be drained and it's surprising he was able to retain his spirit and dignity as long as he did.

I always thought that the movie was vastly underrated as well.

Agreed! Imagine being released between Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves (another underrated movie IMHO - Alan Rickman was brilliant!) and Terminator II:Judgement Day! No wonder Disney washed their hands of it.  Fortunately, it has become a Cult Classic and continues to do well in that circuit.

[Kit Walker]

I'm disappointed - according to Dave Stevens' autobiography - he helped work on a Special Edition Anniversary DVD, with extra footage and a lot of "behind the scenes" featurettes. BUT Disney dropped the planned release at the last minute.  Too bad, I would have liked to have seen that. 

[Doc Savage]

I hadn't heard about the special edition DVD... Too bad because the movie really holds up well.

[moif]

Looks good to me

[silvana]

I just picked up my copy for $90 Australian. It's a great book, good quality colour reproductions. Nice additional material within the extra pages at the back of the book, larger slipcase edition. Coloured and bound well.
If you are a Rocketeer fan don't hesitate even though I still feel it's a little pricey over this side of the world.

[Heldrak]

I happened to glance through a copy at the comic book store yesterday and I can echo Silvana's endorsement. The re-colored early chapters are gorgeous and done to an exacting standard. While there isn't a ton of new material for those that may already have one of the hard-to-find older collections, it's well worth the investment. you really couldn't ask for a better pulp story.