ROCKETEER, THE 515
promote readership of comic books by women and the participation of women in
the comic book industry.
See also: Feminism
Selected Bibliography: Robbins, Trina. A Century of Women Cartoonists. Northamp-
ton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1993; Robbins, Trina. Th e Great Women Superheroes.
Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1997; Robbins, Trina. From Girls to Grrrlz:
A History of Women’s Comics from Teens to Zines. San Francisco: Chronicle Books,
1999; Robbins, Trina. Th e Great Women Cartoonists. New York: Watson-Guptill,
2001; Robbins, Trina. Th e Brinkley Girls: Th e Best of Nell Brinkley’s Cartoons from
1913–1940. Seattle: Fantagraphics, 2009.
Fredrik Strömberg
ROCKETEER, THE. Created in 1982 for Pacifi c Comics by writer/artist Dave Stevens ,
the Rocketeer is the alter ego of stunt pilot Cliff Secord, who is able to fl y with the
aid of a high-tech rocket pack. Th e character’s physical appearance was based on the
creator. However, there were obvious infl uences from other sources. Inspired by cliff -
hanger movie serials of the 1940s, the narrative drew on numerous infl uences. Doc
Savage served as the inspiration for the nameless inventor of the rocket pack. Th e look
of pin-up queen Bette Page inspired the character of Secord’s girlfriend Betty. Ste-
vens’s friend and aesthetic inspiration Doug Wildey, creator of Jonny Quest , was the
basis for Secord’s friend and mentor Peavey. Stevens completed two Rocketeer stories,
the original eponymous story and Cliff ’s New York Adventure. Th ough not named, Th e
Shadow and his cadre are the catalysts of the second story. In the second storyline,
Lothar is modeled on actor Rondo Hatton, who also appears in the 1991 Disney fi lm
adaptation of the series. Also in the second storyline, the magician Th e Great Orsinio
is based on Orson Welles. Eclipse Comics serialized and collected the fi rst story, and
Comico published the second as a miniseries, later collected by Dark Horse. After the
fi rst book was adapted to fi lm by Disney Studios in 1991, a graphic novel adaptation of
the fi lm was published by Hollywood Comics, written by Peter David and illustrated by
Russ Heath. David authored a prose novelization of the fi lm as well.
Th e fi rst narrative begins with Secord as a down-on-his-luck stunt fl yer. After a
stolen rocket pack is stashed in his plane, he is thrust into a series of adventures involving
Nazis , government agents, and organized crime. Th e fi rst storyline of two is set in 1938
California, and uses the vehicle of the air show as a framework for adventure. Origi-
nally running as a backup story in Mike Grell’s Starslayer , the series took advantage
of its backup feature format to set up cliff hanger endings. Within this framework, the
Rocketeer fl ew onto crashing planes, fought his way out of experimental aircraft piloted
by Nazis, and escaped a hospital bed to run in search of his lady love — the stuff of
true adventure. Th e fi rst storyline off ered an open-ended conclusion. As it proved quite
popular, a second story was begun.
