Rocketeer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Rocketeer |
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Cover of Rocketeer Adventures 1 (May 2011 IDW), art by Alex Ross
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Pacific Comics Eclipse Comics Comico Comics Dark Horse Comics IDW Publishing |
| First appearance | Starslayer #2 (April 1982) |
| Created by | Dave Stevens |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Cliff Secord |
| Partnerships | Peevy |
| Notable aliases | The Flying Man, The Rocket Man |
| Abilities | Above-average hand to hand combatant Excellent athlete Highly skilled pilot and marksman Flight via jetpack |
The Rocketeer is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books originally published by Pacific Comics. Created by writer/artist Dave Stevens, the character first appeared in 1982 and is a homage to the Saturday matinee serial heroes from the 1930s through the 1950s.
The Rocketeer's secret identity is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jetpack that allows him to fly. His adventures are set in Los Angeles and New York in 1938, and Stevens gave them a retro, nostalgic feel influenced by the King of the Rocket Men and Commando Cody movie serials (both from Republic Pictures), and pinup diva Bettie Page.
The character was adapted into the 1991 Walt Disney Pictures film The Rocketeer by director Joe Johnston.
Premise
In 1938 Los Angeles, Cliff Secord, a local racing pilot and barnstormer, discovers a rocket pack hidden by two gangsters fleeing the police. When he decides to take it for a spin, his life is turned upside down - in more ways than one!
Background
Allusions
Besides pulp characters, actors of the 1940s and 1950s have also visually inspired two characters: Lothar, the villain in "Cliff's New York Adventure", is based on the likeness of acromegalic horror movie star Rondo Hatton; and Cliff Secord's girlfriend Betty is modeled after "Queen of Pinups" Bettie Page.
A "Rocket Man" character, with a near-identical rocket backpack and similar uniform, appeared in four Republic Pictures movie serials from 1949 through 1953. The fourth serial, originally conceived as a syndicated Republic TV series, was first released under contractual obligation to movie houses as a regular multi-chapter theatrical serial; two years later, it was re-cut with new footage and additional music added and finally syndicated on NBC television stations as twelve 25-minute episodes. The four Republic Rocket Man serials were: King of the Rocket Men (1949), Radar Men from the Moon (1952), Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952), and Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (serial 1953, TV series 1955)
In other media
Film
- Disney produced The Rocketeer in 1991, directed by Joe Johnston, and starring Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino and Tiny Ron Taylor. The film was released on June 21, 1991 and received generally favorable reviews from critics.
- In 2012, Disney was reportedly considering a live-action remake.
Television
- A television series was released on November 8, 2019 on Disney Junior in the United States, and on November 10 on Disney Junior in Canada. The series focuses on a young girl named Kit Secord (voiced by Kitana Turnbull) who receives the family jetpack for her birthday and uses it to protect the town of Hughesville from various villains.
Video games
- The first officially licensed Rocketeer game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in May 1991. It is a side-scrolling action game published and developed by Bandai, and followed the plot of the movie.
Homages
Comic homages
- The character Gabe from the Penny Arcade webcomic confuses the term racketeering with rocketeering as both a satirical jab at a recent event and a tribute to the Rocketeer character.
- Eric Canete's cover for Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin#1 pays homage to the Rocketeer film's Art Deco-style theatrical poster.
