Envisioned as a love-letter to the pulp heroes of the 1930’s and 40’s, half of the battle with creating a satisfying Rocketeer story is to get that tone right — but for attempting a golden age homage, it’d be tough to draft up a better pairing than Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. So with a project seemed set up to succeed so magnificently from the start, does the duo end up delivering comic fans some sufficiently precious cargo? (Sorry about that.)
Written by Mark Waid
Illustrated by Chris SamneeDave Stevens created the Rocketeer in 1982 and it has proven to be a uniquely enduring Character. Now Cliff Secord and the Rocketeer take to the skies once again as Mark Waid and Chris Samnee spin a yarn in the best tradition of Dave Stevens, bringing us a tale of great adventure, suspense and humor!
A ship docks in Los Angeles harbor from a far-off and exotic locale–with a big, mysterious… and living… cargo! Danger and mayhem abound as our hero leaps into the fray! Plus, we introduce a lovely new character who will be vying against Betty for Cliff’s affections!
In recent years, The Rocketeer has been enjoying some scattershot releases in anthology miniseries from IDW. These anthology stories required nothing more from the reader than the understanding that they’re stories about a guy with a helmet and a jet pack and that things are going to be a little old timey. Thankfully, “The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom” is no different. There’s no complicated baggage and no exposition to wade through to explain who everyone is or where they are in life. This allows the purest aspects of superhero comics to shine: the wonder of a man taking flight, daring rescues, and nefarious villains.
Mark Waid just won a bunch of Eisner awards for his work on Daredevil, where his success was largely due to shaking off the grit of the previously grim tribulations of Matt Murdock and creating a book that was fun to read again. Waid’s personal affinity for the Golden Age can be found in his own work, grinning crusaders and dazzling feats of heroism share the pages with danger and doom. He applies these sensibilities to The Rocketeer to great effect. Pilot Cliff Secord gets but a moment of panel time before he’s asked to perform yet another unlikely rescue as The Rocketeer. It’s classic Rocketeer and it’s meeting expectations.
After the dust settles, Waid gives us brief moments with each of the characters who inhabit Cliff’s life at the air field. Without spoiling anything, this is where the book starts to expand its thematic scope here as Waid begins to drop aspects of a 1930’s “screwball romantic comedy” into the proceedings. Cliff has two women pining for his affections: the young, tomboyish mechanic Sally and the somewhat haughty Betty. This looks to be the major emotional core of the story going forward, but there’s something else going on as well. Cliff struggles with government bureaucracy and economic hardship, a serious theme that is nicely weighed against the freedom he experiences when he’s allowed to take to the sky as the Rocketeer.
Samnee’s clean, cartoony art evokes the Golden Age as well as anyone and is a perfect match for Waid’s reverent take. The choice is too obvious to be a revelation, but Chris Samnee rises to the occasion every time. Whether Cliff is decking a bad guy across the face or sweeping a girl into his arms for a kiss, Samnee captures the moment. The action also incorporates sound effects into the art to great effect – something so wonderfully unique to comic books that you cannot help but take notice when it’s done properly.
If you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned the actual “Cargo of Doom” side of things yet, then I’m afraid it’s because this is the one place where the book loses significant magic. In sum, a master villain of some sort is receiving a mysterious and dangerous cargo when a strange member of the ship’s crew piques his interest. All it ends up amounting to is a mystery for which there is not enough information to speculate much on. The characters in the cargo scenes felt like more of an afterthought when compared to the rich world that Waid and Samnee create for the air field scenes. Even the visual designs of the villains are surprisingly unmemorable, with the main master villain perhaps suffering the most. The book doesn’t feel like it has any threat at all yet.
Mark Waid is finding a mini-rebirth in comics as a purveyor of fresh, crisp takes on characters. Though The Rocketeer wasn’t mired in continuity issues and didn’t need “rebooting”, Waid’s approach works so well that one wishes this were an ongoing book. In truth, this feels like it would be an even better opener if the series were more than four issues. Perhaps then the lack of a compelling villain would be less troubling. Still, if you like the idea of throwback heroes that give dashing smiles as they dart into action and don’t mind the heavy play towards a love-triangle, then I can’t imagine you not getting caught up in this book. The bits with our hero, both costumed and not, are as pure as comic books get.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
