Briefly, the Rocketeer was a stunt pilot who discovered a mysterious jet pack that allowed him to fly. His adventures were set in 1938 Los Angeles and Dave Stevens gave the adventures a retro, nostalgic feel, influenced by, among other things, the old Commando Cody movie serials and pinup diva Bettie Page.

Rocketeer stories appeared as backup features from 1982 to 1995, and were published in Pacific, Eclipse Comics, Comico Comics and Dark Horse Comics. The stories gained a cult following and critical acclaim despite what turned out to be long stretches between story installments.

Walt Disney Pictures released a film version starring Billy Campbell in the title role in 1991. He was very good in the role, and I discovered Jennifer Connelly for the first time in her role of the Rocketeer's girlfriend Jenny, who was modeled after Bettie Page in the comic books. (Jennifer later went on to act in the 'Hulk' movie.)

The movie did not gross a big box office as Disney had expected , coming in only at 47 million domestic, so no sequel was ever filmed.

This is one of my favorite 'comic book' movies, I love seeing the pre-WWII involvement of the USA on film !

 For those interested in the Rocketeer comic books, we have a few in our eBay Featured Store and even more in our eBay Pro Store.