Writer: Stephen Mooney
Art and Colors: David Messina
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Cover Art: Gabriel Rodriguez
Publisher: IDW
Price: $ 4.99
Release Date: July 12, 2023
Reviewed by: Samriddh Chaudhary
After the events of “The Great Race” Cliff Secord hung his busted Rocket Pack for good and decided to spend more time with his beloved Betty Paige. Behind the Scenes, an Elite band of Nazis try to develop their very own fleet of Rocketeers. The Rocketeer: Into the Den of Thieves #1 is an intimate look into Cliff Secord’s life after The Great Race and a nosedive into the schemes of a Shadowy group of Nazis.
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The Dispatch
The Rocketeer: Into the Den of Thieves #1 may be low on some classic Rocketeer action but is heavy on its charm. The issue can be divided into two halves. One Half focuses on Cliff Secord’s life after his great adventure in Paris and the other half focuses on a group of Nazis attempting to create their own Jet Pack technology. By the end of the issue, both of these halves converge leading to a well-crafted cliffhanger. The writers haven’t explored any character in much depth yet. We have only come to an understanding of Cliff’s current mindset. Multiple pages are dedicated to giving us a peak into the relationship between Betty and Cliff to show that their bond is stronger than ever.
The series hasn’t revealed much of its cards as of now but by the end of the issue, it’s obvious that Cliff Secord will have to return as The Rocketeer to deal with this new Nazi threat. I do feel that modern comics of The Rocketeer focus so much on the fact that The Rocketeer fights Nazis that they forget the fact that he has fought villains that weren’t Nazi spies or full-blown Nazis. A change of pace with a new and different kind of villain could be quite refreshing.
The Art
The Art is extremely clean. Each page is stylized to the brim as almost all of them have frames that enhance the look of the issue. Each of the characters are drawn beautifully and their designs are eye-catching. The art is so clean that it seems it lacks the strong pulp aesthetic that a comic starring The Rocketeer should have. But, overall the art of the comic does instill the sort of excitement that a pulp comic aims to evoke in its audience.
Final Thoughts
The Rocketeer: Into the Den of Thieves #1 offers a charming and intimate portrayal of Cliff Secord’s post-adventure life while introducing a new Nazi threat. The issue strikes a balance between exploration of Cliff’s personal life and plot development, culminating in a well-crafted cliffhanger. The art, though clean and visually appealing, may lack the traditional pulp aesthetic associated with The Rocketeer. Nonetheless, the comic succeeds in generating excitement and anticipation for the protagonist’s inevitable return to action.