2022 marks the 40th anniversary of Dave Stevens’ iconic hero The Rocketeer, and IDW Publishing has announced that it will celebrate the occasion with The Rocketeer: The Great Race, a four issue limited series from New York Times bestselling writer and artist Stephen Mooney.
“Writing and drawing a Rocketeer book has long been somewhat of a bucket-list item for me,” states Mooney. “I grew up on Dave Stevens’ unique blend of swashbuckling derring-do and pulpy adventure with Cliff, Betty, and Peevy, and those seminal issues still stand today as one of my favorite series of all time. It’s incredibly daunting and yet also fantastically thrilling and a real challenge. Let’s take to the skies!”
“Stephen Mooney has a love and affinity for The Rocketeer, and the time period the iconic character inhabits… all of which is abundantly evident in the story he has crafted,” adds editor Scott Dunbier. “It’s a fun-filled romp, one I think Dave Stevens would enjoy!”
In The Great Race, stunt pilot Cliff Secord returns to a West Coast steeped in paranoia over the looming war in Europe. Having finally had enough of his near-death scrapes as the high-flying Rocketeer, the only thing in Cliff’s crosshairs is a prestigious, winner-take-all air race that runs from California to France! Maybe it’s finally time to smarten up and fly straight… by taking his best girl Betty to Paris! But other parties want to win the race for their own nefarious ends, and Cliff will need to decide which prize is truly the most valuable of all.
The Rocketeer: The Great Race will launch in April.