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'The Rocketeer: The Great Race' Celebrates 40th Years of High-Flying Adventurer

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This April, IDW invites pulp adventure fans on a trans-Atlantic journey in The Rocketeer: The Great Race! A brand-new four-issue comic book miniseries commemorating 40 years of Dave Stevens’ iconic hero, The Great Race soars to stratospheric storytelling heights courtesy of New York Times bestselling writer/artist Stephen Mooney!

“Writing and drawing a Rocketeer book has long been somewhat of a bucket-list item for me. 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,”  says Mooney. “It's incredibly daunting and yet also fantastically thrilling and a real challenge. Let's take to the skies!”

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.

As an additional bonus, each issue of The Rocketeer: The Great Race will contain an oral history featuring Dave Stevens’s friends, family, and fellow artists, all culled together by Kelvin Mao, the director of the forthcoming documentary on the beloved artist!

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 “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,” says editor Scott Dunbier. “It’s a fun-filled romp, one I think Dave Stevens would enjoy!”

The debut issue of The Rocketeer: The Great Race will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, including Cover A by Gabriel Rodríguez (of Locke & Key fame), Cover B by Stephen Mooney himself, a Blank Sketch edition for Cover C (which fans can illustrate themselves, or ask their favorite artists to draw), and a Retailer Incentive edition featuring virgin artwork by Rodríguez.

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April 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of The Rocketeer’s debut as a backup feature in 1982’s Starslayer #2. In addition to The Great Race, IDW will celebrate “Rocketeer Month” with an encore release of Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition, a new printing of the inaugural release in IDW’s multiple award-winning Artist’s Edition line. Long out of print, this completely redesigned reissue of the long-out-of-print Artist’s Edition reproduces an integral work of comics history, meticulously scanned from the original art.

Keep an eye on PREVIEWSworld.com's TwitterFacebook, or Instagram for more! 

IDW PUBLISHING
ROCKETEER THE GREAT RACE #1 (OF 4) CVR A GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ
(W) Stephen Mooney (A) Stephen Mooney (CA) Gabriel Rodriguez
CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VERY FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE ROCKETEER!

Ace stunt pilot Cliff Secord has returned from his New York Adventure 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 The Great Race: 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.
  
BONUS FEATURE: Each issue will contain an oral history-featuring Dave Stevens's friends, family and fellow artists-all culled together by Kelvin Mao, longtime friend of Stevens's and the director of the forthcoming documentary on the beloved artist!
In Shops: Apr 06, 2022
SRP: $4.99
PREVIEWS Page #122

IDW PUBLISHING
ROCKETEER THE GREAT RACE #1 (OF 4) CVR B STEPHEN MOONEY
(W) Stephen Mooney (A/CA) Stephen Mooney
CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VERY FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE ROCKETEER!

Ace stunt pilot Cliff Secord has returned from his New York Adventure 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 The Great Race: 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.
  
BONUS FEATURE: Each issue will contain an oral history-featuring Dave Stevens's friends, family and fellow artists-all culled together by Kelvin Mao, longtime friend of Stevens's and the director of the forthcoming documentary on the beloved artist!
In Shops: Apr 06, 2022
SRP: $4.99
PREVIEWS Page #122

DIAMOND SELECT TOYS LLC
DISNEY SELECT CLASSIC ROCKETEER AF
In Shops: Mar 04, 2020
SRP: $29.99

MEGO CORPORATION
MEGO ROCKETEER 8IN AF
From Mego. When he discovers a hidden jet pack, stunt pilot Cliff Secord becomes the high flying hero knows as The Rocketeer. Officially licensed and fully poseable, these dress-able figures feature 14 points of articulation and highly detailed fabric outfits! Standing about 8" tall, they come packaged with character specific accessories in a retro style blister card.
In Shops: Dec 22, 2021
SRP: $16.99

DIAMOND SELECT TOYS LLC
ROCKETEER PREMIER COLLECTION STATUE
A Diamond Select Toys release! The Rocketeer returns! The retro, rocket-fueled superhero strikes a pose atop a building in this new Premier Collection resin statue! Based on his appearance in the classic Disney film, this approximately 11-inch statue is limited to only 3,000 numbered pieces and comes packaged with a certificate of authenticity in a full-color box. Designed by Joe Allard, sculpted by Rocco Tartamella.
In Shops: Feb 26, 2020
SRP: $150.00
PREVIEWS Page #1016

IDW PUBLISHING
ROCKETEER ADVENTURES HC VOL 01
(W) Mike Allred, John Arcudi, Kurt Busiek, John Cassaday, Dave Gibbons, Joe R. Lansdale, Joe Pruett, Jonathan Ross, Mark Waid, Ryan Sook, Lowell Francis, Darwyn Cooke (A) John Cassaday, Mike Allred, Darwyn Cooke, Tommy Lee Edwards, Gene Ha, Scott Hampton, Tony Harris, Michael William Kaluta, Brendan McCarthy, Ryan Sook, Bruce Timm, Chris Weston (CA) Alex Ross
Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer was an instant hit the moment it hit the spinner racks in the early 1980s. After the untimely passing of Stevens several years ago, many thought there would never be another Rocketeer story. But, with the full cooperation of the Stevens family, IDW has produced an anthology book that utilizes the talents of many of comics' top creators, a veritable Who's Who of writers and artists, and each one a labor of love to Dave and his greatest creation!
In Shops: Dec 14, 2011
SRP: $24.99

IDW PUBLISHING
ROCKETEER ADVENTURES HC VOL 02
(W) Marc Guggenheim, Peter David, Stan Sakai, Paul Dini, Walter Simonson, Tom Taylor, David Lapham, Louise Simonson, Michael Golden, David Mandel, Matt Wagner (A) Various, Sandy Plunkett, Bill Sienkiewicz, Stan Sakai, John Paul Leon, Bill Morrison, Colin Wilson, Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, Walter Simonson, J. Bone, Eric Canete, Michael Golden (CA) Darwyn Cooke
The second all-new, all-great Rocketeer Adventures anthology is crammed with over 15 great creators doing terrific Rocketeer stories!
In Shops: Dec 12, 2012
SRP: $24.99

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