Dave Stevens 1955-2008
March 11th, 2008
Best known for his gorgeous pin-up girls, The Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens has died after a long battle with Leukemia. Mark Evanier has an excellent obituary.
I was introduced to Stevens’ work through the 1991 Disney movie adaptation of The Rocketeer. Like Disney’s Dick Tracy film of the previous year, it was a fun popcorn flick with a high visual fidelity to the original work. It lead me to the comic, a lovingly rendered homage to pulp heroes and movie serials of the 1930’s and 40’s.
The movie is still available (and at a bargain price) but the comics appear to be in limbo. The Rocketeer’s last appearance was published by Dark Horse in 1995, I hope they put the series back in print sometime soon.