Comic creator Stephen Mooney expresses his love for classic adventure series, exemplified by his creator-owned series Half Past Danger. So it’s no surprise that in 2022, IDW Publishing tapped Mooney to write and draw the miniseries “The Rocketeer: The Great Race,” published in 2022 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dave Stevens’ beloved character. It wasn’t. Since then, Mooney has followed up the original Rocketeer project with sequels. In the latest miniseries, The Rocketeer: Breaks Free, Mooney and artist Staz Johnson create a story in which protagonist Cliff Seacord travels to San Francisco one last time to fulfill his duties as a Rocketeer.
Ahead of the final issue’s release next month, I had the opportunity to interview Mooney and Johnson via email about the latest Rocketteer adventures. Check it out below along with exclusive preview art.
Taimur Dar: Similar to Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, not everyone may be familiar with the original Rocketeer comics by Dave Stevens, but the general public has become familiar with them through the live-action films. I think you know the character. As a comics creator and a fan of the character, I’m tempted to think that you guys loved Dave Stevens’ comics even before you worked on Rocketeer. So, the obvious first question is, what is your history with Rocketeer prior to this project?
Stephen Mooney: Yeah, definitely. I came across this manga a few years before the movie. I didn’t buy it when it first came out, but I became aware of the character shortly after it was released, and I immediately started scouring boxes of back issues for Pacific Comics materials. That was around 1989 or 1990, when I started collecting American comics in earnest. I think it was released on home video before I actually saw the movie, so it was probably around ’92. I don’t know why I didn’t see it in theaters. Maybe my father didn’t want to take me to see it (I was 13). But yeah, I was blown away by that.
Both the comic and the movie had a huge influence on my own storytelling sensibilities. In addition to Rocketeer, this is evident in many of the books I’ve been writing lately, especially my own Half Past Danger series. I’m a huge fan of Dave Stevens and I think it shows in both his artwork and writing.
Staz Johnson: I’ve been a fan of Dave Stevens’ work in general, and The Rocketeer in particular, since I first encountered it in the mid-to-late 1980s. I was a big fan of the Raiders of the Lost Ark series, so I was immediately drawn to Rocketeer’s brand of slapstick adventure, but I also (at the time) only had dreams of working. As someone who has followed professional comics, Dave’s artwork, precision of line, and economy of storytelling fascinated me. It was a master class. As for the movie, as anyone who’s ever asked me will tell you, I always say this is my favorite comic book movie and no sequels have been made, but as a movie fan I’ve always said that Batman & I had to sit and watch Robin and the barb wire is a crime.
Taimur Dar: Stephen, you wrote and drew your first Rocketteer project, The Great Race, last year while handing over art duties to someone else on Den of Thieves. How did you get involved with this project, Staz? Did you know each other or had you worked together in any way before?
Stephen Mooney: I was actually asking Staz to be the artist for the second Rocketeer series because I simply didn’t have time to write or draw the book this time. But my editor at the time (and arbiter of all things Rocketeer), Scott Dunbier, was already keen to pair me with David Messina, another talented artist, on this piece. I’m very good friends with David and love his artwork, so I was very happy with the result. I also knew that, like me, he was a huge Rocketeer fan. So I decided that if I were to write a third series, I would lobby hard for Staz as an artist. Because he’s one of my favorite artists working right now. Not only does he have Rocketeer on his bucket list for historical characters (like many other creators), but he’s definitely top of the class when it comes to classic pulp adventure material that fits the character perfectly. I had a little chat with Staz behind the scenes to gauge his interest (we didn’t know each other that well at that point), but once Scott saw his work I was immediately sold. After that, it all depends on schedules, availability, etc. Staz rocked this even harder than I imagined and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
Staz Johnson: My work on this book was completely Stephen’s work, and I will be forever grateful for that. I knew of Stephen’s work from the old Eclectic Mix blog. The wonders of social media. So when Stephen asked me to work with him on the Rocketeer book, I couldn’t believe my luck and jumped at the chance. It didn’t work out at first, but I got there eventually.
TAIMUR DAR: The Rocketeer: Breaks Free miniseries picks up certain story elements from Stephen’s previous Rocketeer projects. How did you make this series accessible to potential new readers while rewarding longtime readers at the same time?
Stephen Mooney: That’s the real juggling act as far as this is concerned. I wanted to maintain a sense of true progression throughout the series, so I was very cautious about treading old/similar ground. You need to play the hits to some degree while adding enough new spices to keep the flavors fresh and appealing. Different, but not different enough to turn off repeat readers looking for some kind of comforting element in these books. So, coinciding with the fact that I’ve introduced some new recurring characters into the mix, registering potential new readers will be a difficult feat. How difficult is that? Adding to the perfect cast is a very delicate balancing act. It is up to the reader to decide whether or not he achieved that. But I can say I’m happy with what we tried.
I also really wanted to modernize certain aspects just slightly, like giving Betty more agency and ability of her own, rather than completely changing Betty’s character in a terrible way. I wanted her to be more of a foil to Cliff. I also wanted to advance/strengthen their romantic relationship in some subtle ways so that it felt like life was actually progressing organically. Nothing was forced. Having done all of this, you should basically leave your character in the same location you found it. That way, the next creators can come along to draw their versions of these characters and not feel confused or alienated by what’s left behind. . It’s difficult, but it’s a lot of fun to understand and work on.
TAIMUR DAR: This miniseries is set in San Francisco. Cliff Secord has had adventures elsewhere, but if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time a Rocketeer story has been set in San Francisco. What inspired this story and pulled Cliff away from Hollywood?
Stephen Mooney: To be honest, I just wanted to mix it up a little bit and provide myself with new storytelling opportunities. Rearranging the cast instantly (literally) places them in unknown spaces and scenarios, immediately opening up a ton of story possibilities. It’s the same reason that took Cliff and Betty across Europe to Paris in the first series. Push them out of their comfort zone and let them deal with something completely unfamiliar. At the same time, you don’t want to go too far and end up with something too outlandish. One of the story ideas I pitched to Scott (Dumbia) early on was for Cliff to involve Caper in the Peruvian jungle, but Scott (understandably) thought that was a bit far-fetched. I was feeling it. So it’s all about getting the chemistry right.
TAIMUR DAR: This series introduces new characters: Debbie and Rose. What went into their conception and development, both from a characterization and visual standpoint?
Stephen Mooney: Agent Debbie Seville was actually introduced in my first Rocketteer series, The Great Race. She was a competitive pilot in a transatlantic race, but it turns out the race was a CIA factory and was there to observe Nazi airships. I added her as Cliff’s foil. Someone who can not only withstand the scrapes, but also brings a new type of energy to this book. She appears briefly in the next series, Den Of Thieves, and will feature again in a big way in this new series. Staz applied his own patented style trends to my original design for Debbie.
Debbie’s mother, Rose, is introduced in the new series as a subtle attempt to introduce Peevey to a potential new love interest. We’re trying to develop his character a little bit and make him a little more rounded. Of course, Dave will never step into what he has established. It could add a little more nuance to his character and give him another avenue to pursue, rather than just canceling out Cliff’s dents. I think Staz designed Rose from scratch and did a wonderfully convincing job.
Staz Johnson: From my perspective, Stephen portrayed Debbie perfectly in The Great Race, so all I had to do was follow his lead. He did a better job of drawing 1940s hairstyles than I did, though. As for Rose, she obviously had to be someone who could be Debbie’s mother and had to have an element of steel about her. To that end, I put a little bit of my own mother in there. Because when she was still here, she definitely had steel.
TAIMUR DAR: With long-running characters and series, you want to grow even bigger without breaking the character or “jumping the shark.” A perfect example is the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where many fans rejected the idea of aliens appearing in the Indiana Jones movies. Are there any rules about writing and drawing that you think Rocketeer needs before jumping the shark? Wouldn’t Cliff Secord fighting aliens be a good Rocketeer story?
Stephen Mooney: Ha! Let’s not rule it out! Seriously though, I completely understand your point. Let’s take an example. Dave Messina “really” wanted the climax of our story, “Den of Thieves,” to feature a Godzilla-like monster roaming Manhattan. I was hesitant. But Scott (Dumbia) reasons that no matter how cool the set piece turns out, it’s too far outside the bounds of Cliff’s established reality and too left field. I immediately developed an aversion to the idea.
This, of course, comes from the editor who greenlit the actual dinosaurs in Mark Waid/Chris Samney’s amazing Rocketeer series “Cargo of Doom.” Therefore, I think the mileage will vary depending on the person.
Staz Johnson: Visually, you can’t play around with the design. Obviously the guy named Cliff is more than just a helmet and a leather jacket, he’s the same guy no matter what he wears, but that look is iconic and to me you’re ruining something that’s iconic. Never. Also, while this strip has some fantastical elements, it should be down to earth and not go down an Indiana Jones-like route with supernatural enemies and challenges. I don’t think so.
TAIMUR DAR: Lastly, are there any upcoming projects that you both would like to work on next year?
Stephen Mooney: I would really like to go back to my series Half Past Danger. Every time I’m about to start a new volume, I get surprisingly attractive job offers that I can’t turn down. I decided to hold off on these offers for a year (easier said than done) and focus solely on finishing the first HPD trilogy. I wrote the entire series and drew half of the first issue. So let’s see if I can properly commit to it! With production on the animated film starting this year, I’ve been itching to get back to the books themselves.
Other than that, I have a few upcoming writing gigs, including co-writing an HPD movie, and my usual monthly-ish covers at Marvel and elsewhere. Busy, busy! May it continue for a long time.
Staz Johnson: As of this writing, as the actor likes to say, “I’m resting between duties right now, darling.” I hope the rest don’t last long.
The Rocketeer: Breaks Free #4 arrives in comic shops on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.
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