This month, Rocketeer fans will enjoy the latest chapter in the high-flying hero’s ongoing adventures from IDW. Launching from an unfinished outline by original creator Dave Stevens, writer John Layman and artist Jacob Edgar take the Rocketeer on a journey to Skull Island in search of aviatrix Amelia Earhart.

According to Edgar, the story begins with a flashback of younger Cliff Secord having a chance encounter with Amelia Earhart. “Then we cut to the present-day part of the story when a G-man shows up. They have this mission to go looking for Amelia, and they’re aware of Cliff and his rocket pack and that could be useful for this little venture. So he takes on the mission to try and find Amelia.”

The Rocketeer originally debuted as a back-up feature in Starslayer #2, published by the now-defunct Pacific Comics in 1982. Stevens continued his adventures through the ‘80s, culminating in a feature film from Disney in 1991. Since Stevens untimely death in 2008, his estate has authorized further adventures in the form of limited series.

Jacob Edgar

IDW approached Edgar to draw the series even though there was no writer in place at the time. “They’d put out some feelers to different writers, I think, so there was no idea what the book actually was. It was literally just ‘The Rocketeer,’ and did I want to do it, and I said, ‘Yes.’” Though he was aware of the Rocketeer and enjoyed the movie, he had never read any of Steven’s original stories. “I bought a big collection of the Dave Stevens material and I’ve been digging in.”

In addition, he screened 2022 documentary on Stevens’ career, Drawn to Perfection. It mentions Stevens’ idea for the Rocketeer going to Skull Island, showing a conceptual painting of a dinosaur and King Kong. “Once I watched the documentary and saw that, then I really felt the pressure of what we were actually doing,” Edgar says. “I got a little bit into my head when I started on the job about my style being fairly different from Dave’s. He’s pretty realistic, there’s a lot of rendering, and my style is more cartoony.”

However, with the series nearing completion, Edgar has grown more comfortable. “I feel like all the Rocketeer books over the years have always had great art. You’ve got Darwyn Cooke and Chris Samnee and Staz Johnson and all these top-tier guys, so being part of that is pretty special,” he says. “Mostly I’m just humbled and appreciative that I get to do it.”

Stevens’ original Rocketeer adventures featured characters who were recognized as pulp heroes Doc Savage and The Shadow, though they were never explicitly identified by name. The Island continues this tradition by including Popeye and Tintin in the cast. “I think that all came from John Layman, the writer,” Edgar suggests. “It turns out the boat captain that’s taking them to the island is Popeye. Also along for the ride is Tintin, and Snowy’s there as well.”

Edgar admits he was a little nervous when he learned Tintin and Popeye were included. Though Popeye’s design has made rendering him somewhat easy in Edgar’s style, Tintin has presented a greater challenge. “I’m three issues in and I’m still figuring out how to draw Tintin in my style, because he just doesn’t look like Tintin if he’s not drawn in that classic Hergé style.”

Once Edgar completes The Island, he will resume work on The Ones with Brian Michael Bendis. “We’re going to finish up volume two, which was started before the Rocketeer, and I’ve got some covers out there for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Lion King.

The Rocketeer: The Island #1 goes on sale February 25.