It may have been a long, long time since Rocketman burned up his fuse, but he’s not up there alone! Your Major Spoilers review of Rocketman and Rocketgirl #1 from Dynamite Entertainment awaits!

ROCKETMAN AND ROCKETGIRL #1

Writer: Jacob Edgar
Artist: Jordi Perez
Colorist: Ellie Wright
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Editor: Nate Cosby
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 29, 2023

Previously in Rocketman and Rocketgirl: New York City, 1940! Masked bank robbers are making a helicopter getaway, and Rocketman and Rocketgirl are on the case! But after failing to apprehend the thieves, the team uncovers a more complex conspiracy… Nazis hell-bent on stealing rocket technology for themselves!

THE THIN MAN MEETS THE ROCKETEER

We open with aerial combat, as the duo of Rocketman and Rocketgirl take down a gang of bank robbers in a helicopter, combining his resourcefulness and grit with her speed and maneuverability for a big win. Two weeks later, Cal and Doris Martin return home to find their apartment tossed, with a stranger sitting on their couch. He introduces himself as FBI Agent Sam Akecheta, who knows their secret and wants to know where their rockets are. Akecheta has been tracking leads ever since the robbery, since 2 million dollars was TAKEN from the bank but only 1 million was returned, and the FBI believes that the heroes skimmed it off the top. Doris manages to get her jetpack and makes a break for it, but Cal is captured and beaten by the FBI for information. When Akecheta’s boss arrives, they take Cal for a ride, threatening to ruin his life and his business, but not realizing that Rocketgirl is following them… and she’s brought Cal’s rocket!

THE SETUP

Though this story and its characters are visually based on the Golden Age heroes from Harry “A” Chesler Publications, there’s nothing you need to know about those books to enjoy this comic. Indeed, nearly everything has been changed from that version, and their story backed up more than a year from their actual debut to put the heroes in action before WWII. This story’s premise, that Nazis are after the heroes’ rocket backpacks, has overtones of the film The Rocketeer, without a lot of the charm of that story and cast. There are nice moments of interplay between Cal and Doris that echo Nick and Nora from the Thin Man films, but the presentation of the story is a bit too straightforward to get all the whimsy of those stories. The art is likewise perfectly fine without taking my breath away, especially when it comes to the costumed sequences. The Golden Age Rocketman/Zip-Jet/Jetman tales were famous for wild poses and impossibly tight costumes, which this issue does emulate effectively, but the proportions of our heroes (especially Rocketgirl) are distracting, and some of the storytelling is hard to follow.

BOTTOM LINE: I’D LIKE MORE, BUT NOT FOR $4.99

Dynamite has revived a lot of Golden Age and pulp-era characters, and has it down to a science, which may be why Rocketman and Rocketgirl #1 feels a little by-the-numbers, with nice touches here and there, but art and story that don’t really stand out, earning 3 out of 5 stars overall. This sort of retro storytelling could be something really special, though, if these creators can get past the cookie-cutter aspects that limit this story and break some new ground.

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