Dave Stevens, Creator of the Rocketeer, Dies

More comic book news: Dave Stevens, who created the Rocketeer, died this week of complications related to treatment for leukemia.

Stevens was a commercial artist in 1981 when a friend asked him for a contribution to a comic book. The result, originally meant to be a one-off, was a lush, smart paean to pulp-style, 1930s art deco hero stories, centering on a clean-cut regular guy, Cliff Secord, who gets hold of a rocket-powered backpack. With the distinctive ruddered helmet and leather pilot's jacket, Cliff inadvertently created an alter ego.

Cliff bore more than a passing resemblance to his creator, underlining how closely this ordinary Joe who falls backwards into a hero gig hews to the wish-fulfillment of comics fans – fans like Stevens himself, who was devouring comic books long before he started drawing them. (The sidekick, Peevy, was based on friend and fellow artist Doug Wildey, who created Jonny Quest.)

One of the most striking film adaptations of a comic book followed in 1991, starring Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connelly in a joyously faithful evocation of the original Rocketeer look and feel. (Favorite line: Cliff reacts to his first flight, which pitches him wildly through the air before plowing him violently into a pond, with "I like it!!") The film left a back door at the end for a sequel, but the box office receipts were lukewarm enough that it was never opened.