Rocketeer & Spirit: Pulp Friction #1
Who doesn’t love a good team up story, especially when said team up involves two charming crime-fighters, their fiery girlfriends, and a mysterious murder.
Writer: Mark Waid | Artists: Paul Smith & Jordie Bellaire
Cover: Smith & Bellaire | Publisher: IDW
It never once crossed my mind to doubt that a team up between the Spirit and the Rocketeer wouldn’t be good once it was announced, and for good reason. Mark Waid once again has delved into the world of the Rocketeer perfectly this time bringing along some company, and one that complements the stylings of the Rocketeer rather nicely.
We’re set up with a nice little murder mystery, which is typical for a Spirit story, but due to the nature of the victim ending up in Hollywood, Spirit takes a long trip to try and solve the mystery only to run into the Rocketeer. Whether you’re going after Cliff’s girl with honest intentions or not he’s bound to come after you just to make sure for himself that his girl is going to be safe. Naturally the Spirit and the Rocketeer don’t start on the best of terms as Cliff flies right towards the Spirit and company, only to have the Spirit go head to head with him. The pages that follow are full of incredibly entertaining action as the two banter and fight in mid-air. There are no powers involved here, just two regular guys brawling to defend what’s good.
Smith’s art and detailed expressions in the way he draws faces adds a flair of noir to the story, also fitting in and bringing out the premise of the murder mystery basis of the story, while Bellaire’s colours keep it from being too dark, it’s still a fun Rocketeer book after all. Each page is stunning in terms of art and there are some extremely amazing panels throughout, my personal favourites being the close-ups
of Rocketeer and Spirit as they’re duking it out. Not to mention the beautiful Betty (Cliff’s girlfriend) always makes for a great looking panel, and to even the score Spirit has brought along his firecracker lady friend as well to keep all the boys in check.
All the main characters are incredibly charming and it’s impossible to finish the issue without having at least one favourite. A lot of the charm comes from the dialogue that Waid gives them, they’re all just so snappy and of course there’s the campy nostalgia of it taking place in the forties giving that instant classic feel to it, but reading it all as a whole I’m betting Waid had some good fun writing the script, there are moments that flow and segue into another scene too well (in that cheesy clever way that fits the tone that a Rocketeer/Spirit would have) and was near applauding after certain transitions.
Rocketeer in Waid’s hands is a full bodied story with a tremendous amount of fun thrown in and with the addition of the Spirit, it’s like the fun and action doubles, which is an impressive feat on an already impressive story.
Writer: Mark Waid | Artists: Paul Smith & Jordie Bellaire
Cover: Smith & Bellaire | Publisher: IDW
It never once crossed my mind to doubt that a team up between the Spirit and the Rocketeer wouldn’t be good once it was announced, and for good reason. Mark Waid once again has delved into the world of the Rocketeer perfectly this time bringing along some company, and one that complements the stylings of the Rocketeer rather nicely.
We’re set up with a nice little murder mystery, which is typical for a Spirit story, but due to the nature of the victim ending up in Hollywood, Spirit takes a long trip to try and solve the mystery only to run into the Rocketeer. Whether you’re going after Cliff’s girl with honest intentions or not he’s bound to come after you just to make sure for himself that his girl is going to be safe. Naturally the Spirit and the Rocketeer don’t start on the best of terms as Cliff flies right towards the Spirit and company, only to have the Spirit go head to head with him. The pages that follow are full of incredibly entertaining action as the two banter and fight in mid-air. There are no powers involved here, just two regular guys brawling to defend what’s good.
Smith’s art and detailed expressions in the way he draws faces adds a flair of noir to the story, also fitting in and bringing out the premise of the murder mystery basis of the story, while Bellaire’s colours keep it from being too dark, it’s still a fun Rocketeer book after all. Each page is stunning in terms of art and there are some extremely amazing panels throughout, my personal favourites being the close-ups
of Rocketeer and Spirit as they’re duking it out. Not to mention the beautiful Betty (Cliff’s girlfriend) always makes for a great looking panel, and to even the score Spirit has brought along his firecracker lady friend as well to keep all the boys in check.
All the main characters are incredibly charming and it’s impossible to finish the issue without having at least one favourite. A lot of the charm comes from the dialogue that Waid gives them, they’re all just so snappy and of course there’s the campy nostalgia of it taking place in the forties giving that instant classic feel to it, but reading it all as a whole I’m betting Waid had some good fun writing the script, there are moments that flow and segue into another scene too well (in that cheesy clever way that fits the tone that a Rocketeer/Spirit would have) and was near applauding after certain transitions.
Rocketeer in Waid’s hands is a full bodied story with a tremendous amount of fun thrown in and with the addition of the Spirit, it’s like the fun and action doubles, which is an impressive feat on an already impressive story.
A Look Inside
