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Sad news today that Dave Stevens, creator of The Rocketeer, passed away at the age of 52.
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In addition to that creation, he was probably best known for pretty much single-handedly reviving interest in 1950s pin-up sensation Bettie Page through the character Betty in The Rocketeer. And I will always be personally grateful to Dave Stevens for doing that. However, I also liked the fact that he also used 40s horror film actor Rondo Hatton as a model for his bad guy.
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Though the total page count for The Rocketeer is pretty low, it's a beautiful, inspiring work. Not only did it revive interest in Bettie Page, but Stevens also cleverly used such characters as Doc Savage and The Shadow without actually naming them--a technique that others would pick up on in later years in homage to these pulp heroes.
1 comment:
I just read the scene where the Shadow steps in to stop Cliff Secord's brawl in a fancy restaurant last night. I'd forgotten how he managed to work those characters in, but it really works.
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