A Good Day

We recently celebrated Skeezix's one-month birthday with some of his very favorite things.

Rest in Peace, Rocketeer!

Project: Rooftop is running a tribute to the recently departed Dave Stevens. Dave's most lasting legacy is probably the revival of Bettie Page as a cultural icon. But a little more in P:R's bailiwick is his high-flying retro-hero, The Rocketeer.

There's not much that can be done to improve the Rocketeer's design. It is so perfectly what it is supposed to be: the perfect leather jacket; the perfect jodhpurs; and, of course, the absolute perfect helmet. When I first saw The Rocketeer, I had a hard time comprehending that this was a new character. How could the Zeitgeist of the Thirties not have produced this character?*

So, I wasn't too sure what to do with this drawing, and I kept putting it off, hoping for inspiration to strike, until the very last minute. I like it okay as a drawing, but I don't think it makes much sense as a character design (where are the straps for the rocket? The wires for the hand-controls? Why is he wearing that particular jacket?). I'd like to take this design as a first sketch and develop it further, but given the other demands on my punch-clock, I think I'll just go enjoy some of those old Rocketeer comics, instead.

* Obviously, King of the Rocket Men only half counts.