The classic high-flying masked hero, The Rocketeer, is reaching new heights in his wildest story ever next year. IDW Publishing has revealed that Eisner Award-winning writer John Layman (Titans, Chew), blockbuster artist Jacob Edgar (Plastic Man No More!, Batman: The Adventures Continue) and visionary colourist K.J. Díaz (Amazing Spider-Man, Blade) are teaming up for The Rocketeer: The Island, launching in stores in January 2026.
Inspired by a never-published outline by The Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens, this all-new adventure brings readers back to 1938 as Cliff Secord, a.k.a. The Rocketeer, returns to save Amelia Earhart! But this search and rescue mission brings the fan-favourite hero to a mysterious island that is full of surprises.
“This Rocketeer project has been coming together for the past few months, and I can’t say enough about how much joy I’m getting every time a new page comes in,” said Layman. “Playing in Dave Stevens’ world, a retro-world of charm, humor and rocket-fueled adventure, has been an absolute blast. As an artist Stevens was an absolute virtuoso, and I feel like Rocketeer is an all-time classic comic character — he’s always been one of my favorites. IDW, a publisher I’ve already done work for on some of my very favorite comic projects, has given me another fantastic opportunity to get paid while having fun, while allowing me to honor a vision of a comic book hero of mine, and play in a world I’ve loved for decades. Plus, the art and colors by Jacob Edgar and K.J. Díaz are just phenomenal and perfect for the book.”
“It’s a huge honor to be working on THE ROCKETEER, an iconic character with a very high bar to try and live up to, artistically,” remarked Edgar. “From Dave Stevens himself, to Chris Samnee, Darwyn Cooke, Staz Johnson… It feels like Cliff Secord always gets the greats. I love the tone that John is bringing to our story and I’m always jazzed to be working with K.J Díaz for color. This is a book I would not have guessed I’d ever get to do, but I’m having a blast making it, and I hope that energy comes through in the pages.”
Here are some preview pages (colours only) from the upcoming debut issue!
The Rocketeer: The Island #1 goes on sale February 25. Fans have until January 19 to pre-order at comic shops to guarantee their copy of the debut issue. In addition to the covers above, there will also be a blank variant and an RI 1:50variant by Nick Bradshaw.
