The Rocketeer And The Spirit: Pulp Friction #1 Review
The first issue of “The Rocketeer and The Spirit: Pulp Friction” is a bit of a disappointment.
After reading the fantastic “Hollywood Horror” mini-series, I was extremely excited to dig into the first issue of the IDW/DC Comics crossover mini-series “The Rocketeer and The Spirit: Pulp Friction.” Since the project was announced, this mini-series was easily my most anticipated comic book event of 2013. Not only was I thrilled by the idea of a crossover involving The Rocketeer, but having the character share the page with Will Eisner’s creation The Spirit simply feels like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, the first issue turns out to be a bit of a bumpy ride.
I should have been a bit skeptical of this crossover series when I saw that writer Mark Waid was attached to the project. Waid, best known for titles like ‘Kingdom Come” and his work on “Daredevil,” is certainly capable of penning good scripts, but his work on “The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom” mini-series was downright abysmal. With all of that said, I was willing to give Waid another chance with the character. After all, every writer has their ups and downs. The good news is that this new mini-series is a definite improvement over ‘Cargo.’ The bad news is that it’s off to a bit of a rough start.
The story, which is set in 1941, involves a deceased Central City Councilman whose body is somehow discovered miles and miles away in California by Cliff Secord’s girlfriend Betty. When Police Commissioner Dolan, his daughter Ellen and The Spirit get wind of this news, the trio decides to travel to California to investigate. Upon arrival, confusion immediately erupts when Cliff thinks that the 3 individuals are after Betty (they’re only going to question her). In terms of the plot, that’s literally all that happens. It’s a very flimsy plot set-up to say the least. You’d think Waid would have come up with a bigger event to bring these two characters together, but that’s not the case. I’m hoping the story develops more in the following issues, but we’ll have to wait and see on that.
Thankfully, Mark Waid fares a little better with the character work. Taking inspiration from films and pulp literature of the 30’s and 40’s, the story certainly has a screwball comedy feel to it so far. Granted, the story might be take a darker turn (at least I hope so), but so far it’s a very light hearted yarn with a murder mystery at the center. Waid really plays up the banter and differences between The Spirit and The Rocketeer and that’s really all this issue has going for it.
As far as the artwork goes, artist Paul Smith does a fine job of nailing the look of all of the characters. On the downside, colorist Jordie Bellare’s work is a bit inconsistent as he seems to struggle with color schemes and tones.
Summary: While I’m hoping future issues of “The Rocketeer and The Spirit: Pulp Friction” will be more exciting, I am left a bit cold by the first issue. Issue #1 is almost entirely plot set-up and banter and very little happens overall. Still, I’d recommend purchasing issue #1 if for no other reason than to ensure we see more “The Rocketeer” comics down the line.
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