The Good
About the only thing I liked in this book was J Bone's art. The first two pages are fantastic. The open scene, that features the Rocketeer, is a fantastic set up of this world and paced nicely. The page layouts are very cool, and Bone's art really shines here. Overall, throughout the issue, Bone does wonders with inking over everything else.
The James White and Walter Simonson variant covers are both awesome.
The Bad
I'm completely unsure who this book is appealing to. Is it just to Rocketeer fans? I'm aware who this character is. I've read a comic here and there. But as someone interested in the character, that isn't a die hard fan, I felt completely alienated. It felt like I just walked into the cool kid party and the needle on the record scratched. Everyone stops what their doing and just stares at me, waiting for me to leave. I'm not sure if this book is for kids, adults, or just a mixture in between.
It's another comic with Cthulhu elements in it. Yep, the Rocketeer has to face off against a mad scientist who has summoned his "Dark lord," which is floating tentacles. Technically, it's not Cthulhu, but it might as well be. The mixture of Rocketeer and mystic floating tentacles are not working for me here, not one bit.
This book hits up way too many cliches for my liking. We have the sassy dame, the mad scientist, the good guy who can't commit to his girl because he's secretly a super-hero. On top of that, the dialogue is extremely tongue and cheek and incredibly cheesy. Maybe I'm missing something, but I truly don't understand this book.What is it? Who is it for? It has too many tones, ideas, and styles slammed into one uninteresting story.
The Verdict
There's a question going through my mind, over and over again: "Will Rocketeer fans like this?" My opinion is one thing, but will the fanbase this is geared toward enjoy this? I read a lot of Doctor Who comics and a few of them are pretty bad. However, Whovians will like them. It's just the general public that won't. With ROCKETEER: HOLLYWOOD HORROR, I really don't think Rocketeer fans will like this.
This book is too weird and out there. Sure, J Bone does some nice work on the book, but that's not going to save this book.
Overall, I do not recommend this issue.
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