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Disney’s Most Underrated ‘90s Movie is Finally Getting a Follow Up (And Sooner Than You Think)
When it comes to underrated Disney movies of the 1990s, there are few as beloved as The Rocketeer. The live-action film, released in 1991, may not have been a box office smash but it did have its fans and for good reason — the film is based on the superhero of the same name created by Dave Stevens and whose stories were published across several comics over the decades. Fans have been clamoring for a follow up to The Rocketeer for years and while a reboot or a revival has been talked about for years, we’re finally getting more — just not exactly the way fans might expect.
Announced on Friday, The Rocketeer is back with a brand-new story thanks to IDW. The Rocketeer: The Island is set to arrive from the publisher with the first issue arriving in February 2026. While the story is new for fans, it is inspired by a never-before-published outline by Stevens, who passed away in 2008 and not only will it give fans of the beloved Disney movie more of the iconic hero, but it’s also set to be The Rocketeer’s wildest story yet.
The Rocketeer Is Off to Save Amelia Earhart in New Adventure
According to IDW, The Rocketeer: The Island will bring readers back to 1938 and see Cliff Secord, a.k.a. The Rocketeer, head off to save Amelia Earhart, who disappeared in 1937 as she attempted to be the first woman to fly around the world. However, what’s supposed to be a search and rescue mission ends up sending the hero to a mysterious island that is full of surprises. The book comes from writer John Layman (Titans, Chew), artist Jacob Edgar (Plastic Man No More!, Batman: The Adventures Continue), and colorist K.J. Diaz (Amazing Spider-Man, Blade).
“The 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,” Layman said. “Playing in David 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. Diaz 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 to live up to, artistically, “Edgar said. “From Dave Stevens himself to Chris Samnee, Darwyn Cooke, Staz Johnsonl… 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 KJ Diaz 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.”
Fans Have Been Waiting for More The Rocketeer (And This Could Lead to It)
While The Rocketeer is a popular character, the live-action adaptation under-performed in theaters which meant that sequels were, at the time, scrapped. However, there have been other chapters, if you will, in the Rocketeer’s story. In 2019, a television series was released on Disney Junior, though that series followed a young girl named Kit Secord, Cliff’s great-granddaughter who gets the family jetpack for her birthday and uses to be a hero in her own right. Rocketeer has also lived on in comics, thanks to collected additions and now, the character will take flight again thanks to IDW.
While more recent development of a sequel for The Rocketeer has stalled out, with there being a new story for the iconic character coming to comics, it could end up leading to renewed interest in bringing Cliff Secord back to the screen. If The Rocketeer: The Island proves successful, it could signal in a bit way that the time for a sequel is now, especially with nostalgia in media being more popular than ever.
The Rocketeer: The Island #1 goes on sale in February from IDW.
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