I am a fan of movie serials from the 40's and 50's. The budgets on these cliffhangers may have been low but there was never any shortage of action, plot twists, and daring escapes. I of course gravitated towards the comic character starring serials, and it's a kick to see such early incarnations of Captain Marvel, Captain America or Batman and Robin in glorious black and white. Probably my favorite serial is King of the Rocket Men, which was not based on a comic book hero - but certainly inspired a few. The flying scenes are quite cool for the time and it must have been great to be a kid back then and see all of the great aerial action. The Rocketeer would have been right at home in one of those old cliffhangers. Adam Strange would have been another good choice, combining elements of King of the Rocket Men and Flash Gordon in one package.
Gorgeous picture, Ross. Perfect angles even. As always, a story I would love to read!
ReplyDeleteI'd have to agree. The Rocket Man serials are the absolute cream of the serials. The heroism is pure and the action wild and often unpredictable. He seems just the right size hero for the scale of adventures the serials specialized in.
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Oh, I adore this. Adam Strange is one of my all-time favorite heroes, and I saw The Rocketeer in the theater as a kid and it became one of my favorite movies--I loved that it was set in the 40's. (Also, I guess I'm just a sucker for rocket packs.)
ReplyDeleteWhat I wouldn't give to see an Adam Strange serial...!
I also heard King of the Rocket Men inspired George Lucas, so all of these stories that I gravitate towards have a common ancestor.
Good job...!