ROCKETEER MOVIE 3D COMIC (1991) by Ray Zone (d. 2012) after Neal Adams

Dave Steven’s The Rocketeer Movie Comic was a 3D film adaptation penciled by comics legend Neal Adams published by Walt Disney Productions in 1991. The 3D process was personally overseen by Ray Zone, who was the undisputed king of 3D. The process of creating 3D in 1991 involved creating a hi-resolution scan of the original art, output to the same size as that original art, printed on vellum and then precision hand-cut to separate foreground images from background to produce the best three dimensional effects. Those pieces were scanned individually and then reconfigured on a new board for reference against the final, printed page.

This page features a dynamic fight between Cliff Secord (aka The Rocketeer) and classic Hollywood heavy Rondo Hatton, straight from the movie. The Big Screen Hollywood adaptation of Dave Stevens’ comic was directed by Joe Johnston, who would later helm Captain America: The First Avenger for Marvel Studios as part of their blockbuster Phase One.

Like the original penciled page, this is a unique piece of comic book production art featuring the work of two Hall of Fame legends, Neal Adams and Ray Zone, as the first artists after Dave Stevens to produce an illustrated story featuring The Rocketeer. Unlike digital proof pages, 3D production pages are analog works of art that very much have the hand of the creative team on them. The separation process involves redrawing portions of the artwork where the artwork has been handcut, and those corrections require the approval (and sometimes the participation) of the penciler or inker. This was a true partnership behind Continuity Graphics (featuring layouts by industry journeyman Mike Royer) and the 3D Zone for Walt Disney Productions. Zone passed away in 2012.