Just found this article about a man whose vision helped define beauty (and lust) for my young, impressionable mind. Google the name in images and feast on the lush lines and curves.
First it was Steve Gerber, then Gary Gygax, and now Dave Stevens. Man...it's been a bad month for geek heroes.
I was bummed to hear he passed away...the Rocketeer was possibly one of the best, underappreciated comics I read growing up.
His "good girl" art was some of the best of the modern stuff - maybe only Adam Hughes does it better.
Reading his stuff in the mid-eighties, it was so refreshing to see a hero who wasn't super-powered and was imperfect. His work was one of the things that got me interested in the pulp-style adventure. I wouldn't have discovered some of the classics like the Shadow, The Phantom, etc if not for reading his stuff. Heck, I didn't even know who Bettie Page was until I read about her in his references.
When the Rockteer movie came out, it was pretty awesome to see his work translated. I kept thinking, now this guys will get the attention he deserves! But I don't think Stevens ever wanted that much attention - my understanding was that he was much more about following his muse and perfecting his art. I think he could have been a bigger comerical success, and it's a shame he didn't do more work that he could be known for.
Thanks for the amazing work, Mr. Rocketeer!
By the way, another good take on Dave Stevens is here - says many of the same things I did, so I guess I'm not alone in my thinking.
Someone else also referenced the Bettie Page connection with an art link. Looking at sheer amount of quality detail (and not just the sexy girl, mind you), makes you apprecaite his work, I think.