Posted in: Comics, IDW | Tagged: Dave Stevens, popeye, rocketeer, Tinton

Tintin, Snowy And Popeye Team Up With The Rocketeer In A New Comic

Tintin, Snowy and Popeye surprisingly team up with The Rocketeer in a new comic book next month to save Amelia Earhart

The Rocketeer: The Island by John Layman, Jacob Edgar and K.J. Díaz is a new comic book series that will be published by IDW Publishing starting in February, based on an original outline by the late Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens, set in 1938 as Cliff Secord, a.k.a. The Rocketeer, returns to save Amelia Earhart, a search and rescue mission set on a mysterious island that is full of surprises. And three of those surprises include the public domain, as the series will include both Tintin and Snowy as created by Herge, and Popeye the Sailor Man as created by E. C. Segar. The previously released preview at the end of this piece below does not reveal their presence, but screencaps of a trailer for the comic book do…

Popeye the Sailor Man first appeared on January 17, 1929, in the comic strip Thimble Theatre by American cartoonist E. C. Segar, which had already been running since 1919, focusing on Olive Oyl, her brother Castor Oyl, and her boyfriend Ham Gravy. Popeye was introduced as a tough, one-eyed sailor hired for a voyage, but his popularity exploded so quickly that he soon became the main star, and the strip evolved around him, and changed its name to Popeye. The character jumped to animation in 1933 (starting with a Betty Boop crossover), with classics from Fleischer Studios followed by hundreds of shorts from Paramount/Famous Studios, TV series in the 60s to the 80s and a 1980 live-action film with Robin Williams as Popeye. The original version of Popeye entered the public domain in the United States as of 2025. King Features Syndicate (Hearst) owns active trademarks on "Popeye," the name, specific image/likeness, and related branding, which is why Popeye wasn't mentioned in solicitations.

Tintin was created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé in 1929 in the newspaper supplement Le Petit Vingtième, a young, brave, and resourceful Belgian investigative reporter aged between 16 and 19 who travels the world getting caught up in thrilling adventures, solving mysteries, fighting villains, and standing up for justice,  accompanied by his loyal and witty dog, Snowy, a white fox terrier who's intelligent, brave, and a bit of an alcoholic. The series comprises 23 completed adventures (plus one unfinished), spanning Tintin's journey from Soviet Russia and the Belgian Congo in the early stories to destinations such as China, South America, the Moon, and beyond. The books have been translated into over 100 languages, sold millions of copies worldwide, inspired adaptations (including Steven Spielberg, Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish's 2011 animated film), and remain cultural icons in Belgium and beyond.

The earliest appearances of Tintin and his dog Snowy from 1929 entered the US public domain in 2025, while the remaining 1930 portions of that story, plus the beginning of Tintin in the Congo, entered the public domain two weeks ago. However, and this may be an issue, in Europe, copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. Hergé died in 1983, so Tintin and his works remain protected until 2054. This could be an issue for foreign sales of The Rocketeer: The Island; we will have to wait and see…

The Rocketeer: The Island #1
(W) John Layman (A) Jacob Edgar
On Sale 02/25/2026
Miniseries premiere! The Rocketeer returns to save Amelia Earhart in a brand-new story by creator Dave Stevens!The year is 1938, and Cliff Secord (A.K.A. the Rocketeer) is recruited to lead a search and rescue mission. The mission? Find Amelia Earhart! Considering a year has passed since the famous pilot went missing, the Rocketeer is hesitant at first—that is, until he learns the expedition is to the same island Betty ran off to with the scummy photographer Marco! The Rocketeer will have to uncover the secret of the century's greatest mystery while trying to win back his girlfriend. But what else awaits him on the island? Beloved writer John Layman (Chew, Titans) and artistic powerhouse Jacob Edgar (Plastic Man: No More, The Ones) team up to tell the wildest Rocketeer story ever, based on a never-published outline by Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens

The Rocketeer: The Island #1 goes on sale on the 25th of February.

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