 Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens acknowledged he was " satisfied with 70 % of the film " and highly praised Joe Johnston 's direction . " The overall spirit and sweetness of the series is still there , intact " , Stevens remembers . " We lost some good character stuff in editing for time , but the tone of it is still what I was trying to project in the comic pages . I also thought Joe 's casting choices were excellent . To his credit , Joe did not fill out the cast with a bunch of Beverly Hills , 90210 Barbie and Ken @-@ type kids . " Stevens found Billy Campbell to be " a good @-@ looking guy but he also happens to be Cliff ! I would never have cast him based on good looks alone , but he came into the audition and just nailed it shut . He was made for it . The part was his . " 
