Brewster Rockit sales kit

This appears in the 2005 Graphic USA Design Annual.

Tim Rickard sent Tribune Media Services a comic strip proposal for Brewster Rockit. TMS decided to take Brewster under an 8-week development deal to help improve the strip before syndicating it. David Rothkopf (TMS Copywriter), Mary Fischer (TMS Editor), and I were called on to assist Tim in improving his great comic strip.

After the 8 weeks we had an improved comic strip ready to present to the syndication group of TMS. A decision was to be made if the comic strip was to be developed. Dave, Mary, and I created a 10-ten reasons why Brewster should be syndicated list. We were able to convince the 15+ member committee to syndicate Brewster Rockit!

Dave and I worked on the sales kit to create excitement among newspaper editors to buy this comic for their paper.

Normally, comic strips get a nice custom folder containing the comic samples and character sheets. But for this unique strip, Dave and I knew we had to do something different.

We brainstormed many ideas. I went to the library and took out many books on science fiction, toys, and retro culture. We also looked at many printouts from the internet of classic movie posters. It baffles me how designers don’t go to the library for ideas on how to design something. It’s such an incredible resource to use.

We settled on doing a toy box to contain:

• Foam rocket (for Brewster Rockit!)
• Magnets featuring the characters
• Sell sheet
• Character sheet
• Comic samples

Design: Matt Maldre (me)
Line art: Tim Rickard
Coloring: Matt Maldre
Client: Tribune Media Services, News & Features sales department

Fonts: Futura, Kentucky Fried, Lamplighter, Mister Television, Milwaukee from fontdiner.com (it was a great deal to buy these fonts!)

Entire kit

Box cover

Many many covers of comic books provided inspiration for the scene on the cover of the box. I wanted something dramatic that showed the personality of all the main characters of the comic strip.

Brewster was to be doing something noble and brave but ultimately goofball. He dramatically flies away, but his trail of fire from his jetpack leaves Winky on fire. Winky always ends up being the test dummy for the crew’s many adventures. The Engineer Cliff Clueless roasts hot dogs from Brewster’s flames. Pam is the brave woman holding a rifle in hand. Dr. Mel Practice’s satellite serves an area for type treatment on the box.

The sketch I sent to Tim:

The artist of Brewster Rockit had some great ideas on how to improve the characters. I was afraid Winky running on fire would be too gruesome, and Tim suggested that we have Winky’s butt on fire–perfect! He also put Pam into the arms of a one-eyed octopus. Dr. Mel’s satellite became a much cooler robot!

Tim’s drawing:

From this, I colored the artwork into what we see on the box cover now:

For the neo-retro theme, the colors are muted yellow and brown. The Ben Day dots add a cool printed feel. There are also lots of Photoshop brushes from http://studio.adobe.com. The colors on the box are standard CYMK; however, the normal yellow is swapped out with a fluorescent super bright yellow for that extra pop on the sides of the box.

Sell sheet

Inside the box is an 8.5 x 11-inch sell sheet. I wanted the design to resemble the cheesy ads found on the back of classic comic strips.

Front:

Back:

Magnets

Here’s the set of six magnets. We let Tim Rickard run free with however he decided to depict the characters—as long as he stayed within a square format. I then added the funky little design border to identify both the comic strip and the character’s name along with the character’s title (a bunch to fit in a 1.75 x 2.25-inch space).

Character sheet

There was also a last-minute character sheet. Originally, the magnets were going to be used to describe and introduce the characters, but the sales team wanted a character sheet with more information.

Foam finger rocket

This is the label that runs on the foam rocket.

The salespeople can’t get enough of these rockets. We’ve made three repeat runs of these rockets. An excellent way for the comic strip to take off!

Text from the materials

Sell sheet (front)

Tribune Media Services presents Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! by Tim Rickard

Finally, an original comic strip that captures the best elements of space parody—Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! Space travel is certainly inspirational … but it’s also ripe for jokes. You don’t have to be a science fiction enthusiast (or a “Trekkie”) to appreciate the inherent humor in mankind’s often-frustrating and never-ending forays into outer space. Anyone who grew up aware of movies such as “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” can appreciate space parody. Now that parody is available every day. Read Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!

Brewster Rockit is an unlikely captain. He’s woefully ill-prepared to lead … and that’s part of his charm. Orbiting the stars in the space station R.U. Sirius, Brewster and his crew of misfits encounter a constantly challenging set of interplanetary anomalies. Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! pushes the limits of space, time and humor.

• Time travel!
• Alien abductions!
• Monkeys!
• Future technology!
• Space Adventures!
• Intergalactic warfare!
• More monkeys!

Sell sheet (back)

One small step for you. One giant leap for your comics pages

Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! is ready to launch in your paper today. Just give us the go and we’ll take your comics pages to a new world of humor and reader interest. Prepare for liftoff.

On target with readers of all galaxies.
Space adventure—and parody—appeals to readers of all generations, both males and females, particularly to the coveted 18- to 34-year-olds. Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! is witty, often zany and always funny.

Not another animal strip … unless the animals are from Neptune.
The space genre is fresh territory for newspaper comics pages that are overcrowded with sassy animals and suburban families. Brewster Rockit’s “spacescapes” and eye-catching depictions of starship battles and galactic adventures will pop off the page.

Astronauts who are down to earth … even on far-off planets.
The characters in Brewster Rockit are lovable because they’re flawed like all humans. They’re not superheroes. In fact, they’re incompetent astronauts. Readers will relate to their bumbling misadventures … even those readers who haven’t been to space.

Brewster Rockit’s Captain
Creator Tim Rickard is an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator and graphic artist for the News & Record in Greensboro, N.C., as well as a freelance illustrator and cartoonist for popular magazines and newspapers, including Better Homes and Gardens and The Washington Post. He has illustrated many books, including ”Don’t Kiss Your Turtle Goodbye“ and ”There’s No Such Thing as a Perfect Wedding.“ Rickard is a member of Mensa, which means his remarkably large brain houses all sorts of inane science fiction facts—ideal for creating Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!

MAKE SPACE IN YOUR PAPER TODAY.

Character sheet

Brewster Rockit

Meet the crew of the space station R.U. Sirius

BREWSTER ROCKIT
Captain
Brewster is brave, honest, wholesome and outrageously inept. As captain of the space station R.U. Sirius, Brewster leads his crew into dire situations throughout the universe. (Fortunately, dumb luck saves his crew from harm … barely.) Brewster is extremely optimistic and adventurous, yet he’s also superstitious, vain, short on attention and a raging hypochondriac. He constantly worries about catching “space plague”—whatever that is. Brewster’s combination of incompetence and innocence make him a charming leader.
Notable quote: “A crisis? I sure hope my shirt gets torn!”

PAMELA MAE SNAP
Lieutenant
Pamela is the second in command to Brewster. Fortunately for all onboard, she’s a lot more competent than Brewster. Unfortunately for all, she’s bossy, aggressive, cynical and obsessive compulsive. Still, Pamela is a take-charge leader keeps the R.U. Sirius on course. Raised at a military academy, Pamela’s wild side has been bottled up far too long. As both a lieutenant and a single mother, she constantly is conflicted as she tries to balance military and family life. Hurtling through space battling aliens doesn’t make her life any less stressful.
Notable quote: “There’s no problem so big that it can’t be solved with my laser-gun.”

CLIFF CLEWLESS
Engineer
Cliff is responsible for all mechanical and computer functions aboard the R.U. Sirius. How he got this job is a true mystery. Cliff is an incompetent slob whose main objective is to avoid all work. He’s a fun guy to join for a beer or three, but you wouldn’t want to put him in charge of anything important … like the navigational systems of a space station. Cliff fancies himself a “ladies man” and his laid-back demeanor makes it hard to ruffle his feathers. He easily ruffles everyone else’s. Cliff is not evil. He’s simply incompetent.
Notable quote: “Will this take long?”

DOCTOR MEL PRACTICE
Ccience officer
Doctor Mel is an evil genius. He’s been charged with performing science experiments in space that will further mankind’s knowledge. Yet mostly he spends his time devising plans to conquer the world. Mel’s bizarre inventions are impressive, but they often backfire. He’s paranoid, evil, tyrannical and narcissistic … and it tends to get in the way of his science. Mel dislikes the phrase mad scientist—he prefers “sanity-challenged” scientist. Despite the fact that Doctor Mel doesn’t hide his desires to conquer the world, the crew is oddly oblivious to his plans.
Notable quote: “Has anyone seen my man-eating monkey?”

WINKY
cute kid
How did this kid get on board? A space station isn’t really a safe place for a child. Oh well.
Notable quote: “AAHHH! MY SPLEEN!”