Brewster Rockit
Encyclopedia
Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! is a satirical
retro-futuristic comic strip
created by Tim Rickard. It chronicles the misadventures of the dim-witted Brewster Rockit, captain of the space station R.U. Sirius, and his crew. Many of the comic's characters and elements are derived from the Star Trek
franchise, American science fiction film
s of the 1950s, and science fiction comics of the '40s and '50s. It debuted on July 5, 2004 (the same month, Rickard was interviewed for the online magazine SciFiDimensions.com http://www.scifidimensions.com/Aug04/timrickard.htm) and is nationally syndicated by Tribune Media Services.
The weekday strips usually feature extended serial storylines, often running several weeks at a time. The Sunday strips are stand-alone, self-contained gags which are often more elaborately illustrated and action-oriented than the dailies, and are sometimes presented in medias res
style. The comic's humor ranges from satire, metahumor
, slapstick
, dark humor
, running gags, word play
, and pun
s.
, Star Wars
, and Alien
movies, and a combination of The Lord of the Rings
and The Wizard of Oz
. A foreword
is provided by Stephan Pastis
, creator of Pearls Before Swine. So far this is the only Brewster Rockit book collection.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
retro-futuristic comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
created by Tim Rickard. It chronicles the misadventures of the dim-witted Brewster Rockit, captain of the space station R.U. Sirius, and his crew. Many of the comic's characters and elements are derived from the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
franchise, American science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
s of the 1950s, and science fiction comics of the '40s and '50s. It debuted on July 5, 2004 (the same month, Rickard was interviewed for the online magazine SciFiDimensions.com http://www.scifidimensions.com/Aug04/timrickard.htm) and is nationally syndicated by Tribune Media Services.
The weekday strips usually feature extended serial storylines, often running several weeks at a time. The Sunday strips are stand-alone, self-contained gags which are often more elaborately illustrated and action-oriented than the dailies, and are sometimes presented in medias res
In medias res
In medias res or medias in res is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning In medias res or medias in res (into the middle of things) is a Latin phrase...
style. The comic's humor ranges from satire, metahumor
Meta-joke
Meta-joke refers to several somewhat different, but related categories: self-referential jokes, jokes about jokes , and joke templates.-Self-referential jokes:...
, slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
, dark humor
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
, running gags, word play
Word play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
, and pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s.
Plot
The R.U. Sirius is a space station orbiting Earth that acts as both an embassy for visiting aliens as well as a first line of defense against hostile aliens. Its mission statement is (probably) "Try not to die a horrible death." The comic's storylines are often obvious parodies of well-known science fiction and fantasy movies, television series, and books, as well as current events and contemporary pop culture, with Brewster and his crew typically coming out victorious over the countless evil villains they face.Main characters
- Captain Brewster Rockit: The lantern-jawed and squinty-eyed captain of the R.U. Sirius. He is brave, optimistic... and dumb as a rock. His strong leadership skills are complemented by a boyish sense of humor (and child-like mindset). He graduated from the Air Force AcademyUnited States Air Force AcademyThe United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
and then served in NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
as a space shuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
pilot. However, he failed his intelligence exam because he kept eating the pencils. He originally had the intelligence of an average person, but excessive memory wipes from alien abductions caused him to lose it. According to Pam, he has an obsession with ham.
- Lieutenant Pamela Mae Snap: The tough and pragmatic second-in-command aboard the R.U. Sirius, Pam is usually the one responsible for keeping things running, despite the collective idiocy of her shipmates. She sometimes has a hot temper and an attitude that gets her into trouble. She is also the mother of two young kids from a bad marriage that she doesn't talk about. She has shown to have a "thing" for bad boys, having dated Dirk Raider, Brewster's arch nemesis, as well as Karnor. She enjoys killing things.
- Dr. Mel Practice: The station's conniving science officer (and mad scientistMad scientistA mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
, though he prefers the term, "sanity-challenged scientist"). He often creates monsters and machines, but inevitably fails in his plans to conquer the universe. One of his craziest inventions was a "ProcrastinationProcrastinationIn psychology, procrastination refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of low-priority, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time...
Ray", which sent troublesome objects into the future, so one would have no choice but to deal with them later. He is bald and wears a white lab coat, black gloves, and spectacles.
- Cliff Clewless: The station's engineer - a position for which he is completely unqualified. He got his position through his computer-hacking abilities by hacking into NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's computer and upgrading himself from "programmer" to "engineer". He believes himself to be popular with the ladies. He is fat and is invariably shown sporting a cap and sunglasses.
- Winky: A bright-eyed but hapless child crew member and assistant to Dr. Mel. He is often stuck with the nastiest or most dangerous tasks. His resulting injuries commonly leave him uttering some variation of the phrase, "AHHHH! MY SPLEENSpleenThe spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...
!"
Other characters
- Agent X: A mysterious government agent from the Department of the Paranormal. His job is to seek out the truth about aliens, then cover it up. The R.U. Sirius was his idea.
- Pal 8000: A computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
creation of Dr. Mel who views him as a father figure. He regulates the station's life-support systems and is a bit immature, throwing juvenile tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He wants to participate in human activities such as baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and biking -- despite being a three-tonTonThe ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
computer. A parody of HAL 9000HAL 9000HAL 9000 is the antagonist in Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction Space Odyssey saga. HAL is an artificial intelligence that interacts with the astronaut crew of the Discovery One spacecraft, usually represented as a red television-camera eye found throughout the ship...
from 2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey (film)2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
.
- Bucky the Robot: A "robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
" who, as is often pointed out by Pam and Dr. Mel in vain, is merely a "bucketBucketA bucket, also called a pail, is typically a watertight, vertical cylinder or truncated cone, with an open top and a flat bottom, usually attached to a semicircular carrying handle called the bail. A pail can have an open top or can have a lid....
on a coat rack!" Built by Cliff at the request of Brewster on the comic's second day, he sports an unvarying smiling face. He is a recipient of a worker of the year award for the R.U. Sirius. He also got the same score on the intelligence exam as Brewster. He once won an election against him to become captain, not to mention when he won the Presidential Galactic Election.
- Oldbot: An aging robot with a failing memoryMemoryIn psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
. Originally shaped as the B-9 Robot from Lost in SpaceLost in SpaceLost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
, its appearance was changed due to legal liabilities.
- Dirk Raider: A parody of Darth VaderDarth VaderDarth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
and commander of a planet-destroying "Death-Ship." His armor resembles that of a medieval knightKnightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
. Once an apprentice of Brewster's in the order of "Goodguy Knights," Dirk is now his arch rival and member of the evil corporationEvil corporationAn evil corporation is a staple of science fiction , usually a big multinational company which values profits over ethics....
"Microsith," which is currently known as "Numesis".
- Karnor: A visiting alienExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
that has a bad habit of eating people. He is tall, green, and has a crush on Pam. He is king of the zorgons.
- Cosmicus: A character that eats planets. A parody of the colossal entity GalactusGalactusGalactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, of Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. He has also appeared in the comic strip Watch Your HeadWatch Your HeadWatch Your Head is a daily comic strip written and illustrated by Cory Thomas, focusing on the lives of six students at Oliver Otis University, a fictional Historically Black university...
. He has a cousin named Morty.
- Philbert: Cliff's son, the result of impregnation by an alien (reminiscent of the space creature in the AlienAlien (film)Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
series). Philbert now lives somewhere in the air ducts.
- Ursula: A hairless female from VenusVenusVenus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
. She and Pam don't get along. She is a spySPYSPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
for Dirk Raider. Pam knows this but cannot convince the other crew members.
- Enigmo: An all-powerful, but gullible, purple floating head in space. His attempts to enslave Brewster and his crew often end up futile.
- Ensign Kenny: A name given to various extremely unlucky humanRedshirt (character)A "redshirt" is a stock character in fiction who dies soon after being introduced. The term originates with fans of Star Trek , from the red shirts worn by Starfleet security officers who frequently die during episodes.-Star Trek:...
crew members, who are constantly dying on missions. A parody both of the red-shirted security crewmen in the original Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
and of KennyKennyKenny is an Irish family surname, an anglicisation of the Irish Ó Cionnaith, sometimes spelled Ó Cionnaoith.One bearer of the name was Cainnech of Aghaboe, better known in English as Saint Canice - a sixth century Irish priest and missionary, after whom the city and county of Kilkenny is also named...
in South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
.
- MosageMosageMosage is a fictional character in the comic strip Brewster Rockit. He is a supposedly wise Chameleon . One of his wise sayings; "If you feel sorry for yourself because you have no shoes, you should meet someone who has no feet...
: A 'wise alien' philosopher and a member of a race of Chameleons, who are supposed to be able to change their color to match their surroundings. However, they are not able to (which has led to near-extinction on their part).
- Toada: A parody of YodaYodaYoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing in the second and third original films, as well as all three prequel trilogy films. A renowned Jedi master, Yoda made his first on-screen appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where he is responsible for...
, this toadToadA toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
-faced alien dispenses wisdom to the crew of the R.U. Sirius while adding his own cynical twist to it. He is a master on the Good-guy Knights council.
- Ted the Observer: Leader of the Observers. A parody of Uatu the Watcher of Marvel comics.
Races
- Humans: Residents of earth, whom Agent X is always trying to keep ignorant of the existence of aliens (despite alien attacks on New York and other major cities).
- Zomulans: Oblong-headed abductors from another planet. They once captured Brewster and put him in an arena with a very large crab-creature. They also bought Earth once and tried to repopulate it with giant space bears.
- Zorgons: Human-eating aliens of whom Karnor is the king. Agent X introduced 'I Can't Believe It's Not Humans', a non-violent food source to them, so that they would stop their carnivorous ways.
- Dorkons: Aliens who say, in reference to their "goofy outfits", "We may be light-years ahead of you in technology, but we're decades behind you in fashion." They tried to sell cookbooks of recipes using humans to the Zorgons.
- Donut People: A race of aliens shaped like donuts. They are edible. They come from Torus 8 as a reference to their shape.
- Uranians: A race from UranusUranusUranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...
who are always the "butt" of jokes (both in the figurative and literal sense, as most of the jokes relate to the butt, a fact that they are not happy about).
- Saturnians: Inhabitants of SaturnSaturnSaturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
who once won the moon in a blackjackBlackjackBlackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
game with Cliff.
- Insectoids: Insect-like aliens who consistently rotate between making war and peace on the R.U. Sirius.
- Observers: Ancient and wise aliens from Limbo who record all that goes on in the Universe.
First collection
A book of collected Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! comic strips was released on April 1, 2007 by Andrews McMeel Publishing, with the subtitle Close Encounters of the Worst Kind. It compiles roughly forty weeks of the strip, with all of them printed in full color. The featured storylines include parodies of the first Planet of the ApesPlanet of the Apes (1968 film)
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison...
, Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
, and Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
movies, and a combination of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
and The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. A foreword
Foreword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
is provided by Stephan Pastis
Stephan Pastis
Stephan Thomas Pastis is an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine.-Background:...
, creator of Pearls Before Swine. So far this is the only Brewster Rockit book collection.