Don't Call Me Sidekick

by Brenda Hickey

Enter Hazelton Academy, where an unlikely duo must pull together to battle the monsters not just outside their school walls, but within.

Don't Call Me Sidekick! is an exciting new fantasy/adventure series from creator Brenda Hickey (My Little Pony, Aggretsuko)!

For fans of magical girl anime with a hint of dark academia -- It’s a blended mix of Cardcaptor/Pokémon meets Harry Potter/My Hero Academia.

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Digital PDFs

• Digital PDF Don’t Call Me Sidekick! Volume 1 (85 pages) • Digital PDF Don’t Call Me Sidekick! Art...

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Zoop Exclusive Don’t Call Me Sidekick! Volume 1 Physical Paperback Book featuring exclusive cover il...

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• Zoop Exclusive Don’t Call Me Sidekick! Volume 1 Physical Paperback Book with a signed bookplate by...

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Paperback BUNDLE

• Zoop Exclusive Don’t Call Me Sidekick! Volume 1 Physical Paperback Book featuring exclusive cover...

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Retailer Bundle - ALL COPIES SIGNED

For retailers only - 5 copies of the Zoop exclusive version of Don’t Call Me Sidekick! (112 pages) a...

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ADD-ONS

These items are only available once you have selected at least one primary Reward listed above.

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5”x7” B/W Sketch

Original sketch by Brenda Hickey. You can request any character from Don’t Call Me Sidekick! Drawn o...

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8”x10” Full Colour Art

Original art by Brenda Hickey! Brenda will be happy to work with you to help create the perfect cust...

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Original Art Comic Page from Don’t Call Me Sidekick!

Want to own a piece of the Don’t Call Me Sidekick! graphic novel? When you choose this add-on, you a...

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Plush Ary Keychain by CastleKeep Creations

2.5”x3.5” plush keychain of Ary, designed and produced by CastleKeep Creations. Made with minky with...

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Full Body Ary Plushie by CastleKeep Creations

12” full body plush of Don’t Call Me Sidekick! main character Ary. Made with minky fabric, stuffed w...

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Pegamoose Press Back Catalogue: Halls of the Turnip King Digital PDF

132 pages. Digital PDF. Recommended for teens. When reluctant elf prince Tatian Elfiore is forced on...

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Pegamoose Press Back Catalogue: Angora Napkin: The Golden McGuffin Digital PDF

98 pages. Digital PDF. Recommended for teens. Cuddle Core pop icons Angora Napkin have opened an Exi...

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Pegamoose Press Back Catalogue: Orchard of the Tame Digital PDF

373 Pages. Digital PDF. Recommended 10 and up. River Siren is a young mermaid who has been manipulat...

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Pegamoose Press Back Catalogue: Halls of the Turnip King Sticker Sheet

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Pegamoose Press Back Catalogue: Angora Napkin: The Golden McMuffin Clueless Card Set

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Pegamoose Press Back Catalogue: Butterfly House Risograph Print

Beautiful 5”x7” risograph print from Troy Little and Brenda Hickey’s haunting graphic novella Butter...

#The Story

Don’t Call Me Sidekick! is an exciting new fantasy/adventure series from creator Brenda Hickey (My Little Pony, Aggretsuko)! Through the partnership of the human child Kailee and her animal sidekick friend Ary, this story explores the power dynamic of the magical girl trope and questions a system built off of exploiting magical creatures as a way to gain power. The series begins with book 1: The Contract, and introduces us to a new generation of students beginning their journey to becoming part of the Phantom Guard and the fallout that takes place when Ary refuses to obediently take on her role as sidekick.

Don’t Call Me Sidekick! aims towards readers 12 and up and is perfect for fans of magical girl anime and the fun animal sidekicks of Disney. With your help we can achieve our goal of producing this first entry of the 3 book graphic novel series into a beautiful print format.

#Preview

#Bio

BRENDA HICKEY is a graphic novelist from Prince Edward Island, Canada. She's illustrated comics for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (IDW Publishing), written/illustrated two graphic novels for Netflix/Sanrio's series Aggretsuko (Oni Press), and has upcoming work with Zag’s Miraculous Chibi graphic novels, releasing in 2025 (Papercutz).

Brenda is married to fellow comic creator and all around wonderful human Troy Little and together they began Pegamoose Press, an independent publishing imprint for their creator owned books. Halls of the Turnip King was Brenda's debut graphic novel through the imprint, earning her Sequential Magazine’s Best Cartoonist award in 2020.

#Stretch Goals

$10,000 - Unlock exclusive print for all backers (of physical items)

$15,000 - Jazz up the book with upgraded features! ie: Spot Gloss/Foil

$20,000 - Don’t Call Me Sidekick! Bonus Zine for all backers (of physical items)

#Timeline

Currently the full 84 interior story pages of the graphic novel are at the inks stage and 37 of those pages have been fully rendered in colour and lettered. The bonus Zoop exclusive back matter is still to be assembled and the two versions of the book cover - one for the Zoop exclusive and one for the mass market - are to be designed and illustrated.

All final artwork for the book is to be fully completed by February 2025, and from there we will begin prepress for overseas printing. Campaign fulfillment is estimated to begin Summer 2025.

Frequently asked questions

Yes! We encourage you to get more than 1 item! That could be multiple copies of the same reward, or you can mix and match rewards! There is no limit, unless otherwise stated in the reward description.

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Please use the notes section in the last checkout step or you could e-mail us at hello@wearezoop.com with that info during the campaign if you'd like to get it out of the way. Otherwise, we'll be reaching out to all supporters of rewards that require feedback shortly after the campaign is over.

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