Kids Comics Pitchfest 2023 Showcase

Rex and Bandit's Big Party

Rex the t-rex and Bandit the racoon love helping their neighbors in a small-town backyard. When Walter wallaby asks for help throwing a welcome party for a new resident, they are happy to help. But as they search for party supplies, they are sidetracked by other friends who also need help. A chipmunk family can’t reach the water in the bird bath. Hedgehog’s frisbee is stuck in a tree. Squirrel has too many nuts to bury. Mole wants to fly a kite. Skunk wants to play catch. Someone is trapped in a trash can. Rabbit can’t reach the garden food. After helping all their friends, Rex and Bandit realize they are out of time to set up for the big party. Fortunately, everyone they helped during the day comes together and contributes party supplies, and the big party is saved just as Walter returns with the neighborhood’s newest resident.
In a short backup story Rex and Bandit try to make the perfect peanut butter sandwich. They experiment with several toppings before an accident leads them to discover the ultimate sandwich, peanut butter and jelly.

My Why:

We are twin brothers from the Midwest whose formative years were spent exploring woods, creeks, and backyards, experiencing nature wherever we could find it. We were also obsessed with dinosaurs, and any time not spent outside would usually be spent with a dinosaur book from the library. Rex & Bandit is our childhood reimagined and coalesced into story form. It's filled with laughter, whimsy, exploration, and of course, a dinosaur. We hope that our fun story will inspire readers to appreciate the natural spaces around them, whether they be backyards, parks, or solitary trees along a sidewalk.