You’ve heard of Space Force, right? Now imagine if it had a dress code of Forever 21 and a recruitment campaign run entirely through Microsoft Paint. That, dear reader, is the essence of Katie Kincaid Candidate.
This cover dares you to ask, “What if Judy Moody applied to the Space Force Academy?” and then answers with a resounding huh?
Concept: Wobbling Somewhere Between “Space Adventure” and “Pinterest Fail”
We open with a girl—Katie, we assume—facing away from us in a floral skirt, braids, and clutching a bubblegum-pink skateboard. She is standing on the surface of what’s presumably an asteroid, staring into the starlit void.
Because that’s what future cadets do, apparently. Bring skateboards. To space.
Floating ominously nearby is a spaceship, and here’s where things get sticky: the vessel appears to be one of the Eagles from Space: 1999, the cult 1970s sci-fi series. Yes, that’s right—a show known for its distinctly designed spacecraft, which this cover seems to have borrowed with the kind of enthusiasm that makes copyright lawyers rub their temples.
We’re not saying it’s definitely infringing. But we are saying someone clearly Googled “cool space ship” and CTRL+C’d a slice of pop culture history.
Design Breakdown: Mayday in the Asteroid Belt
Typography Terror
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Katie Kincaid Candidate is the size of a Times Square billboard, while the tagline (“Katie applies to the Space Force Academy”) is tucked in like a shy afterthought in Comic Sans’ second cousin.
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The author’s name? It takes up more space than the girl or the ship. We’re not sure if the book is about Katie Kincaid or a dramatic memoir titled Andrew van Aardvark: My Bold Yellow Font Journey.
Composition Confusion
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Katie’s photo has been superimposed so roughly onto the space background that it might as well have been cut out with child-safe scissors.
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The asteroid terrain under her feet is rendered in glorious “free texture pack” resolution.
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And then there’s the lighting—or lack thereof. No cast shadows. No consistent perspective. Just elements pasted together with the visual cohesion of a ransom note.
What Were They Going For?
A heartfelt coming-of-age space drama? A tween recruitment ad for Elon Musk’s next publicity stunt? Or simply a Photoshop fever dream?
We’ll never know. But what we do know is this: Katie might make it into Space Force Academy, but this cover shouldn’t make it past customs at the Library of Congress.
Final Verdict:
This cover is less sci-fi and more why-try.
A possible copyright faux pas, a design that flirts with total visual chaos, and a pink skateboard hurtling into the cold vacuum of space. We salute the ambition—but not the execution.