The geek world’s most tragic father-son relationship has now been channeled into the funniest book I’ve read this year. If you follow our sister site, Cool Mom Picks, you might have even noticed it in our recommendations of Father’s Day gifts for geek dads–it’s that good.
Imagine Darth Vader as a normal, sensitive dad attempting to parent your average preschool boy… who has Force powers and a lightsaber. Add adorable drawings that delve deeper into the Star Wars universe than you would expect, and you get some seriously hilarious scenarios in Darth Vader and Son. What I appreciate most is the attention to detail– all the background characters are actual background characters. And you’ll recognize the scenes, the set-ups, the famous lines tweaked just enough to make them clever. It’s clear that the author/illustrator Jeffrey Brown loves Star Wars (and hates Jar Jar Binks) as much as we do, and that’s why it works.
history around our house, and my husband turns up his nose when his
favorite characters are watered down or made ridiculous. However he
sternly plucked Darth Vader and Son out of my hands, started grumbling, and then couldn’t stop laughing.
And then he didn’t give it back.
