Kids Are Weird: And Other Observations from Parenthood
Brown launched his comics career drawing short-form, self-deprecating autobiographical pieces; more recently, he’s found commercial success with a series of books portraying a surprisingly paternal Darth Vader raising his young offspring, Luke and Leia. Here he combines the two with a delightful collection of cartoons depicting the charmingly quirky utterances of his preschooler son. Along with his loving parents, we observe Oscar at the dinner table (“I’m the master of bacon”); watching television (“Elton John looks pretty in that shirt”); playing with his toys (“This truck can survive on very little water”); in the bathroom (“Since you’re in here, I’m going to wash my hands for real”); and dictating to his parents (“Don’t feel happy at me”). Brown’s ragged, childlike drawing style is the ideal vehicle for capturing Oscar’s “Aww”-inspiring remarks. The book’s strongest appeal will be to young parents—including Brown’s early fans, who have echoed his progression from aimless slackerdom to domesticated adulthood—who will see their own tots’ adorableness reflected in Oscar’s innocently clever observations. --Gordon Flagg