Vader's Little Princess, and Darth Vader and Son: two books by Jeffrey Brown

The gentle warmth in Jeffrey Brown's comic strip memoirs (Funny Misshapen Body, Little Things) comes through strongly in his two hilarious new books, Vader's Little Princess and Darth Vader and Son. Brown re-imagines the Star Wars backstory and pictures Darth Vader raising Luke and Leia from early childhood into their teen years. 

Each page is a single-panel comic in full colour. Brown often plays with dialogue (out of context) from the Star Wars movies. Darth Vader's lines are in all caps and a zigzaggy word balloon helps convey the amplified scary tone of his voice. In one panel, Vader stands with fists clenched, declaring "TOGETHER WE CAN RULE THE GALAXY AS FATHER AND SON!" Luke as a preschooler asks, "And then I can have a treat?"

These books made me laugh out loud. Getting a ride to school, Leia tells her father "Just drop me at the corner." Vader responds, "IT'S OKAY, I CAN TAKE YOU RIGHT TO THE FRONT DOOR..." and Leia thinks, "I'm so embarrassed" as she disembarks from one of those giant walking machines.

Fun for the whole family!