Dad v2 cover detail by Nob
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Dad v2: “Family Secrets”

It’s Dad humor.  The best kind! Also, we learn more about the Moms…

Writer: Nob
Artist: Nob
Colorist: Nob
Lettering: Calix Ltd
Translator: James Hogan
Published by: Dupuis/Europe Comics
Number of Pages: 48
Original Publication: 2015

 

Origin Story

This is the book that probably would have been a better first volume.  There’s no continuity in this series or in the gags it collects. You don’t need to read them in any particular order, really. There’s not much in the way of specific running gags.

Each page is its own unique chunk of storytelling.  Themes emerge and some relationships are cemented through their display and repetition, but I think you could read volume 2 before volume 1 and not miss a thing.

In fact, I’d argue, you’d understand the world a little better.

That’s all because of one gag in this book that sets up the background for the “Dad Universe.”  The “Dad-iverse”?

In this second volume, the gag on the tenth page has the Dad meeting with a talent agency.  There, he lays out his acting history and how all of the major roles in his life were interrupted by a new child, each with a different mother.

This is the one page origin story that would have set things up perfectly as page one of book one.

Dad v2 gag page, Tier 1

There’s a lot of great stuff going on in the page, too.  It starts with Dad sitting cross-legged, looking over-confident and boasting of his early big acting roles.  Slowly, as the person he’s talking to shows no knowledge of his “ancient” acting record on shows she’s never heard of, he slowly deflates.  That acting bravado lapses into his greatest role now as an insecure jobless single father with four girls.

Dad v2 gag page, Tier 2

Nob doesn’t set it up as a stale exposition dump by Dad.  He adds character to it.  He contrasts all the big roles with a younger listener’s ignorance of the references to his career that are practically older than she is.  By the time he walks out on the last panel, all she wants from him is a babysitter.  It’s a nice left turn in the final panel, and one that’s set up with a perfect misdirection with all of the dialogue before it.

Dad v2 gag page, Tier 3

There’s a rhythm to these panels, too.  They alternate from him being so proud of himself to him being deflated that his c.v. feels so ancient to the agent.  Back and forth they go, alternating panels.  We never see her word balloons or body language along the way. We infer it from his reactions to her reactions, which probably are all just physical cues, mostly confused looks on her face.

This is a Bob Newhart gag. We only ever see his end of the conversation. He might as well be talking on the phone.

Dad v2 gag page, Tier 4

The other thing I like in the sequence is how the camera holds steady on a medium shot.  We can follow his body language as he talks to help sell the gag.  It also helps hide the person he’s talking to, setting up the gag at the end.  (Honestly, I already gave that gag away, but please forgive me. There are 45 other ones in this book.)

It’s a great page with a great gag that sets a lot of background stuff up for the series. You don’t necessarily need it to enjoy the series, but it’ll keep you from having nagging questions your subconscious is continuously working on in the background as you’re reading.

 

More Gags Than That

The rest of the book is a funny assortment of gags, most of which come at Dad’s expense.  He doesn’t stand a chance.  He lives in a house with four girls. Of course they’re going to mercilessly pick on him for being a hairy ape or being out of shape or being uncool.

He has just as many ex-wives, so he’s bound to be broke and miserable.

Meanwhile, he’s struggling to find new work as a past-his-prime actor, while getting money from the ex-wives and trying to keep the kids fed and clothed and their homework finished.  This Dad is the Peter Parker of Dads.  Well, he’s not quite as successful as Spider-Man, but he doesn’t ever win, either, despite his best efforts.

Dad imagines a zombie outbreak on the subway

He gets along best with the youngest kids in the family.  He can use his imagination there, and the games they like to play are less about being cool and more about being silly.  Suddenly, I can relate.

Maybe that’s why I like the guy so much?

 

Details

There’s an amazing amount of detail in this book.  All of the “sets” are fully constructed and never hidden. Nob draws backgrounds in every panel.  I hope he has some help with those. I hope he has a SketchUp of Dad’s place to help keep everything straight. It has to be more than just cut-and-paste.  The girls’ rooms are impeccably decorated and detailed with all the posters and teddy bears and books laying around. Nob takes no shortcuts.

And, of course, Nob’s color choices define the book.  You can tell it’s a volume of Dad if you look at a random page with your eyes squinted just enough to only make out colors and no shapes or characters. Nob fills the book with bold choices in the color department, and they all fit together.

Nob's Dad wears a Faith No More t-shirt in Dad v2 Nob's Dad wears an ABBA shirt in Dad v2

One last small thing: It’s also fun to watch Dad’s shirt on every page.  It changes from gag to gag, and usually has a logo of an 80s band or some pop culture relic that those of us in Dad’s age range (the 40s) would get.

 

Recommended?

Dad v2 cover by Nob

Yes, it’s a funny book — though probably funnier for dads with daughters.

Volume 3 is also out now, too, so there’s plenty of good reading to do here! 🙂

— 2018.081 —

Buy It Now

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2 Comments

  1. I totally missed your review of Vol. 1, although I’m not necessarily the target audience for this niche subject, this sounds like the perfect market segmentation that French BD publishers seem to be looking for these days. Is that the perfect gift for father’s day or what?
    In your review for Vol. 1 you found cute those pseudonyms French creators take, it’s a tradition as old as BD is here, but I always found that utterly ridiculous. I mean, if these guys want to be taken seriously as authors, start using proper names.
    I do agree that this book looks good and in my head I’m already thinking about a couple dude friends I could buy this for as a birthday present or something like that, so I guess, mission accomplished!

    1. Good point — this would be a great Father’s Day book to hand out. Welcome to the new economy, where it’s all about pinpointing a very specific, niche, audience.

      The pseudonym thing is cute for me probably because it’s new. As a reviewer, though, writing “Nob’s Dad” repeatedly feels very strange, indeed.

      My tastes skew very “commercial,” so it’s no wonder that this book appeals to me so. =)