Review: ‘Darth Vader & Son’

Darth Vader & Son is an illustration book by Jeffrey Brown that re-imagines life in the Skywalker family, complete with all the baggage of the father figure being a Dark Lord of the Sith. The book has a wide target audience, but the deeper your Star Wars obsession, the more appeal you will find in the subtlety and detail of the humourous allusions.

I’ve been seeing reference to this publication online for a little while now – the buzz suggests that Star Wars devotees really enjoy the cartoon-style and in-jokes. In hand, however, this book is even more substantial and entertaining than I anticipated. It is a hardcover edition, with a full 64 pages of Star Wars funnies, and production values that makes it a collectible in its own right, as well as being a lighthearted exploration of the universal joys of parenting. The content reinterprets many of Darth Vader classic and famous utterances – “I am altering the deal; pray I don’t alter it any further”, “Together we can rule the Galaxy”, etc. – but as you explore each of Jeffrey Brown’s depictions, you’ll see that he too is a dedicated Star Wars aficionado who knows how to tickle the funny-bones of fans. Posted here is a preview selection of a few of my favourite pages…it’s not too hard to poke fun at Jar Jar or the ewoks (which this book gently and respectfully does), but the fact that the comedic environments go so far as to include the likes of 2-1B and Dice Ibegon means this book gets my vote and recommendation, particularly for Original Trilogy enthusiasts.

Darth Vader & Son is available from the Bookreps NZ website, for $24.99.

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