Celebrate Father's Day with Darth Vader and Jeffrey Brown

Darth Vader and Son, a picture book by Chicagoan Jeffrey Brown, includes amusing cameos by R2D2, Jar-Jar Binks and more.

Art: Jeffrey Brown/Chronicle Books

Call it "Parenting by Force." That would be Darth Vader's style, after all, if he had really raised little Luke during the young Padawan's adorable pre-K years.

That's the premise behind the cutest picture book we've seen in a while: Darth Vader and Son (Chronicle Books, $15), which hit stores on Star Wars Day (May the fourth—get it?). Written and drawn by Chicago cartoonist Jeffrey Brown, it's packed with charming illustrations and word balloons that provide a glimpse into an alternate universe where the Sith Lord also happened to raise a precocious junior Jedi.

While the small book with charming but simple illustrations is perfect for young hands, we can think of plenty of Star Wars-loving dads who'd dig it too, which makes it a fun Father's Day gift. Better yet, if you hit the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo on Sunday, you can meet Brown and probably get him to sign a copy of the Lucas-approved humor book. You'll have to be patient, though—he told us that he'll be doing a "minicomic demonstration" from noon–1:30pm, during which time he'll be talking to his audience while simultaneously writing and drawing an eight-page comic book.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to see more sample pages from Darth Vader and Son, check out this article from our little-sib mag, Time Out Chicago Kids. Our writer recently sat down with Brown, a Lincoln Square resident, to get the full back story, which involves a Google Doodle, missives to Harrison Ford and even a planned-for sequel.

Available at local bookstores and from the Chronicle Books website, Darth Vader and Son costs $15.