Jeffrey Brown wonders what Middle School would be like as a Jedi in new book

Cartoonist Jeffrey Brown who recently brought us the books "Star Wars: Darth Vader & Son" and "Star Wars: Vader's Little Princess" has a new book set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away coming out in September 2013.  In Chronicle Books' Star Wars: Jedi Academy, after being turned down for a spot in the Pilot Academy's Middle School program tween aged student Roan Novachez is taken under the wing of Yoda who trains him in the ways of the Jedi instead.

While Brown's Darth Vader & Son and Vader's Little Princess are filled with colorfully illustrated humorous sketches similar in characteristic to Gary Larson's The Far Side work but with Star Wars themes, characters and references; Jedi Academy is a vastly different book from his previous two Star Wars ventures.

Jedi Academy in contrast to the artwork shown above from Darth Vader & Son and Vader's Little Princess is more comparable to the style of Matt Groening's Life in Hell comic strips and books.that he created before coming up with the Simpsons. Jedi Academy is mostly in black and white and sketched out as if it was drawn as a journal personally by the main character Roan Novachez.  The artwork appears sketchy and amateurish but that is the creative goal of the author as he portrays the story as coming from the real journal of a middle school jedi ... somewhat like Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Star Wars.  There are pages of "hand written" journal entries and copies of school documents (admission letter, report cards) to go along with Novachez's sketches and cartoons.  There are also some "photographs" that were either mailed to Novachez or that he took during his adventures and added to his journal and look more like the work in Brown's previous two Star Wars books and show how the author is intentionally providing drawings in this story meant to provide perspective from a tween's view.  A nice touch to the book was the ending which encourages young readers to create their own journals and provides them with tips to what to include in one.

Jedi Academy would be a great book for kids age 8 - 11 to enjoy.  This book is geared more for children  and I personally really didn't find the book that interesting or enjoyable of a read from an adult perspective.  Fans of Brown's previous Darth Vader books need to know this book takes a very different approach to its artwork and layout than those other two books, which I personally really enjoyed reading both with my kids and by myself.  The cover artwork for Jedi Academy appears similar to the artwork in Brown's Darth Vader books so it is important for people to understand that this is not a sequel book to that series but rather a stand alone book that is completely different. That being said I believe this is a cute fun romp of a story with some nice life lessons for younger readers and any book that encourages an appreciation of reading with kids is a plus for this geeky daddy.  Keep an eye out for Jedi Academy for that young padawan  in your life.

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary digital advance pdf copy of "Jedi Academy" from the publisher. The opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive compensation for this review.

Daddy Vader … Part Deux

Last Father’s Day, I reviewed cartoonist Jeffrey Brown’s fun and entertaining book “Darth Vader & Son” that portrays Darth Vader as a doting daddy to his son Luke Skywalker.  I’m a big fan of Gary Larson’s “FAR SIDE” comics and Brown’s work reminds me of those sketches but set in the Star Wars universe with a touch of inspiration from Norman Rockwell added to the mix. CLICK HERE to read my previous post on DARTH VADER & SON. 

The success of “Darth Vader & Son” has led to a sequel … “Darth Vader’s Little Princess” that will be out in time for Father’s Day 2013.  This book takes a comedic look at being the dad of a daughter through cartoons featuring the Dark Lord of the Sith interacting with Star Wars’ Princess Leia.

Brown’s publisher, Chronicle Books, describes “Darth Vader’s Little Princess” as:

irresistibly funny follow-up to the breakout bestseller Darth Vader and Son, Vader—Sith Lord and leader of the Galactic Empire—now faces the trials, joys, and mood swings of raising his daughter Leia as she grows from a sweet little girl into a rebellious teenager. Smart and funny illustrations by artist Jeffrey Brown give classic Star Wars moments a twist by bringing these iconic family relations together under one roof. From tea parties to teaching Leia how to fly a TIE fighter, regulating the time she spends talking with friends via R2-D2's hologram, and making sure Leia doesn't leave the house wearing only the a skirted metal bikini, Vader's parenting skills are put hilariously to the test.

“Darth Vader’s Little Princess” will be out May 1, 2013 but you can purchase advance orders now at a discounted price through Amazon.com before the books hit retailers’ shelves.  I give “Darth Vader & Son” an enthusiastic thumbs up and am really looking forward to this sequel…hint hint this would be a great father’s day present for the Geek Daddy!

If you are still gift wrapping these last few days before Christmas, Chronicle Books has provided some amusing gift tags that will be sure to thrill the Star Wars fans in your life.  Click on the image below or click here to download.