Brian Gordon (1)

Brian Gordon has nailed this parenting thing. Or at least, the painfully honest - and consequently hilarious - way of depicting it. His latest book is a combination of spot-on comics and humorously insightful essays about everything from potty training to holidays. Gordon may be "Winging It", but we are so glad to be along for the ride!

Brian Gordon's Fowl Language: Winging It has something for just about everybody. The humor is centered on parenting but the appeal is not limited to just parents.

I tend to not want much exposition in any graphic works I read, and this book has a very short essay to introduce each of the 12 thematic chapters. Yet in this case I think they helped to both make the book a more coherent whole and give it even more of a personal touch (especially for any readers who might not be familiar with the show more comics). So even what would usually have been a negative for me turned out to be a positive feature of the book.

The obvious appeal is to parents, or in my case, a grandparent. The difference here is that I am far enough removed from my own experiences that I can laugh about what my kids are going through. Believe me, that makes it even funnier! But the humor appeals to anyone who has ever been around parents or, I think, anyone who has ever watched a sitcom on TV. The minefield that is parenthood is known to just about everyone so the humor will resonate with everyone. The difference will be perhaps the degree and type of laughter. For example, I chuckle remembering incidents from my parenting days but laugh out loud when realizing that my children are going through these things now.

Definitely recommended for parents and parents-to-be. Even if you follow the website this is about half never before published comics so there is something new for even you. Give this to anyone expecting their first child and laugh maniacally while you do.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Fowl Language: The Struggle Is Real by Brian Gordon is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I think I laughed, smiled, or smirked with each and every cartoon because I could relate after having four boys! The expressions and situations were hilarious and so on target with what parents are feeling and what they go through! I don't normally enjoy ever single cartoon in a book so I was pleasantly amazed when I was entertained by the craziness of this fun family. Thanks!

Parenting is always a rich vein for humor, and here Brian Gordon treats us to a cranky and exhausted father's insight via Dicky the duck dad. The single-page cartoons collected here can be coarse and make use of the foul language implied by the title. There are a few clunkers, but I had several laugh out loud moments and many grins.

An archive of the comic is available online: https://www.fowllanguagecomics.com/archive/