Review: Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting – Brian Gordon
Fowl Language: Welcome to Parentingby Brian Gordon
Series: Fowl Language #1
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: March 25, 2016
Genres: Graphic Novel, Humor
Pages: 128
Source: Library
My rating:
Parenting can be a magical journey full of bliss and wonder . . . if you're on the right meds. For the rest of us, it's another thing altogether. Fowl Language Comics takes an unvarnished look at the tedium and aggravation of parenting, while never forgetting that the reason we put up with those little jerks is that we love them so damn much. By poking fun at the daily struggles parents face, these cartoons help all of us feel less alone in our continual struggle to stay sane.
Brian Gordon, creator of Fowl Language Comics, has two small children of his own and knows well the trials and tribulations that go along with raising them. With more than eighteen years of experience in humorous illustration, writing, and cartooning, Brian's visual point of view is memorable, authentic, and instantly recognizable. From Brian: "They say 'write what you know.' Well, I don’t know much, but I do know what it’s like to be the father of two brilliant, beautiful, bat-shit-crazy kids."
Launched in July 2013, the relatable humor of Fowl Language broke out on HuffPost Parents, Pop Sugar Moms, Bored Panda, Awkward Family Photos, and countless other humor and parenting blogs. Thanks to more than 200,000 fans on social media, including Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram, it continues to grow in popularity at a rapid pace.
Parenting’s frequently been a source of humor for the funny pages, but it took webcomics to finally fully express the range of parenting emotions. Case in point, the comic that first introduced me to Fowl Language where I recognized the author as a kindred spirit:
Why is it always in Target? It’s no secret I love my kids, but a good portion of the time they act like drunk little dictators who are intent on maiming themselves, not the adorable little munchkins most people would say their kids are. So, much like Sarah’s Scribbles, most of the fun of Fowl Language is how insanely relatable the comics are. If you’re a parent, most of the topics of the comics will be familiar, from toddler fashion, to kids’ ability to argue about EVERYTHING, to the little moments that make all the other parenting crap worth it. I have a toddler and an elementary school-aged kid, and most of the comics felt aimed specifically at that age range.
I’ve seen a lot of these comics before online, so while I’m not sure how much original content is in this, I think this collection would be a great baby shower gift – to let those poor, unsuspecting elated parents-to-be get some idea of what they’re getting in to! Not like they’ll have that much time for reading comics, but reading a panel or two during those awful sleepless nights that happen during the first few months may help keep them sane!
Overall, a hilarious read for parents, and I’ll definitely be looking for the next collection.
