'Darth Vader and Son' the perfect Father's Day gift for geek dads

I regret that I did not recommend any geeky Mother’s Day gifts. It was not an issue of sexism. There are probably more girl geeks in my life than guy geeks. (Hi, Beq, Cyndi, Sheila, Tracy, Mary, Misty, Trisha, Heather, Patty, Amber …)

But I didn’t get word of anything that tickled my fancy for moms as much as this book did for dads.

Mix “Star Wars” with cuteoverload.com, and you get Jeffrey Brown’s adorable “Darth Vader and Son” from Chronicle Books. It’s a collection of one-page gags that turn Darth Vader we know and love from the original trilogy into the doting father he never was with a precocious little Luke by his side.

Perhaps there is a bit of sexism going on as Vader’s other child, Leia, is barely seen, but the book just had me melting, “awww”-ing and/or giggling over almost every page. And I’m not even a dad.

It’s so aw, shucks cute that geek dads, especially those with little kids, would totally appreciate receiving the book for Father’s Day this Sunday, unless they’re “Star Trek” loyalists. And at $14.95, it won’t break the bank.

Brown just nails those moments I remember having with my dad and gives them that special “Star Wars” twist with a little Force here and a little cantina there. The simple line work and marker coloring give it the feel that your own kid could have done this, though not nearly as slyly.

Update: When I went to Hallmark over the weekend to pick up a graduation card, I saw that they have a line of Superman and Batman mugs for Father’s Day. They look pretty good, but it’s too bad they didn’t do a Wonder Woman one for moms.

Below are a couple favorites from the “Darth Vader and Son” book.