Thoughts & life experiences of a Chicago area graphic artist

10 April 2018

Silly Daddy Forever Book Review

My two volumes of Silly Daddy comic books. Silly Daddy Forever is the most recent.


Because I had enjoyed his first Silly Daddy comics collection of slice-of-life stories told with his innovative comic style, I am happy that cartoonist Joe Chiappetta has published what I like to think of as his follow-up volume, Silly Daddy Forever (although many years have passed between volumes). When my copy arrived in the mail, I was pleasantly surprised by the large 11” x 8.5” format which is easy to read and showcases his comics well.

At the very beginning of the book he states the wonderful premise that “behind every face in the whole world … there is at least one epic story: not that everyone has the skill to tell such a story. Yet some will dare try.” I’m glad for Joe’s daring. It inspires me to ponder my own story and appreciate my own journey in life.

Some of the art is loose digital brushwork. Other times Joe has more detailed, finer-line renderings. I had seen a small number of the comics online on his blog. But the vast majority were new to me. At a certain point, as I read the many comics drawn in a fun variety of formats and styles -- from single panel to multi-panel comic pages, I decided that an appropriate description of the book would be “a Treasury”.

This Treasury is full of delightfully illustrated accounts of his life as a father, husband, artist and community organizer, Silly Daddy Forever is a poignant and often funny glimpse into Joe’s mindful sense of gratitude for everyday blessings, his love of family and for people in general.

I am captivated with this fun Treasury of the latest adventures of Silly Daddy and his lovely circle of family and friends. Silly Daddy Forever is inspirational, reflective, fun and a wonderful antidote to an increasingly divisive, cynical mass-cultural miasma in our society.


So I say, somewhat redundantly, “Long live Silly Daddy Forever!”

It will definitely have a long, actively-read life in my home library! 



Find out more about Silly Daddy Forever on Joe’s blogs:

1 comment:

Joe Chiappetta said...

Thanks so much for this very thoughtful review, and the kind words about my work. I never thought of the book as a "Treasury Edition" before you mentioned it. But you nailed it! Again, I am very grateful that you took the time to write the very first review of this.