Comics Kingdom | Daddy Daze by John Kovaleski

John Kovaleski

About

From giddy romps and imaginary adventures to tender bedtime moments and hilarious encounters with the rest of the world, “Daddy Daze” is a comic strip about the special relationship between a father and son. Readers will connect instantly with Paul, the single dad who amicably shares custody of little Angus with ex-wife Amy, as he juggles an at-home job and domestic duties.

Characters

Grandparents

Grandma and Grandpa (collectively known as "Ga" in their grandson’s vernacular) are supportive and helpful, but that can only go so far when you don’t live nearby. Like most families, they keep in contact via those small supercomputers we all keep in our pockets.

Paul

Paul is the dad ("Da," as his son Angus calls him), who works from home to spend more time with his kid. Slightly haggard, he is both crazy in love with his son and somewhat perplexed by the being he has sired.

Angus

Angus is a cheerful infant who, like most in his situation, is just trying to figure out the world. Sometimes he does this by asking his dad questions. Other times it’s by experimentation, often without the benefit of good sense. (Hey, maturity will come soon enough.) His standard vocabulary consists of one word – "ba" – whose varied meanings can be deciphered only by his family.

Amy

Amy is the mom ("Ma" to her son). She and Paul are no longer married but remain on good terms, working together to co-parent their son. Go "Team Offspring"!

Grandma and Grandpa

Chuck

Chuck is Paul's friend and fellow dad, and they often meet to swap family stories. He is downtrodden fatherhood personified, having been worn down by the antics of his numerous kids.

Lily and Britt

Lily is the teacher at Angus' day care. She possesses the monumental patience necessary to corral a few dozen tiny, lively humans day in and day out. Britt is Lily's daughter and Angus' babysitter. She gets her superior child-care skills from her mom. Britt is smart beyond her years and the object of Angus' romantic affections.

Carlos and Zoe

Carlos and Zoe are Angus' friends at day care. They are as bright and boisterous as Angus, which can cause some problems at times.

Author

John Kovaleski

Cartoonist John Kovaleski has had many jobs – from Segway tour guide to Chuck E. Cheese mystery shopper – but none that he's loved more than being a dad. (Lousy pay, but great benefits.) His new comic strip Daddy Daze comes from a place he knows well – being a single parent to a smaller version of himself.

Daddy Daze began as an online comic strip detailing John's real-life experience as a new dad. That version of the comic strip was actually one of many projects that he did while he was working on his Master of Fine Arts degree, teaching art and film at a college, and working as a freelance humorous illustrator. (In hindsight, perhaps he had a bit much on his plate.)

John's childhood dream was to have his own comic strip. That dream came true when he created the cult favorite Bo Nanas, a strip about a talking monkey in the real world that was collected in the books Monkey Meets World and ApPEELing. Along the way he became a contributor to MAD magazine, illustrated credit sequences for motion pictures, and created animated greeting cards for Amazon.com.

John lives in Pennsylvania with his no-longer-little son in a 100-year-old house that groans under the weight of way too many cartoon books.

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