I was given the opportunity to evaluate this graphic novel by Leighton Gray; Vernon Shaw prior to its release. My evaluation of the book is in no way shaped by the publisher, but I am grateful for the opportunity to evaluate this book.

I opted to read this book based purely on the cover of the book with little to no information about the book or its source content at all. The book includes a number of short stories about gay dads and their children. However, the book itself is actually an extension of an online video game Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator. The graphic novelization of the video game takes some of the more popular characters from the video game and provides short stories about the "dream daddies." The book itself is really quaint and not at all what I expected based on other LGBTQIA graphic novels I've seen centered around similar themes. If I was providing this book an MPAA rating, it's borderline G/PG. Nothing in the book would be seen as overly controversial except for the issue of same-sex parenting and dating.

*ARC was provided by Oni Press through NetGalley.

So I knew what Dream Daddy was going in to this, but at the same time, I haven't played the game. I thought this was pretty cute but kind of wanted more, and that might have not been the case had I played the game beforehand.

Out of the five short stories, Much Abird About Nothing was easily my favorite - I really loved how cute it was and wanted to see storylines with more depth in this collection. The artwork was also my favorite out of all of the stories.

The others - Let the Right Dad In, Dream Ad-y, Fair Deal and Dungeons & Daddies - were all fun, but generally on the light side. I feel like I didn't get as good of a grasp on the characters here, since it was mostly hijinks compared to the first story's emotion.

Overall, this was cute, and I will pick up the game at some point, but this isn't pushing me to get it like, right now.

I don't think I'm the target audience for this, as I'd never heard of Dream Daddy before this showed up on my Net Galley shelves. I enjoyed it, though -- 3.5 stars that I'd round up to 4 (because I don't really have anything overly negative to say about it).

I thought the art was very good and very clear. I enjoyed the dialogue and the comic-book/graphic-book feel. I got a sense of the various characters, as well. I think the main thing missing for me was the romance -- as in, there really wasn't any. There were a couple of hints here and there, but it basically read like a 'day in the life' for a bunch of dads. So fine and mildly entertaining but nothing to write home about. ;) (I did enjoy the humor, though, and I thought the artists and writers conveyed that nicely.)

All the different art styles were a bit jarring at points. I did really like the stories. Sometimes the mettering was hard to read.

First, I have heard of the game Dream Daddy, and am familiar with the Game Grumps, but alas, I have never played. I feel that leaves me at a (very slight) disadvantage because I feel like I haven't had the chance to get to know the characters like people who have played the game obviously have. That being said, it wasn't totally confusing, although it was clear that the characters and their relationships had already been established.

This is basically a collection of slice-of-life stories--which I adore--that are funny and quirky. The characters are silly in the best way and the situations entertaining. It's single dads navigating fatherhood and adult life as...single dads. Lots of humor, a little romance, plenty of cuteness. The artwork is great and the storytelling very good. My favorite of the stories, by far, is the Dungeons & Daddies. It's a beautiful disaster! I would definitely pay for a copy of this. I hope the stories continue!

Based off of a game with a massive and hilarious cult following, this definitely managed to keep the same feel as the game.

This is a fun companion to the game of the same name. There are a number of separate but equally fun stories in this. Each of the stories has a slightly different feel and art style but they all work together within the volume. This is a nice graphic novel compendium.

I absolutely adored this book! I like how each story had a different artist's interpretation and style of how they saw the characters from Dream Daddy, the daddy dating game. I love everything about the game so it wasn't difficult to fall in love with this addition as well. The artwork is amazing and incredibly pleasing to gawk at for hours in admiration as well. With each new story, it provided a new layer to each character's development. In one story, Hugo was getting too caught up in sticking with his plans and through this conflict, the bond shared with Hugo and his friends deepened. You could probably read this book without knowing much about the game, Dream Daddy, but it is advised to check out the game. It's super fun! What a great project! I hope to see more of this type of thing in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an advanced copy of this book!

Okay, so. I have never played Dream Daddy in the past, and therefore, though I was really excited about this comic, I was a bit nervous I'd be lost within the story. However, I didn't need to worry at all, because this worked extremely well for me. Both illustration-wise and story-wise.

Basically, this was one of the cutest things I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It was comprised of different stories following different people, but they all intertwined together in a way, and I loved loved loved that. There was also a lot of diversity amongst the characters, which I really appreciated.

Now, the reason why this didn't get a higher rating is simply because I wanted more of it all. I wanted to keep on reading about these characters more and more, and so I was really disappointed when it ended.

I also really appreciated how all the stories were different enough from each other, but still fit with the other stories perfectly. I especially loved the first story and the DND one, mostly because the first one was adorable and because I love DND.

Honestly, it's hard to review a book you enjoyed so much. All I can really say is that, if you're looking for something cute, funny, well-written and well-illustrated, this might just be the book for you! It's oh so lovely, and I still can't believe I was lucky enough to get an arc of it. Like, seriously, thank you Oni Press.

So, yes! Please do yourself a favour and check this book out because I seriously doubt you'll regret it!

As a huge fan of Game Grumps and Dream Daddy the videogame, I was so excited to see a graphic novel version of Dream Daddy with new stories. The stories are cute, the artwork is adorable, and you'll be left feeling all warm and cuddly inside after reading them. In Dream Daddy, a new dad moves to Maple Bay (whom you play in the video game) and, as a single dad, tries to romance the other hot dads in town. We get to learn a little bit about the other dads in this graphic novel through five new stories with each story having different (yet all amazing) artwork. I loved that at the end of the graphic novel there were short interviews with Leighton Gray, Vernon Shaw, and others who worked on the graphic novel. I cannot wait to see more from the Game Grumps team!

Much thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC!

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

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Dream Daddy, by Leighton Gray, Vernon Shaw
★★★★☆
128 Pages


This is just so stupidly cute that I don't have the words for it. Adorable, sometimes sexy, and really cute illustrations abound. The stories are short, sweet, and totally fun from start to finish.
I'll admit that I'm not a player of the game, hadn't even heard of it really, so I had to take a single star off my rating because there were some connections/characters I didn't quite follow that I thought maybe I should have been able to. But, it was adorable from page one to the end, and I didn't expect it to be so YA friendly and cute. I was expecting hotness galore, but I'm really glad it wasn't. Just sweet romance stories, mostly about the relationships between single dad's who hang out, them and their kids, and their kids hanging out with each other. More than I could have asked for.

I really liked how light-hearted and fun this graphic novel was. I also really liked how we got to see the individual stories of all the Dad's, and then at the end have them all come together. It was cute, fun, colourful and enjoyable!

I really enjoyed revisiting the characters from the game. This was a fun book of short stories; some read like fan fiction and others were prequels of how the characters became friends.

This collection of comics, based off the popular online game of the same name, are fun, humorous, and incredibly sweet. The range of stories from slice of life family drama like SCIENCE FAIR to more fantastical Dungeon and Dragons send up by different authors offered a fresh variety. Great for fans of the original game and readers looking for a bit of fluff and fun.

A must-read for any fans of the Dream Daddy game!

This was absolutely adorable, hilarious, and so heart-warming. It follows the different dads of Dream Daddy - sometimes in relationships with one another, sometimes as rivals or friends - and is unapologetically diverse, queer as hell, and gorgeous, to boot. I love Dream Daddy so I was absolutely ecstatic to see this graphic novel's existence, and I'll definitely be purchasing a finished copy for my shelves when it releases!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dream Daddy is a dating video game where you, as the dad player, date other hot dads in your neighbourhood, and this spin-off comic tells five stories set within the game universe. As someone who loves the concept but hasn't played the game I could follow the stories fine but think I would have got a lot more from them if I already knew the characters. For example one of the characters is a trans guy but I only found this out from reading the afterword.

I really liked the cover and story art from big comics names like Kris Anka, but found the writing in a couple of the stories a bit weak, and had been expecting more romance when several of the stories are more just general japes.

Dream Daddy is a sweet read and great concept and I'd enjoy seeing more comic stories in this series, though perhaps with some tighter storytelling.

I never played the Dream Daddy game, so I'm not sure I'm the right audience for this, but I didn't get the hype. There was little to no romance in these stories, just as soon as you care about the characters, it's the end of the episode and it's onto another story. The change in art styles was pretty jarring lacked cohesiveness which made it difficult to really get into the stories. Overall, I was just not a fan.

Dream Daddy comic anthology is inspired by Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator game, which I personally enjoy and love playing. Anthology consists of five different stories, centred around your favorited Daddies from Maple Bay, created by variety of different authors and illustrators, also including an introduction and bonus commentary by game co-creators, Leighton Gray and Vernon Shaw. Stories tell backstories and new adventures of all the dads, their children and other side characters.

First, I'd like to say I loved this comic series for its diversity and differences. Each illustrator brings something new into the story they worked on, such as unique art style and character portrayal. My personal favorites were first and second story (Much Abird About Nothing, Let the Right Dad In), including two of my favorite Dads, Damien and Craig, but I enjoyed all of them to their fullest. Storywise, authors tried their best to stay close to the original game and to Dads' personalities. I think they did a pretty awesome job with that.

Secondly, I'd love to appreaciate character development and relationships in this anthology. I was quite surprised there was not a big focus on romance. Authors rather focused on friendship between Daddies and their interactions, which in my case, I preffered. Some of them are pretty funny fellas and it was a blast to read about it.

I'd highly recommend this anthology for both game players and the ones who didn't play the game. Sure, would be better if you did because of the characters but I think you can still enjoy this comics without previous knowledge. If not for the story, then at least for the art and half dressed daddies.

Disclaimer: received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I have to first say that I have no played the Dream Daddy game personally, though I have seen quite a few people playing it and I do own it. It looks amazing - just a bunch of queer dads living their best life - but normally when I set down to play a game I end up opening Stardew Valley or Sims 4 because I am nothing if not consistent (with games).

I've been watching Game Grumps for years, though, and still can't quite believe that these things are connected? Either way - this was something that I was so hyped about and excited about it.

To finally talk about this specific related content, however - I fucking loved it. It was amazing, so much fun and so... just so fun, I think that's the main thing about it. Even before I finished the first issue I knew I was going to love it.

This gives like an extra level to the characters and is just... honestly, it's just a bunch of queer people living life and that's something I always love to read/watch/anything.

I don't have much to say about this because, honestly, you need to just read it - even if you haven't played the game or even have knowledge of the game. I'd suggest reading this anyway - the whole plot of the game isn't important to know, just the basic plot and such would be helpful, and then you can enjoy these weird queer dudes getting up to nonsense.

If you've read this, please let me know. Also - if you've played the game, did you enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to have?

Happy reading!

This comic book is perfect for fans of the Dream Daddy video game!

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Comic Book is a collection of five (sort of) standalone stories about a group of single dads trying to get to know each other, have fun, date, bond, and raise their sons and daughters.

It’s really hard to rate this graphic novel without having played the video game it’s based on... because it was kind of hard getting into the story and characters without knowing anything about the game.

First, the good things: the art is gorgeous and the stories and characters are really funny. I was smiling the whole time. The only problem was that I feel like this book was written on the presumption that anyone reading it would have played (or at least heard of) the video game. The characters, relationships and backgrounds were already established before the beginning, so it was a little bit hard for me to connect with them.

That being said, I still liked the story, and I’m 100% sure that fans of the game will love it. If you haven’t played the game, I still believe you could enjoy the comic book, but I would recommend going to the Dream Daddy Gamepedia to read at least some basic information about the characters and game. I did it after finishing the comic and I understood better the characters, motivations and stories. I should have done that before reading it.

I really would like to go back to the world of Dream Daddy if there’s a sequel... but probably after playing the game.

Final rating: 3/5 stars