Father’s Day is upon us and what better way to relate to dear ol’ Dad than with comic books? Or maybe all you hip, young Papas out there are looking from some reading recommendations while you wait for the accolades that accompany fatherhood. That’s a thing that happens, right?

Look, we don’t know. We’re all childless 30 and 40-somethings here at Grawlix. All we know we learned from comic books. If the list we have compiled here is any indication, though, fatherhood seems like a few small moments of cuteness surrounded by a sea of terror.

Joking aside (though there is likely more truth to that last bit than we know), we understand the importance and impact the role of a father plays in nearly everyone’s life. Whether it be a biological father, step-dad, a “father figure” or the lack of one. We also understand that everyone is human and, whether from the role of a child or a parent, human relationships are complicated things. Sometimes wonderful, sometimes frustrating.

In celebration of Dad-ness we’ve compiled this list of comics that we feel explore fatherhood in real, impactful ways. Like actual father-child relationships some of these stories are heartwarming. Some are heart-wrenching. Most are both.

Whoa. This got a little heavier than you were expecting, huh? That’s what happens when the host whose father has passed pens the Father’s Day post. It’s going to get real. What did you think this was going to be? A cynical, vapid excuse to cash in on a Hallmark holiday with a post consisting primarily of affiliate links?

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