Welcome to Romance Roundtable: a feature where the editorial POME Crones gather together to discuss a Harlequin romance manga romance manga romance media, just, like, in general. As a follow-up to our last Romance Roundtable this time we’re covering Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Comic Book — Oni Press’s collection of all five Dream Daddy comics. Get ready for wild Dream Daddy Zodiac Sign speculation (and, of course, hot dad & cute dog #content).
Jenny: ready to talk about these daddies??
Ashley: yeah!!
CC: yaaaay I’m so ready to talk about these dads
Rachel: yes!!!
it was so nice seeing all of them again
Jenny: shall we begin at the beginning? w rachel’s good boy bro
Rachel: AHHH
actually let’s start a step back!
let’s say what this book is
basically, it’s a short story anthology that expands the canon of the Dream Dad-iverse
It features several different Dadsonas
Jenny: lol daddyverse!
oh yeah loved that there was variety in the dadsonas
CC: I loved that each Dadsona is different :heart:
a cornucopia of dads
daducopia?
i don’t like that but uh, anyway
lotta dads!
Jenny: yeah it was nice to see the different dads mixed in with the set character dads
Rachel: also loved seeing the dads interact with each other more!
CC: I feel like that’s a great approach to comics about games where you can customize your characters
like, having a custom one each time
I’d love to see that more in licensed comics about games haha
Rachel: ohhh yes
Jenny: oh man yeah — did the dragon age’s comics have that?
CC: mostly they just avoid showing a cannon protag
in the DA comics
they’re just about ~ expanding the lore ~ (which they do very well!!!!!)
but yeah, also loved these dad interactions (dadteractions? interdadctions? ok I will stop now lmao)
Jenny: lol yeah i def found myself drawn to the comics that were exploring the set dad characters — like when damien and robert become friends!!
Ashley: hahahA yes that one was possibly my fave
Rachel: yes!! that’s one thing that will deviate a bit from this Romance Roundtable
there is actually very little romance happening in these stories
EXCEPT for the first one!! with Craig!!!!
CC: omg rachel that craig comic
Ashley: it was soooooo gooooooood
Jenny: this felt like a personal attack but i am here for it
Ashley: mmmm yep
Rachel: the artist for this comic, Ryan Maniulit is so good and does really good romance comics of his own
highly recommend
CC: @ rachel
Rachel: LOL YES
Ashley: so real
but yeah, this comic really nailed the delightful HOT BROMANCE tension!!
CC: as soon as I saw that cover
Rachel: Kris Anka with the covers
[chef’s kiss]
Ashley: i love how in the back matter he’s like, yeah craig is my fave and IT SHOWS
CC: you know, it really does hahaha
I think this one was my favorite tbh!
very sweet, and good mom content too
Jenny: hell yes hell yes hell yes
Ashley: YES the mom scenes ❤️ ❤️
Rachel: craig’s mom is my fave!!!
listen to your mom craig!!!
CC: also this cute ginger Dadsona
Jenny: yeah! this one really felt like his own character, if only for this morbidity
CC: this was TOO REAL LMA
Ashley: agreed! he felt very real and relatable
CC: I also loved the way this one expanded the lore and we see that shredded craig is a new thing
Ashley: kegstand craig had a beer belly!!
CC: (I had just assumed that he was one of those Youths who eat like, canned beans for every meal but is still in very good shape bc early 20s, I guess LOL)
Jenny: you love to see it
but re: expanding lore
i was SO HAPPY for an update on their secret 3rd roommate
CC: carl!!!!!
Ashley: hahahaha yessss
so cuuuuuuute
CC: I think this comic really uses the “childhood” (young adult? lol) friend trope the best
gets at all the things I like about friends to lovers as a storytelling device
history
change over time
winning a cool mom’s approval
love to see it
Ashley: AND familiar same-sex nudity that is suddenly not as banal as before!!
Jenny: and truly what change over time better than:
Jenny: i can only dream of this day for myself
Ashley: HAHAH so cute
i really enjoyed the little details in this comic a lot
Rachel: i love the little blush!!!
like yes, it would also cause me to blush
reminiscing about my old friend and thinking of them in a new light, embodied by this perfectly citrused water
Jenny: relationships (and citrus water) are all about balance!
the citrus, it complements the water
so refreshing; so hydrating
Ashley: ✨????????✨
Jenny: but def this comic delivered the most on romance
Rachel: ahhhhh
in a way, this comic being the first book i felt set me up a bit for disappointment
i kept hoping the other comics would explore the other dating options in the same romantic way
i really liked seeing the other daddies being friends, but i just love romance
Jenny: yeah, fair! i kind of thought that the robert/damien one was going to be a romance too
Ashley: SAME
Rachel: yeah!! i would have been here for that!!
Ashley: it feels like maybe it’s hinting at it at the end, but definitely up for interpretation
CC: yeah agreed — this first one did the most with balancing the romance with ~ expanding the dream daddy universe ~ hahaha
although my god, the cover for the second comic
Ashley: HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Jenny: yeah maybe this is why i thought there would be more romance in this one
Rachel: lol it’s definitely hinting at SOMETHING
i think the pairing of the cryptid-obsessed bad dad with the vampire goth dad is so good
Ashley: calm down guys, they’re just one-on-one LARPing
Jenny: def def made a lot of sense
but also loved to see robert go into detective/cryptid-hunting mode
Jenny: this was truly just so cute and so fun
Ashley: because i am Me, i thoroughly enjoying the jokes/references to Robert’s cinephile side
Rachel: LOL i definitely had thoughts while reading these stories of “I bet Ashley gets this joke”
Ashley: HAHAHHA
CC: LOL
Ashley: i feel like i got a deeper glimpse into Robert’s enigmatic soul – his tragic flaw of wanting every element of life to be as exciting and beautiful and scary as a good movie
Jenny: yeah and i think this visual shift was a really good way to get at that, when juxtaposed w the rest of the comic, like:
Jenny: but also lol made me wonder if damien had those like, tattooed on
Rachel: !!!!
Ashley: yep, haha, i think those are canon tattoos
Jenny: ultimate goth move
Ashley: he is nothing if not committed to the aesthetic
Jenny: but also maybe the true ultimate goth commitment to aesthetic would be tattooing on mime make up??
CC: LMAO
Jenny: tbh i did not see this one coming
Ashley: lmaoooooooo
gosh i just love damien
CC: he’s not wrong tbh
Jenny: LOLOLOL
Rachel: i love damien and i love the creator’s little loving digs at damien
Ashley: HAHAHA
that’s so rude!!!!!
Jenny: so good!!
Ashley: honestly, what i love about Damien is how the commitment to the kind of goth-Victorian model of masculinity gives him so much room to be SURPISING and CHARMING and SMOOTH and SELF-POSSESSED
like, he is approached by a strange man with a knife and is like, “oh he must be troubled, let me keep this safe for him and invite him to tea later”
Rachel: “and show him my knives”
just an opportunity for bonding!!
(and maybe bondage??? ho ho ho)
Ashley: hehehe
Jenny: lololol
also loved the casual seance invitation
Jenny: (and if you’d like to host your own, have we got the guide for you!!)
Ashley: ya!!!!!
CC: I love that Damien is so into his hobbies
just has so many and is knocking them out of the park
Jenny: the commitment is truly admirable!! and in the game too — his garden was INTENSE!!
Ashley: it really was
CC: i bet damien was real into visual kei in high school
Ashley: ** snort **
CC: nothing in this comic definitively says this, but his whole vibe this time and his bound naruto fanfiction in the game
it just
look, if I need to post the malice mizer clown again I will, is all I can say
Ashley: it 100% adds up imo
CC: (can u believe I did not make this blingee? it already existed)
Ashley: AHHHHHH HAHAHAHA
this is the kinda shit that would make Damien’s kid die of embarrassment on the spot
CC: god i just love him so much
Jenny: LOL you mean like
Ashley: HAHAHAHA yes
CC: EVANGELION X LINKIN PARK AMV LMAO I MISSED THAT
Ashley: i have never related more to amanda than with that AMV joke lollll
Rachel: ahahahaha
i loved whenever amanda was in these stories
Ashley: me too! i feel like all the writers really nailed the dad-Amanda dynamic
Jenny: and this story in particular, w mat, i think was maximum dad
Ashley: LOL YES
CC: this dadsona’s shirt was my favorite
i would wear this shirt
Ashley: it’s very cute !!!!
Rachel: i think that’s a shirt your dadsona could wear right??
i felt like all the dadsonas we saw were very true to the dadsona creation options
Ashley: yes, totally agree
Jenny: i think so? i’m not 100% though — it’s def v much of the vibe of many of the shirts in the character creator
CC: dang, I must have missed this one, but also I would absolutely believe it was in the game
Ashley: the outfit craig wears to the reunion i think is really close to one of the dadsona outfit options
Rachel: the little heart pocket shirt was def an option
loved seeing it in action
Jenny: for sure for sure
Ashley: hahahaha yaaaaaa
Jenny: but also i loved this story so much!!
i really don’t care for joseph but i love daisy and i do really love brian
(as much as i could never romance brian)
Ashley: i liked it too!!! the understanding between daisy and the twins was really fun and hilarious
i’m glad joseph was present mostly only to be made fun of
CC: truly
Rachel: daisy continues to be such a gem
Jenny: she’s so good!
she’s too good! and i must protect her!!
Ashley: daisy in this comic is a personal attack on my childhood self
CC: omg I know
angry on her behalf that anybody would think she would cheat on anything in her life
Jenny: def!!
Ashley: she just wants to be a kid, not an astronaut president!!! let her live!
Jenny: but also i so loved the way brian recognized that she is actually much smarter than him and knows how best to proceed in this situation!
and he apologized so well!
i cried!!
Ashley: awwwww
Rachel: this was so good!!
Ashley: it was really excellent, really nailed the characters, continued the Dream Daddy tradition of just punching you in the heart with good dad moments
Rachel: so i think the only story we haven’t mentioned yet is the last one, Dungeons and Dads!!
Ashley: DUNGEONS AND DAAAAAADS
CC: dungeons!! and!!! dads!!!!!!!
Ashley: omg, their characters and outfits were SO DELIGHTFUL
CC: the character classes were so perfect and I love that damien is just dressed like he always is
Ashley: lol yes
CC: I love that he lives his best life every day
and even in high fantasy, the coolest thing damien can be
is
himself
;o;
Ashley: so true
i mean, they’re all good and make excellent sense, gotta say Brian really steals the show with his getup. Daisies in his beard!!!!! ????
Jenny: also hugo’s first-time dm struggles were v real for me, personally
Ashley: HAHAHA oh hugo
Jenny: just a: i’ve prepared this lecture on the lore and also no you can’t just turn around — i didn’t prepare for you to just turn around??
very stressful!!
Ashley: i was called out. he displayed every baby DM trap i have fallen into
CC: see, this is why I don’t think I’ll ever get my dragon age tabletop game off the ground
“who wants to hear about the hundreds of years of lore-consistent continental upheavals that led to the creation of this dungeon”?
party just blows the dungeon up
Ashley: cc YOU CAN DO IT I BELIEVE IN YOU
Jenny: honestly i’ve spent too much of my time making fun of people who go to improv classes to ever be a good dm
Rachel: LOL JENNY
CC: hahahaha so real jenny
Rachel: that is the storytelling equivalent of pulling your ACL while making fun of parkour
CC: L M A
Jenny: LOLOLOLOLOL
Ashley: EEEEEE LOL
Rachel: ????
Ashley: not that that’s ever happened to anyone in this chat
Jenny: i def agree that brian stole the show with his BEAR-BARIAN get up though
Jenny: just what a line
Ashley: so CUUUUUUUTE
Rachel: Craiiggggg
Ashley: loved the vibe b/t Craig and Brian
Jenny: oh man yeah
they could definitely build a deck together
CC: I felt so personally attacked by this
Ashley: lmaoooooooo ugh stoppppp i see all my characters’ lives flashing before before my eyes
Jenny: but also what an in-character thing for brian
the competitive one
CC: also filed under “now that’s what I call character development, volume 57” but
I wonder what their zodiac signs are
lol
Ashley: OH BOY now you’ve done it
Jenny: LOL do we want to make that final thoughts??
Rachel: YES
Ashley: perfect
Rachel: Robert is a Scorpio??
Jenny: def
Ashley: for sure
Jenny: i feel ok calling brian a capricorn
but could be an aries, frankly
Ashley: yep, i feel same!!
cap that is
CC: i, too, do not like to lose so I can see that
Ashley: i’m claiming Mat as a gemini
Jenny: fair
Rachel: ohh yes good
i think Hugo……. HMMMM
Ashley: Virgo
100%
Jenny: LOL yes
CC: LOL
Rachel: bless
Jenny: damien could be an aquarius
Ashley: yea i can see that!
or honestly, maybe even a taurus?
Jenny: he does really commit to the sensual
so i could see taurus too
Ashley: he’s soooooo focused on the aesthetic and the material quality of everything yknow
CC: or also a gemini; dualities, right? i mean idk
I admittedly am a little out of my depth on these lol
Rachel: lol CC
i can only recognize zodiac signs of you three and my partner
and myself
other zodiacs are a mystery to me
CC: yeah I still don’t know what a sagittarius is
Jenny: sagittarius is most likely to up and move to a different country w/o telling anyone
imo
Ashley: HAHA YES
CC: joseph???
Rachel: oh!! hmm maybe Mary then
lol not a daddy but still
Jenny: LOL yes i could see mary
Ashley: sags are like… who is the deer friend in aggretsuko?
Rachel: Fenneko!!
CC: OHHHH L O L
Rachel: oh i love her
yes, Mary
OH WAIT
not fenneko
deer friend
hmmm
Ashley: no not fenneko, the one with the business
Rachel: oh the cat lady!! she like had a clothing import/export thing?
yes
Jenny: yeah the one who like stays at home and works for 6mo then goes abroad and parties
endless cycle
Ashley: lol yes, classic sag
Puko!!! she’s a panther or something
Rachel: ok what is Craig
i can’t place this good boy
Ashley: Craig… honestly I’m going with Cancer
he’s so family-focused
Rachel: i knew i liked him
Jenny: yeah that’s where i was leaning too but he’d need some kind of wild moon sign
Ashley: oh for sure, aries moon i think
CC: HAH
Jenny: i could see that
lol rachel
Rachel: carolynn and i high five
Ashley: hahahahaha
CC: nice, in unison
LOL
ok but what about joseph (please don’t say aries)
what’s the zodiac sign for being unforgivably fake as hell
Ashley: oh god JOSEPH
he is obviously a PISCES
because: pisces are my nemesis, and also jesus fish
Jenny: lol i didn’t want to say it bc i am a known pisces-hater, but i was def thinking it
CC: oooooh nice catch
Jenny: lol
catch
Ashley: cc, most people would call geminis the fakest sign but as WE ALL KNOW HERE, that is not true
CC: oh yeah for sure, for sure
also, I just checked the dream daddy wiki and their b-days aren’t on here!
there is no cannon for this! we’re off the map yall!!!
Rachel: THEN WHAT WE SAY GOES OH HO HO HOHO
Ashley: we’re bravely forging new lore
Rachel: we didn’t miss anybody right?? that’s all the daddies?
Jenny: i think so — unless we want to call amanda?
Ashley: amanda, hmmm… i could see Amanda as a very well-adjusted Leo
Jenny: i could see amanda as an aquarius fwiw — if only for the art-kid angle
Rachel: those both sound feasible to me
as a The Stars-novice
CC: I was thinking cancer bc she works hard at her art but also has big feelings about the people she cares about
and also I just assume everybody is one of the four signs I am familiar with hahahaha
Ashley: this is very true
very nurturing – befriending all the neighborhood kids
Jenny: honestly fair
big cancer vibes
Rachel: ????
so proud that we both enjoyed this story and added new dimensions to it
you’re welcome, fans of Daddies everywhere
Ashley: yes!! lol
Jenny: lololo
CC: so proud to be adding to the literary canon on this one
Ashley: a noble calling for sure
Join us next time for even more love story shouting in our next Romance Roundtable!
All images in this article sourced from Oni Press’s Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Comic Book unless otherwise noted.