The Gullfather

* NOTE: Full-color edition available

Birds of a feather do flock together, and in Emmy-winning creators Jeff Sikaitis’ and Jake Wheeler’s debut graphic novel, a misfit mafia of seagulls looks to stay the top birds in Shoretown despite their many blunders and bonehead decisions in “The Gullfather: Birdsy Seagull: Vol 1. A Seahawk Situation” (June 6, 2023, Books Fluent).

The Gullfather himself, Birdsy Seagull, rules the roost with a fistful of feathers. And with a little help, but not much, from his ragtag crew: salty-mouthed Joey “One-Wing” Grella, handsome slacker Sammy “Vinny” Gullian, glamorous and dangerous Birdabella, and Birdsy’s well-fed enforcer, “Quack Quack.” They say they’ll stop at nothing to be the top crime birds on the boardwalk, but they pretty much stop at everything — snack time, nap time or any other reason — much to Birdsy’s ire.

In the first book in the series, “A Seahawk Situation,” Birdsy and his crew are at war with the owners of the boardwalk eatery, Zen and Out, after they erect a wooden security seahawk to scare the gulls of Shoretown. Things escalate quickly after One-Wing battles Seymour the Wooden Seahawk and Vinny starts an indoor fireworks display. In retaliation, One-Wing gets birdnapped, and Vinny is almost made into curry, but just when Birdsy has nowhere left to turn, enter Birdabella, the wild card. Will Birdsy remain "king of the boardwalk" or will the humans get the upper hand and start to encroach on the empire he and NonnaBird built?

Piling on the action, silliness and a lot of heart, this oddball family is brought to life in a dynamic, arresting visual graphic novel format. For fans of “Bad Guys,” “Last Kids On Earth” and “Dogman,” the absurd adventures of Birdsy and crew are everything young readers want in a new series.