My Daughter Became A Goth And All I Could Do Is Laugh

by Patrick Penrose Published Nov 12, 2025

We all know father knows his daughter will rebel, you just never know when and how the rebellion will come. I’m a comic artist in Sydney, Australia, and my daughter started transforming into a Goth kid. My instincts on raising kids told me I should be worried about her being bullied, and I felt like it was my job to tell her to fit in, but I just was so inspired by her courage joining the Goth subculture.

As a parent, your first thought is to make her fit in and have friends. Don’t be different, be happy and smile, and think about unicorns and rainbows like when you were six.

I had the urge to change her. I couldn’t. Her defiance to be different no matter what just made me happy

I was just so proud of her. The people I liked in my life were the rebels, the crazy people, those who liked the honesty, and those who dare to be different.

I started drawing the webcomics as a homage to her as she was just such an inspiration to me.

When I am drawing these comic strips, there is always the voice saying be responsible and simple, and then the quiet voice deep inside saying something new and honest. It’s hard to let that voice come out like my daughter was doing.

It was some sort of a revelation. I thought my daughter was brave about the choices she made, and it struck me deeply

I called the character Reeves, the name comes from the famous band The Cure and its guitarist, Reeves Gabrels.

Ultimately, it comes down to do you want people to like you for something you are not or do you want to like your self despite others.

This clear defiance in the face of everything normal gave me a sense of pride and joy in my daughter that I am expressing in these at time truly funny comics.

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