Dog Man
 Logo of the series | |
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| Author | Dav Pilkey |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Dav Pilkey |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
| Published |
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| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| No. of books |
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Dog Man is a children's graphic novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. A spinoff and story within a story of Pilkey's Captain Underpants series, Dog Man revolves around the adventures of the titular character, a half-man, half-dog hybrid who works as a police officer.
As of 2025, there are 14 books in the series.[1] The latest book, Dog Man: Big Jim Beileves, was released on September 25, 2025. A 15th book titled Dog Man: The Officer Knight Catastrophe was announced and set to release in Summer 2026.[2]
The Dog Man series has been hugely popular, selling a total of over 3.8 million copies, 13% of all total comic book sales, as charted by BookScan, not including digital copies or any copy sold by Scholastic through school book fairs.[3]
Starting in 2020, the series received its own spin-off focusing on Dog Man's sidekick Cat Kid, entitled Cat Kid Comic Club. The series has been adapted into a 2019 stage musical, a 2024 video game titled Dog Man: Mission Impawsible, and a 2025 animated film.
Premise
[edit]Within the universe of Captain Underpants, Dog Man was the first comic book character created by George Beard and Harold Hutchins as kindergarteners.[a] In the fourth grade, the two decide to return to the world of their first character, with a (somewhat) more mature perspective on the world.[b] George and Harold continue to create Dog Man comics throughout the fifth and sixth grades, and often draw inspiration for the stories from their assigned classic literature readings.
A police officer named Knight and his dog Greg are targeted by Petey, "the world's most evilest cat", and injured in an explosion. At the hospital, the doctors realize they cannot save both of them, but a nurse suggests sewing Greg's head onto Knight's body. The resulting hybrid, Dog Man, has Knight's crime-fighting skills, but Greg's personality. As such, he exhibits typical canine traits such as licking people and being afraid of vacuum cleaners.
In the third book, A Tale of Two Kitties, Petey, hoping to gain a new partner-in-crime, creates a clone of himself, a kitten named Li'l Petey. Unlike his "papa", Li'l Petey is pure-hearted and noble, leading Petey to abandon him. Dog Man adopts Li'l Petey, and together with another creation of Petey's, the robot 80-HD, they form a superhero team called the Supa Buddies. Petey comes to feel remorse for abandoning his clone, and eventually renounces his villainous ways and becomes a true father to Li'l Petey, with Dog Man continuing to have custody of the young kitten on the weekends.
Other major recurring characters are introduced throughout the books, and they include the long-suffering Chief of Police, Clarence Bailey; news reporter Sarah Hatoff and her pet poodle Zuzu; Petey's cellmate Big Jim, who moonlights as a superhero called Commander Cupcake; Petey's neglectful father Grampa; reformed villain Flippy, a telekinetic fish; Molly, an as well telekinetic and super-intelligent baby frog with the appearance of a tadpole; and the F.L.E.A.S, a trio of evil animals who were Petey's childhood friends.
List of books
[edit]- Dog Man (2016)
- Dog Man: Unleashed (2016)
- Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties (2017)
- Dog Man and Cat Kid (2017)
- Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas (2018)
- Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild (2018)
- Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls (2019)
- Dog Man: Fetch-22 (2019)
- Dog Man: Grime and Punishment (2020)
- Dog Man: Mothering Heights (2021)
- Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea (2023)
- Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder (2024)
- Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (2024)
- Dog Man: Big Jim Believes (announced for 2025)[2]
The spin-off series Cat Kid Comic Club has a total of five books:
- Cat Kid Comic Club (2020)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives (2021)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose (2022)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations (2022)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Influencers (2023)
Reception
[edit]Dog Man has received positive reviews from book critics. Darienne Stewart of Common Sense Media rated the first two books four stars out of five, saying that the first book Dog Man was "riotous, silly fun with soft touch by Underpants creator",[4] and the second book, Dog Man: Unleashed has "half-man, half-dog, all-heart hero delights in silly sequel".[5]
Adaptations
[edit]Musicals
[edit]A musical based on the series, titled Dog Man: The Musical, was produced Off-Broadway by TheatreWorksUSA in 2019, with music by Brad Alexander and a book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila. After its debut in New York City, the musical embarked on a North American tour, returning to Off-Broadway in 2023.[6] As of 2025, the musical continues to tour venues throughout the United States. [7]
In 2023, Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical premiered Off-Broadway. Written and produced by the same team, the musical is an adaptation of the Cat Kid Comic Club series.[8]
Video game
[edit]A video game entitled Dog Man: Mission Impawsible was released by Mindscape on December 6, 2024. A 2-D side-scrolling platformer, the game sees Dog Man and the Supa Buddies track down the key to the city after it is stolen by the F.L.E.A.S.[9]
Film
[edit]A feature film based on Dog Man was released by DreamWorks Animation on January 31, 2025. The film was written and directed by Peter Hastings, who previously worked on The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants. The titular character's vocal effects were provided by Hastings, alongside Pete Davidson as Petey, Lil Rel Howery as the Chief, Isla Fisher as Sarah Hatoff, Ricky Gervais as Flippy, and Stephen Root as Grampa. The film received generally positive reviews.
See also
[edit]- Captain Underpants
- The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
- The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Graphic Books and Manga – Best Sellers – Books – July 30, 2023 – The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "SCHOLASTIC UNLEASHES DOG MAN GLOBAL CAMPAIGN CELEBRATING READING AND HEROES AROUND THE WORLD". Scholastic. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ Hibbs, Brian (August 18, 2021). "Tilting at Windmills #285: Looking at NPD BookScan: 2020". The Beat. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ Stewart, Darienne. "Dog Man: Dog Man, Book 1". Common Sense Media. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ Stewart, Darienne. "Dog Man Unleashed: Dog Man, Book 2". Common Sense Media. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Culwell-Block, Logan. "See Who's Starring in Dog Man the Musical's Off-Broadway Return". Playbill. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ "Don't miss DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL now on tour!". TheatreWorksUSA.
- ^ "'Cat Kid Comic Club' Review: Tiny Frogs, Big Imaginations". The New York Times.
- ^ "Game Publisher Mindscape Partners with Dav Pilkey for very first video game inspired by bestselling Dog Man graphic novel series". Mindscape. Retrieved February 28, 2025.