Dav Pilkey is one of the most renowned illustrators and cartoonists of children’s literature. Known for his acclaimed series, Captain Underpants, Dav seems to only be able to produce hit after hit. And its latest series, Dog man, seems to be living up to the hype! If you are thinking of introducing children to the world of graphic novels and comics, or have children that are already into this world and want to expand their libraries, then the works of Dav Pilkey is something you should definitely consider.
Dav, the genius behind Captain Underpants
David Murray Pilkey Jr., more known as Dav Pilkey among his fans, is an acclaimed American author, illustrator and cartoonist of children literature.
Dav Pilkey found his passion for comics at an early age. When he was just a kid, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. Due to his condition, he would constantly disrupt his class and his teachers would send him to spend the time in the hallway. Dav would spend his time grounded doing some drawings and letting his imagination fly, which eventually resulted in him learning to express himself using his graphic stories. When he was only in second grade, he created a comic book about a superhero named Captain Underpants. Over the years, he polished the concept of Captain Underpants, eventually creating his most renowned illustrated children’s novel which would resonate with generations of children across the world.
Captain Underpants has been a big international hit. It has been published in more than 28 languages, selling more than 80 million print copies worldwide, 50 million of which were sold in the US. The series follows the adventures of two fourth-graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchin, and the adventures of a fictional comic character they created, Captain Underpants, who later on becomes a real character in the kids world.
Captain Underpants has become part of the mainstream culture, and has received multiple adaptations, including a Netflix series named The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants and a film adaptation by DreamWorks named Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, which was received with vastly positive reviews. And by the looks of it, it may not be the last adaptation of Captain Underpants we get to see.
The spin-off we all eagerly waited for
In 2016, a year after Captain Underpants finished its serialization, Dav Pilkey released his next greatest hit: Dog Man. Dog Man is a spin-off series of Captain Underpants, in which George Beard and Harold Hutchin create a superhero who is part dog and part human. In this series we get to see Dog Man adventures fighting crime. Dog Man adventures start when a police officer and his dog are victims of an explosion, which severely damages the officer’s head and the dog’s body. To save both’s lives, scientists did an experimental surgery placing the dog’s head on the officer’s body, and Dog Man was born.
The Dog man series already has 9 published books, with a 10th coming up in March 2021. If you are planning to start reading it, the order of Dogman books goes as follows:
- Dog Man
- Dog Man Unleashed
- Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties
- Dog Man and Cat Kid
- Dog Man: Lord Of the Fleas
- Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild
- Dog Man: For Whom The Ball Rolls
- Dog Man: Fetch-22
- Dog Man: Grime and Punishment
Dog Man has been a big success among all audiences. Old Captain Underpants fans have embraced this new saga, while also attracting many new fans that were unfamiliar with Dav Pilkey’s works.
The material makes up for the perfect children action film, and in On December 9, 2020, it was announced that DreamWorks Animation was already working on a film adaptation, which we surely hope lives up to the hype generated by the first one.
