★ 05/16/2016
Dog Man, “a brand-new crime-fighting sensation” created by surgically attaching the head of a police dog to the body of a policeman, gets his own full-color adventure in this terrifically funny spin-off comic from Pilkey (the character’s origins were previously revealed in Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers). Dog Man doesn’t play by the rules, whether it’s the rules about being housebroken or the ones about not giving the police chief slobbery dog kisses. But desperate times require maverick behavior: Petey the cat, one of the loopiest villains in children literature, has four chapters’ worth of evil plots aimed at taking Dog Man down—from destroying all books to make the world “supa dumb” (a tactic that will be familiar to those who read Pilkey’s contribution to Comics Squad: Recess!) to unleashing a “weenie-lution” of oversensitive living hot dogs (“We’re not cute, either! We’re gangsta!” insists their very touchy leader). Jose Garibaldi’s coloring makes every page of this superlative police procedural spoof look as sharp as it is silly, and readers (of any age) will be giggling from start to finish. Ages 7–up. (Aug.)
Everyone Digs Dog Man!
★ "Striking color, interactive pages, drawing tutorials, and a plethora of laugh-out-loud moments all work to keep readers’ attention on a tight leash." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "High-intensity, heartwarming, and, above all, hysterically funny." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "Riotously funny and original." — School Library Journal, starred review
★ "An utter, unfettered delight." — Booklist, starred review
★ "Readers (of any age) will be giggling from start to finish." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "Action-oriented cartoons... Laffs aplenty." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ 07/01/2016
Gr 1–4—Part canine, part human, Dog Man is a crime-fighting sensation. He fights crime, sniffs out wrongdoing, and battles his doglike tendencies. His nemesis is Petey, a cat who cooks up devilish plans in his secret lab. The pages are filled with bold lines and colorful artwork that has a childlike feel and will delight readers. In an author's note, Pilkey explains that Dog Man is based on a character he created back in second grade, when he longed for silly books, and states that he hopes his title will help children associate reading with fun and even inspire some to craft their own stories. The text contains intentional grammatical errors, so readers should be prepared for misspellings. Panels that feature instructions on how to draw will motivate budding artists. VERDICT A riotously funny and original addition for all elementary school collections.—Lisa Gieskes, Richland County Public Library, Columbia, SC
2016-06-01
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.Finding a stack of old Dog Man comics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale ("A Hero Is Unleashed"), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a "Robo Chief" and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book ("Book 'Em, Dog Man"), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled "Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken." In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue ("How do you feel, old friend?" "Ruff!") and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel. What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)
