Dog Man series (7 books)

Dog Man (2016) is a graphic novel by children’s writer and cartoonist Dav Pilkey. At the time of writing, it is the first of 11 Dog Man books. While later volumes in the series follow a unifying plot, the first Dog Man book is an anthology of loosely connected one-shot stories that follow the adventures of Dog Man, a superhero with the head of a dog and the body of a police officer. Dog Man faces villains such as Petey, “The World’s Most Evilest Cat” (187); a corrupt mayor who controls a robotic police chief; and sentient hot dogs. He uses his human strength, heightened canine senses, and natural intelligence to save the day. The humor in Dog Man presents a combination of meta jokes, cartoon surrealism, and gross-out gags. Like much of Pilkey’s work, this series is an affectionate parody of cape comics (i.e., superhero comics) and a love letter to the homemade comic books Pilkey created as a child.