The legacy of Dog Man is one that's full of confusion. It's a spin-off written by characters in the "Captain Underpants" franchise that has slowly developed a bigger heart than its origins suggest. Written by "George and Harold" (but actually by Dav Pilkey), the stories have chronicled their maturity as they discover classic literature and learn how to grow as writers. As stories geared at children, it's a pretty ingenious evolution and one that adds pathos to the talking animals that inhabit this world. With the latest entry, "Brawl of the Wild," the series breaks from recent tradition and goes for an extremely silly story. Sure, there's lessons by the end about loving each other, but there's more jokes than heart here, and that's perfectly fine.
When the characters were last seen, there was a potential for shift in character dynamics. The central antagonist, a cat named Petey, was contemplating becoming a good guy as a new series of foes begin to fight Dog Man in a clever allusion to "Lord of the Flies." It's a chance for the world to grow and become something far more compelling. The threads are still there, but this is a story that, as George and Harold would suggest, based on "Call of the Wild." The issue with that is that it would be a tough stretch to find the Jack London comparisons, and the overall story has little to do with that. Instead, it's a story in which Dog Man is framed for a crime he didn't commit as others try to get to a showing of the Dog Man movie.
It's a wacky episode that is more about the jokes this time around. The constant jabs between Petey and his clone L'il Petey remain just as adorable as ever, especially as the nonsensical jokes send the elder cat into a rage. The dynamic is there, but the story is more interested in slapstick this time around as well as a Vomit-O-Rama that features panels of Dog Man losing his lunch. It's grosser than the average Dog Man entry, and it maybe keeps this from feeling as essential. With that said, the story has enough of visual inspiration to spare and makes for an entertaining read for those who want a good laugh, especially in a story that incorporates a claymation villain into the equation. It's bizarre,but it's also pops off the page with its odd and wondrous texture.
The central themes of the story are once again about how Petey and L'il Petey are misfits and whether that is something to be proud of. By the end, there's an embrace of other people's differences, and it's a nice culmination of the past few Dog Man books. However, it feels tangential to the bigger plot at large, which emphasizes hi-jinks more than a compelling, complex plot. Again, this is a bit silly to ask for a book based around a half dog/half man protagonist to be more complex, but it's been an affecting tool of the books. This plays like a minor book in the series in spite of its concluding ideas. That isn't to say that Pilkey has lost it. If anything, it's great to see him having so much fun in the visual department again. The book isn't low on clever gags, and it's enough to make it worth fans checking out. It's far from perfect, but it'll keep you laughing.
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