Scholastic Launches “Dav Pilkeys Epic Comic Club,” A Virtual Platform Where Kids Around the Globe Can Create Their Own Comics
NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Readers and retailers rejoice! Scholastic, the worlds largest publisher and distributor of childrens books, announced today that 2023 will be a big and exciting year for kids and families everywhere with the publication of a new Dog Man graphic novel. DOG MAN: TWENTY THOUSAND FLEAS UNDER THE SEA, the newest book in the #1 global bestselling and critically-acclaimed series will release on March 28, 2023, simultaneously in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Asia. This eleventh installment in the series follows Dog Man: Mothering Heights which dominated both childrens and adult bestseller lists, and was the #1 bestselling book overall in 2021, selling more than 2 million copies to date in the U.S. alone. In just over five years since Dog Man launched to multiple starred reviews, there are more than 50 million copies of the Dog Man books in print with translations in 42 languages. DreamWorks Animation is currently developing a movie adaptation of Dog Man.
The phenomenal success of Dog Man has also helped to drive the comic book industry, and Dav Pilkeys global domination continues on November 29, 2022 with the release of Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations, the newest book in his #1 worldwide bestselling Cat Kid Comic Club graphic novel series, a spin-off of Dog Man. With more than 90 million copies in print to date, the Captain Underpants series will soon mark its 25th anniversary. To celebrate the milestone of Pilkeys popular series widely-credited for helping to create the illustrated childrens chapter book category, Scholastic will publish on March 7, 2023 a special anniversary edition of the first Captain Underpants book, The Adventures of Captain Underpants, featuring a bonus 32-page all-new comic mash-up starring Dog Man and Captain Underpants, bringing together two iconic characters in a never-before-told story.
In a statement, Caldecott Honoree Dav Pilkey said: “I am humbled and grateful to do what I love for a living. Since the pandemic began, I have been inspired to create even more stories and to learn and grow as an artist–from experimenting with various mediums to make comics using photography, poetry, and calligraphy, to building character models and sets by hand, as well as exploring different themes and storylines. My hope is that my books foster creativity and imagination, and instill a lifelong love of reading.”
To engage and bring together its millions of fans worldwide, Scholastic also announced the official launch of Dav Pilkeys Epic Comic Club, a new global online platform where kids can create their own comics. The COPPA-compliant site, www.EpicComicClub.com, opens up with a special message from Dav Pilkey encouraging kids to have fun making comics, and features a place where kids can upload their stories in a safe and moderated environment, along with an “Epic Comic Club Wall” to showcase their comic creations. The online hub includes free monthly downloadable activities including comic starters, customizable official membership cards, collectible character badges, special sneak peeks, exclusive book news, and more. The Epic Comic Club site also will serve as a destination for educators, booksellers, parents, and caregivers around the globe to access free resources including tips on how to start their own Epic Comic Clubs at home, in bookstores, classrooms, or libraries. Additionally, Scholastic has created a special section on its existing HomeBase platform (www.scholastic.com/homebase) as another portal where kids can submit their comics and access more games inspired by Dav Pilkeys beloved characters.
Ellie Berger, President of Scholastic Trade, said: “Dav is one of the most inspiring and creative storytellers of this generation and the anticipation and strong demand for his books has been extraordinary. With the launch of Dav Pilkeys Epic Comic Club, we cant wait to see kids creativity and imagination come to life in their own comics.”
The Dog Man series follows the hilarious and heartwarming adventures of the “Supa Buddies”: Dog Man, a lovable canine superhero, and his friends Lil Petey, a curious kitten who embodies love, optimism, and hope, and 80-HD, a robot who expresses himself best through his art. With each Dog Man book, readers see the growth and development of the main narrators George and Harold through their comics. Their artwork, grammar, as well as their spelling improve as the series progresses. The series explores universally positive messages including empathy, kindness, and striving to become a better version of ones self, while it also tackles more complex themes including loss, forgiveness, and self-acceptance. All ten books in the Dog Man series published to date have clinched the #1 spot on renowned bestseller lists. A live stage adaptation inspired by the books, Dog Man: The Musical from TheaterWorksUSA, will resume its tour across North America starting in August 2022.
The publication of Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea marks Dav Pilkeys 35 years of writing and illustrating award-winning and bestselling books for children. His first-ever graphic novel, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, was published in 2002, fourteen years before the release of the first Dog Man book. When Dav Pilkey was a kid, he was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Dav was so disruptive in class that his teachers made him sit out in the hallway every day. He spent his time in the hallway creating his own original comic books — the very first adventures of Dog Man and Captain Underpants. In college, Dav met a teacher who encouraged him to write and illustrate for kids. He took her advice and created his first book, World War Won, which won a national competition in 1986. Dav made many other books before being awarded the California Young Reader Medal for Dog Breath (1994) and the Caldecott Honor for The Paperboy (1996). Davs stories are semi-autobiographical and explore universal themes that celebrate friendship, empathy, and the triumph of the good-hearted. When he is not making books for kids, Dav loves to kayak with his wife in the Pacific Northwest. For more information about Dav Pilkey and his books visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/davpilkey.
Learn about Dav’s early years!
As a child, Dav Pilkey was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. Dav was so disruptive in class that his teachers made him sit out in the hall every day. Luckily, Dav loved to draw and make up stories, so he spent his time in the hallway creating his own original comic books.
“With the Cat Kid Comic Club series, my hope is that kids find joy in reading, appreciate different ways of thinking, and find their purpose as they dream up their own stories,” Pilkey said in a statement.
Pilkey launched the Cat Kid Comic Club series last year. The series is a spinoff of the Dog Man books, featuring the character Li’l Petey, the titular cat kid who leads a club of aspiring comic book authors and artists.
Pilkey followed that book up with Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives, which quickly became a bestseller after its publication on Tuesday. As of Thursday afternoon, the book was ranked No. 6 among all books on Amazon.
Featuring 437 industry-first reviews of fiction, nonfiction, childrens and YA books; also in this special Work Issue: interviews with Gabrielle Zevin, W. David Marx, Duncan Tonatiuh, and Eric Gansworth; and more
A critic for Kirkus praised the first installment in the series, calling it “immensely enjoyable” and “supa fun.”
Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose
Little Ricky Ricotta has a problem: the bullies at school pick on him all the time. Until one day, he saves the life of a mighty robot. Together, Ricky and his Robot face the bullies, and save Squeakyville from a giant evil lizard monster. Thats what friends are for.
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