CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS

Two boys turn their principal into a superhero in this faithful manga vision of a quirky modern classic.

Captain Underpants was first published in 1997, to the discomfort of some literary connoisseurs and the delight of young readers giddy at the sight of the chrome-domed hero clad only in a cape and tighty-whities. The tale also presaged a format revolution in children’s literature, bridging the divide between prose chapter books and graphic novels. Over a quarter-century on, Pilkey adapts the original story with a fresh format. The story’s essential arc remains mostly unchanged. Fourth graders Harold and George hypnotize their principal, he strips down to his briefs and dons a cape, and the trio battle Dr. Diaper, a baby-size villain with robot bodyguards. Seasoned artist Motojiro confidently uses classic manga conventions to bring Pilkey’s world to life, perfectly retaining Underpants energy while introducing an entirely new-to-the-series aesthetic. The kids zoom around on skateboards trailed by dynamic super-speed lines, exaggerated angles add drama, and wide whitened eyes express surprise, fear, and glee. Notably, the book employs Japanese onomatopoeia—in phonetic hiragana and katakana characters—to signify moods and movement, resulting in a uniquely multilingual reading experience and an impressive opportunity to consider the integration of image and text anew, even after all these years. As in the source material, George presents Black, while most other characters are pale-skinned.

Ebullient, chaotic, and pure fun, just as this scantily clad hero should be.