Dav Pilkey is bringing Dog Man back for a 13th adventure.
Scholastic will publish Pilkey’s Big Jim Begins later this year, the press announced in a news release. It will be the latest installment of the author and illustrator’s graphic novel series about a part-canine, part-human police officer who fights crime in his hometown.
Pilkey’s series began in 2016 with Dog Man, which introduced the crime-fighting pup to young readers. Other books in the series include A Tale of Two Kitties, Lord of the Fleas, For Whom the Ball Rolls, and, most recently, The Scarlet Shedder.
An animated film based on the first book, directed by Peter Hastings, is scheduled for release in January of 2025.
Big Jim Begins, Scholastic says, “explores the origin story of Pilkey’s beloved Dog Man characters,” including the titular creature, a cat with a cupcake addiction.
“With this new book, I wanted to share the origin story of my characters, as readers get to know more about Big Jim—a character who is playful, kind, overly optimistic and often misunderstood, and who sometimes gets into trouble despite having the best intentions,” Pilkey said in a statement.
Big Jim Begins is scheduled for publication on Dec. 3.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
