Dog Man-ia is about to sweep the globe. Big plans for Dav Pilkey’s #1 blockbuster hit series Dog Man kicks off with the launch of the newest book, Dog Man: Big Jim Begins, releasing today simultaneously in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand with a 5 million copy first printing.

Since the book series launched to critical acclaim in August 2016, Dog Man has more than 60 million books in print with translations in 47 languages, making it one of the bestselling graphic novel series of all time. DreamWorks Animation’s new feature film adaptation, Dog Man, will arrive in theaters worldwide early next year, beginning with the U.S. release on January 31. The film is directed by Peter Hastings and features the vocal talents of a powerhouse comedic cast, including Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Ricky Gervais (The Office).

More big news is coming in the New Year as Dog Man author and illustrator Dav Pilkey embarks on an international tour. Inspired by one of the themes in the Dog Man series about how ordinary people can do extraordinarily good deeds, all events on Dav Pilkey’s tour will shine the spotlight on everyday heroes who make a positive impact in their own communities. The tour starts in the U.S. in January with an event at the world’s largest library, the Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C. Additional event details and tour stops in the U.S. include Kansas City, Detroit, Dallas, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and more. For the first time in 10 years, Pilkey will travel to the U.K. and Ireland appearing in London at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Southbank Centre’s Imagine Festival on February 22^nd followed by an event in Dublin. More venues and countries along with ticket information will be announced in the coming weeks on Scholastic’s social media platforms and Scholastic’s Dav Pilkey website.

For nearly four decades, Dav Pilkey’s books have been inspiring and igniting kids’ passion for reading. Highlights of upcoming plans include: 

• A new Dog Man book, Dog Man: Big Jim Believes, will be published by Scholastic worldwide in Fall 2025.

• Scholastic also will release a special full-color edition of Dav Pilkey’s first-ever graphic novel, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, in August 2025. Originally published in 2002, fourteen years before Dog Man, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby was an instant national bestseller. 

• Starting this month and through spring 2025, more than 100 Dog Man costume characters will be appearing at bookstores, libraries, and community-wide events across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

• Thousands of custom “Join The Hero Party” Dog Man displays and exclusive giveaways will be featured across all major retailers in the U.S. and Canada. Scholastic will also distribute thousands of event kits and the Dog Man iconic hero badges to bookstores and libraries. To find events in the U.S. and Canada, and to download free “Join the Hero Party” activities, visit www.celebratedogman.com.

• Dav Pilkey has created a free “Supa Special Collector’s Comic” showing how animators brought his characters to life on the big screen for the Dog Man movie. To help readers explore the exciting world of graphic novels and creative storytelling, Scholastic will provide nearly 4 million copies of this free mini comic through its school channels in the U.S., U.K., Canada, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

• Through literacy programs organized by Scholastic collaborators Book Trust and the Scripps Howard Fund, which promote book access and the joy of reading, nearly 50,000 students across the U.S. will each receive a free copy of Dog Man: Big Jim Begins. In addition, one school from each program will receive a “Join the Hero” party-themed Scholastic Book Fair. Participating schools will also recognize everyday heroes who make a difference in their own communities. These in-school literacy programs will be fully funded by Dav Pilkey.  

• Starting this month through 2025, international publishers have major plans to promote Dog Man including a costume character tour in Spain organized by Grupo SM. In Brazil, where Dog Man sales have doubled, publisher Companhia das Letras is sending the Dog Man costume character on a wide-ranging promotional tour appearing at bookstores in various cities including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

• The critically-acclaimed Dog Man: The Musical and Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical from TheaterWorksUSA, stage adaptations of Dav Pilkey’s hit graphic novel series, will be touring across North America and around the world through 2025. Learn more at TWUSA.ORG.