Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2017 Gr 1–4—Readers who enjoyed Dog Man will be pleased to see Pilkey deliver the same blend of over-the-top plot turns and hilariously irreverent humor. This time, the title character (the result of medical surgery that fused a canine and a policeman after an accident) is tasked with buying his boss, the police chief, a birthday present. When the pet he purchases turns out to be an evil fish, wacky high jinks ensue. And there's more trouble on the horizon. Angry that a mysterious stranger is framing him for robbery, Dog Man's nemesis, Petey the cat, escapes from prison to clear his name. Meanwhile, the decoy that Petey uses to make his getaway, a flat paper cat, comes to life. Once again, Dog Man must put things right, relying on his keen ability to fight crime while also attempting to stifle some of his canine urges. Pilkey uses the premise that the comic has been penned by George and Harold, two elementary school students, and the artwork and story are delightfully childlike. The illustrations have been rendered with a thick-lined scrawl and simple shapes, and intentional misspellings and errors are sprinkled throughout. While the sentence structure is simple and concise, Pilkey displays a sense of sophistication, including clever puns and wordplay, as well as a clear mastery of sequential art, making this an ideal option for both reluctant and more advanced readers. VERDICT An entertainingly zany addition to graphic novel collections; for series fans and newcomers alike.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 01/01/2017 Make no bones about it: being the world’s greatest cop is tough work. Thankfully for Dog Man, the chief’s birthday is almost here, which means a party! Dog Man is in charge of getting the chief a pet fish for a present, but he wreaks such havoc at the pet store—all those bones and balls were irresistible, after all—that the salesman gives him an evil fish with world-dominating aspirations. Meanwhile, criminal cat Petey inadvertently makes an even more dastardly paper version of himself, which proceeds to bring a T. rex skeleton to life. Who will save everyone from this madness? Dog Man, of course (but only if he can stop chasing balls and rolling around in stinky dead fish). Pilkey’s unmistakable brand of humor is gleefully on display in this follow-up to Dog Man (2016), and the scribbled, childlike cartoon art is the perfect complement. The frenetic plot, full of treasure chests, mountain escapes, jailbreaks, magic ploys, potty humor, and over-the-top reactions, will have magnetic appeal for kids. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.