Earlier this fall, author-illustrator Dav Pilkey set out on an eight-city “Supa-Epic Tour O’Fun,” celebrating the 20th anniversary of Captain Underpants and the release of Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties (Scholastic/Graphix, Aug.), the newest book in his bestselling Dog Man graphic novel series. The sold-out events featured costume characters, themed activities, signings, and more. We’ve rounded up a selection of highlights from the tour.
The celebration kicked off at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Pilkey was scheduled to sign for one hour, but ended up staying for more than three hours to accommodate his fans, including Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
An event hosted by A Likely Story in Sykesville, Md., drew more than 1,000 attendees. Scholastic gave away superhero capes that said, “Reading Gives You Superpowers.” Kids from near and far also came dressed as their favorite characters from Pilkey’s books.
Pilkey visited An Unlikely Story, a bookstore owned by friend and fellow graphic novelist Jeff Kinney (center), in Plainville, Mass. Pilkey was joined by New England Patriot wide receiver and children’s book author Malcolm Mitchell (l.).
The crowd took selfies with Dog Man inflatables before Pilkey’s presentation at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall in Pittsburgh.
Kids checked out the Captain Underpants mural outside the Elitch Theater in Denver. Second Star to the Right Children’s Books hosted the outdoor festival with tents and activities inspired by Pilkey’s books.
A Second Star to the Right bookseller shared his signed briefs.
A young cosplayer took a page from Pilkey’s Dog Man during the Denver event.
Pilkey appeared at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, Calif. The event, hosted by Bookshop Santa Cruz, drew an estimated 2,000 people, a record turnout for the 51-year-old store. Attendees took part in themed activities, including this “underwear fling” game.
At the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, Calif., Pilkey met with Jean Schulz, wife of the late cartoonist. Pilkey considers Schulz to be a major influence.
Pilkey received some Dog Man and Peanuts-inspired fan art at the Schulz Museum.
A reader showed his love for Pilkey at the Schulz Museum.
The tour culminated at an all-star event at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, Calif., hosted by Children’s Book World. Pilkey was joined on stage by actor and picture book author Jamie Lee Curtis (center), whose son grew up reading the Captain Underpants books; and by Weird Al Yankovic (r.), who sang the theme song from Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie—and who happens to be Pilkey’s childhood hero.
