Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas

Cape hero tropes continue to be employed in a satirical manner in these chapters; the graphic novel is a parody of superhero fiction. 80-HD and Dog Man pull on their capes and boots, and 80-HD puts on his paper mask of angry eyebrows when they see the coverage of the Robo-Brontosaurus’s destructive rampage; this is reminiscent of Batman responding to the bat signal and donning his black cape and armor. Also, like Batman, Dog Man (as The Bark Knight) rushes to his specialized vehicle, a satirized version of the Batmobile with a giant flapping tongue and ears hanging out of it. Furthermore, in the manner of Batman’s complex gadgets built into his vehicle, Dog Man hits a button to have a giant baseball glove extend from the car—a function that is humorous because it is ridiculous. Cat Kid, Lightning Dude, and The Bark Knight adopt powerful and intimidating poses with their weapons at the beginning of Chapter 6, satirizing the tendency of superheroes to strike poses as they vanquish their enemies.

Unlike Batman, who competently saves victims from the grasps of villains, Dog Man accidentally throws the group from the giant baseball glove when he slams the brakes on; they are only saved because of the conveniently located giant marshmallow factory, a feature that is once again humorous because of how ridiculous and unlikely it is. The theme of Silliness as Joyful and Important continues to function as a pivotal theme throughout this satirical rescue scene. The Power of Creativity is also alluded to through the creative solutions to problems that the characters face, such as through incredible, original creations and quick thinking.

The satirization of cape hero tropes is also illustrated when characters subvert expected behavior as dictated by stereotypical superhero scenes; Piggy is angry when Crunky and Bud return Li’l Petey’s cheerful greeting—“Hi, bad guys!!!” “Hi!” “DON’T WAVE AT HIM! He’s our ENEMY!” (134-35)—because, according to established tropes of cape hero fiction, the “bad guys” are supposed to treat their enemies scathingly and disrespectfully. Furthermore, instead of presenting an imposing and unified front, The Fleas bicker among themselves about their name, causing Piggy to yell at Crunky and Bub: “IT’s too LATE!!! I already ordered coffee mugs and mouse pads” (92). Once again, the idea of a supervillain buying merchandise of their “brand” is humorous because it is ridiculous.

Irony is utilized to comedic effect when Petey counsels Li’l Petey on the importance of originality: “Ya gotta avoid repetition…shun redundancy…eschew reiteration…resist recapitulation” (104). In repetitively making the point about avoiding repetition, Petey humorously epitomizes the principle he is ranting against.

The Power of Love is illustrated in the way the “good guys”—Li’l Petey, Dog Man, 80-HD, Sarah, Chief, and Milly—risk their lives to help each other. As in previous Dog Man stories, Petey is characterized as a rehabilitated villain who is set on a path of righteousness by his clone (and pseudo-son) Li’l Petey. In this way, Li’l Petey’s love helps Petey to be a better cat, as he convinces Petey to come to the aid of his friends. This change causes Chief to reflect about Petey: “I always knew he had some good in there somewhere” (164). Pilkey implies that unconditional love and positive regard bring out the best in us.