Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas

Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2018

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Fore-Foreword-Chapter 3

Chapters 4-6

Chapter 7-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

The Power of Creativity

Creativity is represented as a valuable endeavor, both through the characters’ actions and choices, as well as through the frame narrative. References to the broader frame narrative, such as in the Fore-Foreword and the Epilogue, remind readers that Dog Man is purported to be a comic book creation of the elementary school friends George and Harold; George says of Lord of the Flies: “I read it, and it inspired me to write a new Dog Man novel” (8). By adapting elements of Golding’s classic novel, Pilkey creatively incorporates satire, even though his youngest readers likely will not be familiar with the novel. However, if they eventually read Golding’s book, the satirized elements may feel a bit familiar because of the Dog Man linkage.

Readers are positioned to understand the story as an installment of a series of comics by the two fifth-grade friends. Authenticity for this frame narrative is created through the intentionally childlike, comic-book presentation of the graphic novel. Furthermore, the outlandish nature of the plot—where characters are chased by villains riding a Robo-Brontosaurus—and the presence of nontypical characters celebrate creativity. Harold and George are celebrated for their creativity through the reader’s enjoyment of their comic book story.

Characters within the story demonstrate creative ways of living and problem-solving. Both the villains, in terms of the Robo-Brontosaurus, and the “good guys,” in terms of the giant Robo-Petey, have designed and constructed enormous, mechanized structures with a myriad of amazing inbuilt functions. Furthermore, 80-HD and Li’l Petey design Dog Man’s Dogmobile and associated hydraulic ramp. As illustrated by Dog Man’s Dogmobile, with its extendable, giant baseball glove, the characters’ creative endeavors are not limited by the laws of science, finances, or practicality. These instances illustrate that both villains and heroes use creativity in the story to overcome obstacles.

Li’l Petey vanquishes The Fleas on the Robo-Brontosaurus by painting and drawing on it to disguise it as a squirrel, causing Dog Man to chase and capture it. By emphasizing the success of using creative solutions to problems, Pilkey intentionally appeals to children in his readership who are drawn to artistic expression, such as drawing or coloring, rather than academia; this mirrors Pilkey’s own strengths and interests as a creative child who struggled in a traditional classroom setting because of his dyslexia. In Li’l Petey’s successful plan to defeat The Fleas using painting and drawing, creative children are celebrated by extension.

Silliness as Joyful and Important

The outlandish and humorous antics of the characters in Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas convey Dav Pilkey’s belief in the inherent value of silliness in creating humor and joy. The reader is intentionally misled by Milly and Chief’s declaration that they should defeat The Fleas with the power of books. The reader is positioned to understand this phrase metaphorically; it is assumed that the characters will use books to learn and generate ideas, but instead, the cops literally beat The Fleas with large tomes. In this scene, humor is created by subverting the reader’s expectations and creating a ridiculous, laughable scenario.

Similarly, Chief and Milly, holding the heavy tomes aloft, yell together, “Let’s Book These Bozos!” (76). This phrase would usually refer to charging an individual with a specific crime, whereas Chief and Milly (as becomes clear in the subsequent page) mean to physically overcome the villains by injuring them with the books. Through the use of a pun, this phrase is subverted into a satirical, silly, and far less serious version of what the reader originally suspected, which creates humor when the true nature of Milly and Chief’s words is revealed.

Joyfully silly toilet humor is represented in the knock-knock jokes of Li’l Petey, which make no sense: “Hey Papa! Knock-knock!” […] “Who’s there?” […] “A sidewalk” “A sidewalk who?” “A sidewalk pooped on your head!” (86-87). Petey’s growing frustration is characterized by his expression of fury as Li’l Petey continues to repeat this pattern in knock-knock jokes, which always involve something pooping on someone or something’s head, and his emotional outbursts; his cry of “THAT’S NOT HOW KNOCK-KNOCK JOKES WORK!” (88) only further increases the humor of the situation for the reader, as Li’l Petey’s peaceful expression illustrates that he is unaware of the fury he is provoking in Petey. Knock-knock jokes are popular with younger readers who instinctively know that the punchline should make sense, so they likely would understand Petey’s frustration even while finding repeated mentions of poop hilarious.

Silliness is also invoked through improbable and nonsense situations, such as the Robo-Brontosaurus being disguised as a squirrel, which the giant Dog Man chases, and the villains being shrunk to the size of fleas, which begin itching Dog Man. Humorously, the characters seem to accept the outrageous scenarios with nonchalance, as shown when the journalist Sarah Hatoff jumps onto the running Robo-Brontosaurus to conduct a live interview with the villains aboard it. Similarly, Dog Man and 80-HD see this televised event and don their superhero outfits to go help; there is no apparent shock or surprise in any of the characters as they respond to these incredible situations, which allows the chaotic plot to continue unfolding with further improbable details, such as the Robo-Brontosaurus being pursued by The Bark Knight (Dog Man) in his Dogmobile. Having the characters face these outlandish scenarios with such seriousness adds to the silliness—and the humor—of the story.

The Power of Love

As in other Dog Man stories, the platonic love between friends remains pivotally important. Dog Man, Li’l Petey, and 80-HD operate as a family group despite the fact that they are so different. Their care and support for each other is illustrated in Li’l Petey and 80-HD’s efforts in creating a Dogmobile for Dog Man and an associated hydraulic roof ramp; they dedicate time and energy to help Dog Man in his work as the city’s protector by designing incredible tools for him to use.

Furthermore, Li’l Petey accepts and embraces 80-HD’s nonverbal communication, designing a flip-o-rama mask to help 80-HD demonstrate whether he is happy or whether he is in a serious and brave mood. The family sits down for breakfast together despite the fact that they consume completely different types of food or fuel: “It’s time for breakfast! Cat food and cream for me…Dog Food and gravy for you…And nuts and bolts and motor oil for 80-HD” (19). This scene further illustrates the way that the family accepts each other’s quirks and individualities without judgment or criticism.

Furthermore, when Dog Man and 80-HD see that Li’l Petey is in trouble, they immediately adopt their alter egos of Lightning Dude and The Bark Knight and rush to the scene involving the giant Robo-Brontosaurus; this machine sports a number of dangerous features, including a death ray, which illustrates Dog Man and 80-HD placing Li’l Petey’s wellbeing above their own.

The power of love is also explored through the redemption of Petey and the loving nature of Petey and Li’l Petey’s father-son connection. Petey’s temptation to return to a world of criminality is a recurring trope throughout the Dog Man series; he begins as a criminal but is inspired to change his ways through his relationship with Li’l Petey. This trend is echoed in Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas, where Petey refuses Piggy’s offer to join him in world domination when he remembers Li’l Petey telling him, “You can change, Papa” (170).

Petey had intended to increase his destructive power through cloning himself, but instead, Li’l Petey is kind and loving. Through the fact that Petey’s clone is inherently good, Pilkey suggests that many people who are angry bullies—like Petey in the beginning of the series—are not inherently bad but instead are the victims of neglect or cruelty, which causes them to treat others with cruelty. Love is characterized as a redemptive force that allows people to access their inner goodness. After initially rejecting Li’l Petey’s loving overtures, such as insisting that Li’l Petey call him “Petey” not “Papa,” Petey demonstrates his acceptance of Li’l Petey’s love, and his reciprocal love for his clone, who is essentially his son, when he says, “Papa’s got you” (206), as he lovingly holds Li’l Petey.