Captain Underpants publisher Schoalstic has announced that the graphic novel series’ creator, Dav Pilkey, is working with manga artist Motojiro on Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga.
Scholastic will release the book in April of next year, and said it will follow the story arc of the original Captain Underpants book. It’ll also read from left to right, versus in the traditional manga style of right to left.
“It is a huge honor to see Motojiro’s rendering of the Captain Underpants illustrations into manga,” Pilkey said. “His vibrant art inspired me to dig deeper, write new dialogue, and flesh out the story even further. Fans of the series will be thrilled about the new look and new content, and fans of manga will be impressed with Motojiro’s dynamic style. I am grateful to Motojiro for his help in taking Captain Underpants to a whole new level and exciting format that I hope will create a new generation of readers.”
Captain Underpants and his in-book creators, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, debuted almost 30 years ago, prior to Pilkey’s other most-famous creation, Dog Man. Scholastic has released about 90 million copies of Captain Underpants books to date, with translations in 37 languages.
“When I was chosen to draw Captain Underpants, words couldn’t express how thrilled I was,” said Motojiro, whose work includes the Time Warp series in Japan. “I had the chance to meet Dav Pilkey in Japan and read his amazing reimagined text. It was a wonderful experience to hear about his deep love and care for the series. I hope even more kids and families will enjoy the Captain Underpants manga that I had so much fun drawing. I am truly thankful for this wonderful opportunity.”
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga will arrive in stores on April 7.