As a significant addition to the toy and collectibles landscape, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga by Dav Pilkey and Motojiro is set to hit shelves with a robust print run of 750,000 copies, courtesy of Scholastic Graphix.
This launch, scheduled for April 2026, marks a transitional moment for the beloved Captain Underpants franchise, which originally flourished through chapter books and later evolved into the popular Dog Man series. While Dog Man has consistently enjoyed print runs exceeding five million copies, this latest endeavor serves as an exploratory step into the manga format.
For Motojiro, a noted artist known for his work on children’s manga such as Asahi Shimbun’s Time Warp and the Battle Brave series, this marks a significant escalation in exposure and opportunity, as this print run is unprecedented for a manga release in the United States.
Dav Pilkey commented on the collaboration, stating, “It is a huge honor to see Motojiro’s rendering of the Captain Underpants illustrations into manga. 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.”
Ken Geist, VP and publisher of Pilkey Publishing at Scholastic, added, “Dav Pilkey is one of the most inspiring, creative, and influential storytellers of our time. This reimagined Captain Underpants book has it all—action, adventure, humor, heart, heroes—and a whole lot of fun. It’s a joy to work on Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga—a book that will captivate existing fans and inspire a new generation of kids to love reading.”
The manga release will also feature Pilkey’s animated page-flipping Flip-o-Ramas, will be presented in full color, read left to right, and will become available in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand on April 7, 2026. As the market anticipates this launch, many are speculating whether it will rival the sales of Dog Man; the potential is certainly present, as few titles outside of Asterix could possibly compare.
Based on reporting by https://www.facebook.com/richard.james.johnston. Read the full story at https://bleedingcool.com/comics/captain-underpants-first-epic-manga-by-dav-pilkeys-750000-print-run/.