Fetch-22

Dog Man cedes the limelight to Li'l Petey, the crime-fighting kitten, in this hilarious new adventure. Fetch-22, which does bear a passing thematic resemblance to its namesake, follows the familiar Dog Man formula: an introduction by George and Harold, who attempt and (happily) fail to throw out all things childish; several pages of recap, serving to inform the reader of Dog Man's origin, Li'l Petey's shared-custody situation, and the incarceration of the elder Petey's treacherous father; finally, a headfirst dive into the action. This action splits itself among three main threads: The Fair Fairy, a deranged television star, gets fired and vows to exact her revenge on the whole city; Li'l Petey discovers a nefarious chemical compound that produces "psychokinetic brain powers" and "supa anger"; and Grampa breaks out of jail by disguising himself as his son. These threads take a while to converge, making space for both heartwarming moments and Pilkey's characteristically wacky humor. The pace of the story amps up wonderfully when the Scooby Doo-esque final battle begins, although some of the morals espoused may come off as slightly heavy-handed. The simply colored backgrounds beautifully highlight the characters' lively expressions, and impressive action sequences abound. The unexplained animation of a tree via psychokinesis comes as an especial (and especially strange) delight. Extensive backmatter includes "news" articles, drawing tutorials, and song lyrics; human characters are diverse. As ever, Dog Man and friends demonstrate that the power of friendship truly can change the world. (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)

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