Reviews for Captain Underpants : the first epic manga.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Two boys turn their principal into a superhero in this faithful manga vision of a quirky modern classic.Captain Underpants was first published in 1997, to the discomfort of some literary connoisseurs and the delight of young readers giddy at the sight of the chrome-domed hero clad only in a cape and tighty-whities. The tale also presaged a format revolution in children’s literature, bridging the divide between prose chapter books and graphic novels. Over a quarter-century on, Pilkey adapts the original story with a fresh format. The story’s essential arc remains mostly unchanged. Fourth graders Harold and George hypnotize their principal, he strips down to his briefs and dons a cape, and the trio battle Dr. Diaper, a baby-size villain with robot bodyguards. Seasoned artist Motojiro confidently uses classic manga conventions to bring Pilkey’s world to life, perfectly retaining Underpants energy while introducing an entirely new-to-the-series aesthetic. The kids zoom around on skateboards trailed by dynamic super-speed lines, exaggerated angles add drama, and wide whitened eyes express surprise, fear, and glee. Notably, the book employs Japanese onomatopoeia—in phonetic hiragana and katakana characters—to signify moods and movement, resulting in a uniquely multilingual reading experience and an impressive opportunity to consider the integration of image and text anew, even after all these years. As in the source material, George presents Black, while most other characters are pale-skinned. Ebullient, chaotic, and pure fun, just as this scantily clad hero should be. (notes & fun facts)(Graphic fiction. 8-12) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
School Library Journal
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Gr 2–5—Harold, George, and the eponymous Captain Underpants make the leap from chapter book to manga with surprisingly few changes. The manga follows the plot of the first "Captain Underpants" book pretty closely. Friends and comic creators Harold and George pull various pranks, ruining the school football game by planting pepper in the pompoms, helium in the footballs, and itching cream in the muscle rub. Caught in the act by their principal Mr. Krupps, who has installed video cameras everywhere, they are subjected to a miserable regime of good behavior and chores. Then they order a hypno-ring from a comic book and hypnotize Mr. Krupps, turning him into an underpants-clad superhero who ends up saving the moon from the evil Dr. Diaper. The manga has a higher page count than the original, but the art propels the story forward with speed lines, diagonal panels, shifting perspectives, and dramatic lighting, making the adaptation feel like a faster read. The book includes a couple of Pilkey's signature Flip-o-Rama features, where readers flip the pages rapidly to animate a scene, as well as a delightful Where's Waldo–esque crowd scene. Unlike most manga, the book is in color and reads from left to right. In fact, it's not entirely obvious that this is a manga because the style is one that has been adopted by many U.S. creators, but Motojiro is a veteran Japanese manga-ka with years of experience drawing for children, and this is a very well-crafted book. VERDICT Dynamic, clever, and funny, this manga adaptation keeps the best parts of the original and adds the special sauce only comics can bring.
