Originally launched by Scholastic nearly 30 years ago with the first book The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey’s pioneering bestselling series was instrumental in creating the illustrated children’s chapter book category that is still popular today. There are more than 90 million copies of Captain Underpants books in print to date, with translations in 37 languages. The series was adapted as a critically acclaimed feature film by DreamWorks Animation as well as an original series on Netflix. With the release of Captain Underpants in comics under its Graphix imprint, Scholastic redefines the manga space by publishing bestselling kid-favorite stories with age-appropriate content.

“It is a huge honor to see Motojiro’s rendering of the Captain Underpants illustrations into manga,” Dav Pilkey commented “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.”
In a statement, Motojiro said, “When I was chosen to draw Captain Underpants, words couldn’t express how thrilled I was. 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.”