SCHOLASTIC TO PUBLISH DAV PILKEY'S "CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MANGA" ON APRIL 7, 2026

Rhea-AI Summary

Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) has announced the upcoming publication of "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga" on April 7, 2026. The new book, written and adapted by creator Dav Pilkey with illustrations by Japanese manga artist Motojiro, will be released simultaneously in multiple English-speaking markets.

The Captain Underpants series has been a significant success with over 90 million copies in print and translations in 37 languages. The new manga adaptation will feature the original story reimagined in graphic novel format, maintaining the traditional English reading direction and including signature Flip-o-Rama® features.

Positive

• Simultaneous release in multiple major markets (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand)
• Expansion of successful franchise (90M+ copies in print) into new manga format
• Partnership with established Japanese manga artist could attract new audience segments

Negative

• None.

Insights

Publishing Industry Analyst

Scholastic leverages its popular Captain Underpants franchise into manga format, potentially expanding audience reach and creating new revenue streams.

Scholastic's strategic adaptation of Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series into manga format represents a calculated expansion of an already successful franchise. With 90 million copies in print across 37 languages, this property has demonstrated remarkable staying power in the children's publishing market over nearly three decades.

The timing is particularly noteworthy as manga continues to experience substantial growth in Western markets. By reformatting an established American property with Japanese artistic collaboration, Scholastic is positioning itself to capture crossover appeal between traditional children's book readers and the expanding manga/anime audience segment.

The involvement of Japanese artist Motojiro adds authenticity to this manga adaptation while maintaining the familiar characters and storylines that have proven successful. This approach minimizes creative risk while potentially opening new distribution channels and audience demographics.

For Scholastic, this represents an extension of their proven strategy with the Graphix imprint, which has successfully brought graphic novel formats to young readers. The company is effectively leveraging existing intellectual property rather than creating entirely new content, a cost-efficient approach to content development that has historically generated strong returns in children's publishing.

NEW YORK and LONDON and TORONTO and SYDNEY, July 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, announced today that Dav Pilkey's #1 global bestselling Captain Underpants series will return in an exciting new format. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga, written and adapted by Dog Man creator Dav Pilkey, will release simultaneously on April 7, 2026 in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand with full-color illustrations by Japanese manga artist Motojiro.

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.

Combining humor and action with empowerment and empathy, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga features the amazing adventures of best friends George Beard and Harold Hutchins and their waistband warrior superhero creation, Captain Underpants. Following the story arc of the original chapter book, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga is reenvisioned as an engaging graphic novel that will read in the traditional English language tradition (left to right), include new and fun Flip-o-Ramas^® that will captivate existing fans, capture new readers, and appeal to comics, manga, and anime aficionados alike.

"It is a huge honor to see Motojiro's rendering of the Captain Underpants illustrations into manga," said Dav Pilkey. "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."

About Captain Underpants

Originally created by Dav Pilkey when he was alone in his elementary school hallway in second grade, the Captain Underpants series follows the adventures of fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, who love to create comics and who hypnotize their school principal and turn him into their comic book creation, Captain Underpants. Publishers Weekly praised Captain Underpants as "subversively hilarious." Newsweek called Captain Underpants "a triumph of irreverence," Slate.com hailed the series "slyly intelligent…revolutionary," and Entertainment Weekly called it "irresistible." School Library Journal praised Captain Underpants and the Talking Toilets, the second book in the series, "…so appealing that youngsters won't notice that their vocabulary is stretching." Captain Underpants has won multiple state book awards, many of which were voted on by children. USA Today, in a cover story, called Dav Pilkey "the savior of the reluctant reader."

In 2017, DreamWorks Animation released Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie in theaters worldwide. The film featured the voices of Kevin Hart (George Beard), Thomas Middleditch (Harold Hutchins), Ed Helms (Captain Underpants), Nick Kroll (Professor Poopypants), and Jordan Peele (Melvin).

About Motojiro

Motojiro is an accomplished Japanese manga artist whose work includes the Time Warp series and the Battle Brave series (Asahi Shimbun Publications). For over 30 years, Motojiro has been working as a freelance illustrator in Tokyo, Japan where he creates manga for educational materials for kids. He is a member of the Japan Cartoonists Association.

About Dav Pilkey

When Dav Pilkey was in second grade, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and what is now widely known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Because of his learning and behavioral issues in school, he was often sent out in the hallway. It was in his elementary school hallway where he created comic books about superheroes that eventually became Captain Underpants and Dog Man. Pilkey's blockbuster phenomenon Dog Man released in 2016 has more than 70 million copies in print to date, translations in 48 languages, and is one of the bestselling graphic novel series of all time. The hit movie adaptation of Dog Man was recently released by DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures featuring the voices of Pete Davidson, Isla Fisher, Lil Rel Howery, and Ricky Gervais. Cat Kid Comic Club series, a spin-off of Dog Man which highlights how lessons in creativity often reflect lessons in real life, is also a #1 worldwide bestseller with more than 12 million copies in print and translations in 28 languages to date. Dav's first graphic novel, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, was published 23 years ago and became an instant national bestseller. Dav Pilkey has created over 75 books for children and was awarded a Caldecott Honor for his picture book The Paperboy. For more information about Dav Pilkey and his books, visit https://mediaroom.scholastic.com/davpilkey.

About Graphix

Graphix is the groundbreaking imprint of Scholastic that publishes graphic novels for early, middle grade, and young adult readers. Launched in 2005 with the publication of Jeff Smith's acclaimed epic series BONE, Graphix is an innovative force in the publishing industry with global bestsellers and acclaimed books including the Dog Man and Cat Kid Comic Club series by author and illustrator Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier's books, the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi, the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman, the Sunny books by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, Twins by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright, Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter, and the graphic novel adaptations of The Baby-sitters Club and Wings of Fire series. Graphix titles continue to receive awards and critical acclaim including multiple Eisner Award wins and nominations, a National Book Award Longlist selection (Hey, Kiddo), a Stonewall Book Award Honor (Drama), a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor (Smile), and an Edgar Allan Poe nomination (The Lost Boy). Graphix also publishes manga for young readers including the bestselling UNICO series by Osamu Tezuka, Samuel Sattin, and Gurihiru, and the American Manga Award-nominated, Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda.

About Scholastic

For more information about Scholastic, visit our mediaroom at https://mediaroom.scholastic.com/. 

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga
Publication Date: April 7, 2026 | Scholastic/Graphix; Ages 7 and up
Written and adapted by Dav Pilkey, illustrated by Motojiro
Paperback ISBN 978-1-5461-5121-0; $14.99
Jacketed Hardcover ISBN 979-8-225-01671-5; $24.99
Ebook ISBN 978-1-5461-5123-4; $14.99

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SOURCE Scholastic Inc

FAQ

When will Scholastic release Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga?

Scholastic will release Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga on April 7, 2026 simultaneously in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Who is illustrating the new Captain Underpants manga?

Japanese manga artist Motojiro is illustrating the new Captain Underpants manga adaptation.

How many Captain Underpants books have been sold worldwide?

The Captain Underpants series has more than 90 million copies in print and has been translated into 37 languages.

Will the new Captain Underpants manga read like traditional Japanese manga?

No, the manga will read in the traditional English language direction (left to right) and will include the series' signature Flip-o-Rama® features.

What is the significance of this new manga format for Scholastic?

This release represents Scholastic's entry into the manga space under its Graphix imprint, publishing kid-favorite stories with age-appropriate content.