| SPOILER ALERT!!! This article or section contains spoilers. Read at your own risk! |
| Dog Man Books |
|---|
| Dog Man (2016) | Dog Man: Unleashed (2016) | Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties (2017) | Dog Man and Cat Kid (2017) | Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas (2018) | Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild (2018) | Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls (2019) | Dog Man: Fetch-22 (2019) | Dog Man: Grime and Punishment (2020) | Dog Man: Mothering Heights (2021) | Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea (2023) | Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder (2024) |
| “ | Has Petey dropped his rotten cat-ittude? | ” |
–The book's blurb | ||
Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas is the 5th book in the Dog Man Series. It was written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey and colored by Jose Garibaldi. It was published on August 28, 2018.
Synopsis[]
Dog Man: Behind the Epicness![]
George and Harold are in fifth grade, and their teacher is making them read classic literature. When they read Lord of the Flies it inspired them to write a novel.
Chapter 1: A Visit from Kitty Protective Services[]
One morning at Dog Man's house, Li'l Petey and 80-HD are hard at work, when Dog Man brings in breakfast. LP shows him that he and 80-HD transformed the grand ballroom into a clubhouse and they are going to be in a superhero organization called the "Supa Buddies" and even made a cape for 80-HD, along with a Flip-o-Rama mask. While the trio eats breakfast, the doorbell rings. They run down barking loudly. Dr. Katz, who is Petey in disguise, is at the door and has to talk LP to kitty school. Dog Man growls at Katz, and angrily tells him to stop or he'll go to jail. Now, Dog Man and 80-HD are depressed when they see Li'l Petey leave for school. On the way, Li'l Petey calls the cat psychiatrist papa, but the cat says he's not papa. They argue until Dr. Katz has had it and takes off his costume to reveal Petey is disguise. Petey says they're not going to kitty school. They have to get out of town because Li'l Petey is in danger. He forces LP to sit with him, because he wants to talk to him about why he came to get him.
Chapter 2: Petey's Story (with many interruptions)[]
Petey's story began when he was in jail and he was working on something (a giant robot of himself). A guard came in to tell him he has to see a psychiatrist, and that's when he met up with Dr. Katz. The cat psychiatrist demanded him he needs to get to the root of his problems. Petey explained to him that when he was a kitten (looks like Li'l Petey), he used to be in the Critter Scouts. One day, when they came to a mini golf game, the scout leader left to get some coffee. Everything started out great, but then a great storm arose. The place began to flood and the scouts hopped on a boat-like structure in Hole 4. The storm raged for what felt like weeks and finally they landed on a deserted island. Bub asked what they'll do now. Petey explains that they'll use their scout skills to survive. They could hunt for food, and use Piggy's specs, which are his glasses, to light fires, and together they could build a utopia.
Nine minutes later, Bub and Crunky turned into cannibals, chasing Petey and Piggy around the island, when suddenly they were cornered at a cliff. A pointy blade was before them, and hungry sharks were below them. LP interrupts him with a knock-knock joke. He thinks it was funny, but Petey doesn't. He asks LP to listen while he continues his story. So anyways, Petey and Piggy were at the brink of death, when Piggy's glasses fell into the water, and just when they were about to fall, the scout leader saw the ruckus. The scouts were still in the golf course goofing off and the scout leader was angry at them. Piggy, Crunky, and Bub blamed Petey, who was then kicked out of the Critter Scouts.
Petey then called the Animal Rights Union, and soon they flooded their organization with Anti-Discrimination Lawsuits. A week after, the critter scouts shut down. Dr. Katz asks Petey what happened to Piggy, Crunky, and Bub. Petey then shrugs them off like nothing. Dr. Katz then yells at Petey to tell him what happened. Then, he takes off his head to reveal that Dr. Katz was Piggy in disguise. Piggy said that he, Crunky, and Bub lost their badges when the Critter Scouts was shut down and were plotting their revenge for Petey, he then tells him that there gonna destroy LP. LP then interrupts Petey asking him if he loved him. Petey stares at him for a little, then yells at him to pay attention. Back in the past, Piggy then said that their Giant Robo-Brontosaurus was parked outside, followed by a lot of laughter. Petey then goes in the Dr. Katz costume and tells a guard that an evil pig broke in and ate Petey, and then, the guard went inside Piggy's mouth, then, Petey called Crunky and Bub to help the guard. As a result, Petey locked them in and escaped.
Back in the present, Petey tells LP that is why he came to get him and started to run. Petey then tells LP that they need to get away from the prison as far as possible, as LP asked if the bad guys got locked in and how they would escape. Petey then says they'll probably escape. LP then asks how can they escape from a maximum security prison. Petey replies, "Who knows? Maybe something DUMB will happen!"
Chapter 3: Something Dumb Happens![]
At the police station, Chief gets a phone call from the Cat Jail saying there's been a jail escape, as Chief asks where, then the phone says it's at the jail, (cause Chief has a problem with forgetting stuff), Chief then says oh as he says he'll put his best man on it as he hangs up and calls Dog Man. Then Milly tells him that Dog Man is late for work again. An angry Chief calls Dog Man and tells him to meet up at cat jail in ten minutes and not to get distracted while he's at it. Dog Man then runs to the jail, when a squirrel runs next to him and, as usual, Dog Man gets distracted and runs after the squirrel, as the squirrel runs up the tree, Dog Man runs to it and starts barking at it.
When the cops reach the Cat Jail, they see that there is a Giant Robo-Brontosaurus is at the parking lot, and Dog Man is still distracted by squirrels, so they decide to go in without him.
Ten minutes later, Sarah Hatoff arrives at the scene where the three animal crooks (megalomaniacs) have been beat. Chief and Milly explain that they attacked them first. Then they ran to the jail library and fought back using the power of books. Chief, still wondering why Dog Man is still distracted, decides to call him to tell him to meet at the jail.
Once he gets there, he excitedly jumps on Chief, who is fed up with this antic, while Milly points out that the animals are running away in their Robo-Brontosaurus. Angered, Chief scolds to Dog Man that he made the bad guys get away and forces him to go home. Dog Man, depressed, leaves to his doghouse, while Chief, Milly, and Sarah follow the animals.
Chapter 4: Revenge of the FLEAS![]
Meanwhile, LP tells Petey another knock-knock joke. Petey still doesn't think his joke is funny. Suddenly the Giant Robo-Brontosaurus appears behind them, frightening Petey. Sarah arrives at the scene to interview the driver, Piggy, Crunky, and Bub. Piggy explains that he is the leader of the Fleas - which stands for Fuzzy Little Evil Animal Squad. Crunky and Bub don't think their team name makes sense, since Bub is not fuzzy and Crunky is not little. Bub wants to think of a better team name, but Piggy says it's too late and shows that he has already ordered coffee mugs and mouse pads with "FLEAS" written on them.
Milly and Chief then attack the Fleas, but the Robo-Brontosaurus's tail picks up Chief, Milly, Sarah, and her pet poodle Zuzu. The Fleas then try to attack Petey and his son next, but they have escaped underground.
In the sewer, LP tells Petey another knock-knock joke, which Petey, miffed, still doesn't think it's funny and explains that knock-knock jokes are supposed to go that way. They have made it to the Cat Jail, where they climb aboard a giant robotic version of Petey and escape out of the town. Before they leave, Petey tells him, "Ya gotta avoid repetition… shun redundancy… eschew reiteration… resist recapitulation… and also, stop telling the same joke over and over."
Chapter 5: A Buncha Stuff That Happened Next[]
Dog Man is still unhappy about what happened from Chapter 3. When he came to his doghouse, he notices Chief, Milly, Sarah, and Zuzu on the TV news. Dog Man and 80-HD go into their superhero alter-egos and run off to save them.
Meanwhile, Petey and Lil Petey are still on their escape from town, but LP wants to save Chief, Milly, Sarah, and Zuzu, but Petey says that the only thing they have is an old shrink ray, which only has two shots left, and besides, he can't go out looking like a hero. LP tells Petey that he should switch expectations, causing Petey to decide to save his friends, but only if LP should stop calling him "papa".
Mega Robot Petey sneaks up behind the Fleas, as Petey tells LP the plan: LP should stay there while Petey sneaks out here so he can shrink the Fleas, without hitting LP's friends. Petey carefully aims the shrink ray at the Fleas, but then LP sneaks up behind him and shouts "Hey, Petey!", causing him to accidentally drop the ray on the ground. The Fleas suddenly notice the two cats. They are about to zap them with their killer death ray, but it instead destroys Mega Robot Petey's exoskeleton.
Petey and Lil Petey dash to the top of Robot Petey's Head, but they slip and fall. Just before they hit the ground, Bark Knight and Lightning Dude save them. Luckily, 80-HD brings Lil Petey his superhero costume.
Chapter 6: Supa Buddies[]
The Supa Buddies are practicing their superhero poses. Petey notices that the Fleas are behind them. Cat Kid steps up to tell them a knock-knock joke, which Petey, Piggy, and Robo Brontosaurus don't find funny, but it makes LP, Bub, Crunky, Dog Man, 80-HD, Chief, Milly, Sarah, and Zuzu laugh hysterically.
Piggy then decides to tell them a "funny" story: "Once there were three evil villains who build a Giant Robo Brontosaurus that had a killer death ray." The Robo Brontosaurus zaps its death ray at a building, which crashes onto them. "You were right," laughs Cat Kid. "That WAS a funny story!" Now comes the chance to save Chief, Milly, Sarah, and Zuzu. Cat Kid flies up to them and cuts their shirts and the Bark Knight catches them with the Dogmobile's giant baseball glove. Unfortunately, the Dogmobile is about to crash into a factory, so Dog Man steps on the brake too hard, it sends Chief, Milly, Sarah, and Zuzu flying off the glove, about to smash into the factory.
Chief then decides that rather than crying "'cause they're gonna die" they should laugh "'cause they gotta live". Fortunately, the factory happens to be a Giant Marshmallow Factory, and the four friends land to safety on giant marshmallows. Unfortunately, the Robo Brontosaurus returns from under the fallen building. Piggy is about to zap them with the robo-dino's death ray, but Mega Robot Petey grabs it by the tail, and the two robots break into battle.
Chapter 7: The Darkness[]
Two hours later, Piggy stops the battle and marches over the Petey. Piggy claims he wants to be Petey's sidekick. Meanwhile, as the good guys are watching, Lil Petey suddenly notices a firefly. Crunky and Bub notice that Lil Petey has caught a firefly and asks them if they want to join in the fun. Crunky and Bub agree and they all go out to catch some fireflies.
Meanwhile, Piggy tells Petey to get ready for a BIG change. He picks up a wrench and smashed it onto the Robo Brontosaurus's tail, breaking it in half and sending Mega Robot Petey flying and crash-landing into a building. Suddenly, Piggy notices that Crunky and Bub are not in the Brontosaurus. As Piggy goes out to look for them, he sees that Crunky and Bub have been catching fireflies with Lil Petey. Piggy angrily leads them back to the Robo Brontosaurus, but Lil Petey decides to be the boss of the Fleas. Piggy yells to him that he's just a kid, but Cat Kid doesn't care.
Meanwhile, the good guys save Petey from the building. When he asks where Lil Petey went, the Robo Brontosaurus returns with LP and the Fleas. The Bark Knight barks at them, but the Robo Brontosaurus picks him up and tosses him up in the air. Lil Petey and 80-HD go out to save him, but the Bark Knight has crashed into the Cannery Grow store, which making an unconscious Dog Man ginormous. LP is unable to wake up the Bark Knight when the Fleas return. Piggy asks Cat Kid if he has any last words. LP says he'll tell the Fleas one last word in just one minute.
Cat Kid, accompanied by Lightning Dude, flies off to Mr. Squirty's Spray Paint Factory and borrows some brown paint. He sprays it on the Robo-Brontosaurus, making it all brown, and takes out a black crayon and draws a face on the broken tail. Cat Kid takes a deep breath and screams...
"SQUIRREL!"
The Bark Knight is jolted awake and attacks the "squirrel". Meanwhile, Petey, Chief, Milly, Sarah, and Zuzu rush to see the Giant Dog Man with the giant squirrel. The Bark Knight gives Petey a great big slobbery kiss.
Chapter 8: My Dog Man Has FLEAS![]
Petey finds the shrink ray he dropped back in Chapter 5 and wonders if it still works. He zaps the Bark Knight with it, shrinking him back to regular size. Everyone cheers for Petey. Then Chief demands Dog Man to give him the "squirrel". Dog Man refuses, so Chief grabs it and has a tug-of-war with it. When they break apart, Chief is about to arrest the Fleas, but he sees that they're gone and blames Dog Man for letting them get away again.
However, nobody really knows where the Fleas have gone, and Dog Man ends up itching, while Chief takes Petey back to Cat Jail, despite the fact the Petey was good for the whole book. LP decides to go with them. He says good night to Dog Man, 80-HD, Milly, Sarah, and Zuzu, before he catches up with Petey. LP discovers that Petey is mad, because his life is pointless. LP explains that no matter if he's good or not, he's still Petey. This causes Chief to burst into tears just before they reach the Cat Jail.
The jail guard is overjoyed to see Petey return. Petey asks LP is he wants some gelato after he escapes tomorrow. LP accepts, even though he doesn't know what gelato is. The two cats then hug before they depart. On the way back to Dog Man's house, LP asks Chief what gelato is. Chief says that gelato is like ice cream.
Read To Your Cat, Kid![]
The next day, Petey calls Li'l Petey, who tells Petey that he is reading to Dog Man. He then tells Petey the benefits of reading to a dog, which Petey contradicts by telling Li'l Petey the benefits of reading to cats. A convinced Li'l Petey hangs up the phone (much to Petey's annoyance), and two hours later, Li'l Petey and Dog Man arrive at Cat Jail to read a book to Petey, who is flattered until he finds out that the book is a collection of Li'l Petey's "poop" knock-knock jokes (which was a running gag in the main plot of the book). Petey screams in annoyance, and the comic ends.
Trivia[]
- It's name is a reference to the book Lord of the Flies.
- Piggy is based on another Piggy in Lord of the Flies. The Piggy in Lord of the Fleas is a Megalomaniac (possibly an Undertale reference), though.
- One of the Dogmobile's buttons say, "Weird Al Music", a nod to the Weird Al Yankovic, since he created the theme song for the Captain Underpants movie.
- Running Gags: Li'l Petey's poop jokes and him annoying Piggy and Petey.
- This is the first time Petey is a good guy.
- this is the third book to have a bonus mini-comic. the first is Dog Man: Unleashed, and the second is Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties.
- However, this is the second reading mini-comic. the first is Read to your Dog, Man! in book 3.
Errors/Goofs[]
- When Li'l Petey is lying on the bench, laughing, the bottom of the bench is not present.
- Also a lot of the times in Chapter 2, the bench is absent.
- In an overhead shot of when Petey is gonna shrink the F.L.E.A.S., a building is on the road.
- Also, the road looks a lot bigger than it should.
Gallery[]
Covers[]
Concept Art/Behind the Scenes[]
Trailer description[]
Dav Pilkey's Dog Man is back! Part dog, part man, and all hero! With Li'l Petey and his remarkable robot 80-HD by his side, Dog Man faces his most formidable foe yet, F.L.E.A.S.! Can the Supa Buddies beat this band of baddis and their giant robot brontosaurus? And will Petey the world's most evil cat, risk his rotten reputation to help them?