Big plans in store for Dav Pilkey's 'Dog Man' series
By Associated Press
Dec 11, 2018 7:24 AM CST
FILE - In this May 21, 2017, file photo, Dav Pilkey arrives at the LA Premiere of "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. Pilkey and his publisher have high hopes for the next installments of his best-selling “Dog Man” series. On Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018,...   (Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) — Dav Pilkey and his publisher have high hopes for the next installments of his best-selling "Dog Man" series.

On Tuesday, Scholastic announced a first printing of 5 million copies for "Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild," which comes out Dec. 24. By comparison, Michelle Obama's million-selling "Becoming" had an announced first printing of 1.8 million, since raised to more than 3 million.

Next August, Scholastic will release "Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls," the seventh of Pilkey's graphic novels about the crime-fighting superhero. Pilkey, also known for his "Captain Underpants" books, said in a statement that the "Dog Man" books were inspired by his years of feeling like a "misfit" in school. In second grade, Pilkey was diagnosed with dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.