Review by Woodrow Phoenix
Mothering Heights is the 10th book of Dog Man adventures by Dav Pilkey, and believe it or not, at 220+ pages per book that means there have now been 2000 pages of Dog Man stories. That is a truly gigantic amount of silliness. And if the other Pilkey series Super Diaper Baby and Cat Kid Comic Club are included too then there are at least another thousand pages to add to the total of Pilkey’s brand of knowingly ironic childish humour.
Following Grime and Punishment, Pilkey’s joketastic style shows no signs of slowing down here, although in this volume an interesting development is becoming gradually more obvious. Dog Man, half dog, half man, is very much a simple, canine friend, who does pretty much what a real dog would do, and nothing more except for the cartoonish exaggerations at some points that make him funny. This limits the extent of his story opportunities. Whereas his main adversary, Petey the evil genius cat, not only talks but has all kinds of complicated feelings about his activities which he discusses in broad, philosophical terms. As we find out more about his past, see him struggling with his transition from villain to anti-hero, and trying to repair his family relationships. Petey has slowly become the emotional and intellectual centre of this book, while Dog Man remains… Dog Man. Which is fine. But how much longer can this progression go on before Dog Man is an afterthought in his own book?
In this story Dog Man faces the challenge that comes to every dog eventually, when he is released from hospital after hurting his paws: he is required to wear a cone around his neck to stop him biting or scratching his injuries. Will The Cone of Shame build his character or break it? Meanwhile, Grandpa, Petey’s evil dad, puts another terrible plan in action involving Living Spray and Cannery Grow. The result is two oversized menaces on the rampage, destroying everything around them, which will surprise no-one who has read one of these books before. Who’s going to save the city if Dog Man can’t? There is a pleasing circularity to the answer, with the usual array of call backs to running gags which will have children delighted and entertained.
