Dog Man: Grime and Punishment sells 459k copies after two weeks on shelves

(Image credit: Dav Pilkey (Scholastic/Graphix))

Dav Pilkey's Dog Man: Grime and Punishment sold 459,000 copies by September 19, according to the market research firm the NPD Group.

Published September 1 by Scholastic's Graphix imprint, Dog Man: Grime and Punishment is the ninth book in Pilkey's hit series. It was the best-selling book for all of North America from its debut until September 15, when it was surpassed by Bob Woodward's Rage - which reportedly had the strongest first-week sales of any book this year.

"Since we announced the publication date for Dog Man: Grime & Punishment, we have been hearing from enthusiastic kids, parents, educators, and retailers who have been eagerly waiting for its release," the president of Scholastic's trade division Ellie Berger said recently. "We couldn't be more thrilled to see kids and families around the world so excited, laughing, and reading together. We look forward to publishing more Dav Pilkey books in the future."

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In Grime and Punishment, Dog Man goes undercover and comes up with the best disguise of them all: Cat Man. Dog Man (dressed up as Cat Man) will use his disguise to infiltrate the underworld and once again put a stop to crime.

"For long time readers of the Captain Underpants and Dog Man series, Dog Man: Grime and Punishment will be a familiar and delightful continuation of Pilkey's long-running universe," Newsarama reviewer C.K. Stewart writes of the new volume. "Even if you're new, though, and looking for a light and breezy read or trying to find something for the younger readers in your life, Dog Man: Grime and Punishment will offer as enthusiastic welcome to you as the titular hero does to all he meets."

Five million copies of this latest Dog Man were printed before release. The last three volumes of Dog Man (Brawl of the Wild, For Whom the Ball Rolls, and Fetch-22) also had five million copy first printings, but Grime and Punishment's comes in the midst of a pandemic which could have hampered demand for the print series. Over 30 million copies of the Dog Man series have been sold and have been translated into over 30 languages.

Dog Man: Grime and Punishment is also available digitally. Check out our list of the 10 best comic readers for Android and iOS devices.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)