| “ | Every story has a beginning... | ” |
–The book's blurb | ||
Dog Man: Big Jim Begins is the 13th consecutive book in the Dog Man series written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey. It will be released on December 3, 2024. This book focuses mostly on Big Jim and the origins of Dog Man characters.
The book was announced on May 30, 2024, along with its first sneak peek at People Magazine's website[1], and the cover revealed on July 31, 2024. A follow-up to this book, Dog Man: Big Jim Believes will be released on Fall 2025
Synopsis
In DOG MAN: BIG JIM BEGINS, discover the origin of our beloved characters from the Dog Man series as they join forces to stop the Space Cuties from destroying the city. Will the past predict the future for Dog Man and his friends? Will goodness and bravery prevail? Can anything happen if you truly believe?
Characters
Main Characters
- Dog Man/Greg the Puppy - He's a dog/policeman hybrid who works at the Cop Station. His red stain is gone due to being affected by a stinky smell and washed with tomato juice in Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder. As a puppy, he's a part of the Jr. Detective Club and dreams to become a police dog.
- Big Jim/Little Jim - He's an inmate from Cat Jail. He also has a superhero alter ego named Commander Cupcake and teams up with Grampa.
- Little Jim's Parents - Momma and Daddy are Little Jim's deceased parents.
- Grampa/Disco Grampa - He's Big Jim's cellmate in Cat Jail. He also has a son, Petey, a former inmate who lives with his grandson Li'l Petey. He also got his superhero alter ego as Sprinkles and joins with Commander Cupcake.
- Sarah Hatoff - An Australian Journalist who is also the "world's greatest reporter". She's one of them who gets "cutie-fied" by the Space Cuties.
- Zuzu - Sarah's "world's greatest poodle" and is always with her. She's also affected by the cuteness from the Space Cuties.
- Clarence Bailey - He is the chief of the cop station and is married to Nurse Lady. In the past, he's the founder of the Jr. Detective Club.
- Mrs. Pierce - Manager of the Happy Home Shelter in Bedford Falls.
- Genie S. Lady-Bailey - A nurse who is married to Chief. During her childhood, she's known as "The Helper" and is the "key to saving the universe".
Other Characters
- Space Cuties - The main antagonists. These aliens are invading to create cuteness and cause destruction. Their leader is Captain Cuddles.
- Li'l Petey - a kitten clone-turned-son of Petey.
- Molly - a psychokinetic tadpole and Li'l Petey's best friend.
- 80-HD - a creative robot who is friends with Dog Man and Li'l Petey.
- The Friendly Friends - a friendship group consisting of Daryl, Uncle Larry, Crunky, Bub, Ducky and Mike.
- Cops - Some cops including Milly and Gloria will appear.
- Dippy - She appears as a young child in flashbacks.
Gallery
Covers
Tentative Cover
American Spanish Version
French Canadian Version
3D Cover
Others
BIG Dog Man news! - New Book & Movie Coming Soon!
Book Announcement Video
BIG Dog Man news! - New Book Cover Revealed!
Cover Reveal Video
-shorts - DOG MAN - Big Jim Begins - Sneak Peek into Dav Pilkey's Upcoming Book
Exclusive Sneak Peek from PopVerse
Meet the Cast (with Updated Cover)
Meet the Cast (with Tentative Cover)
Cover Reveal Thumbnail
Amazon Banner 1
Amazon Banner 2
Back cover and spine
Trivia
General
- Dog Man's bio in Meet the Cast is based from Barf's quote "I'm a mawg: half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend!" from the 1987 movie Spaceballs.
Others
- Unlike other Dog Man books, the title of this book doesn't follow a spoof of a literature title, along with Dog Man, Dog Man Unleashed and Dog Man and Cat Kid.
- This book will be very different from the other books, as it will be a prequel instead of a sequel. However, Dog Man, Big Jim, Grampa, Sarah Hatoff, and Zuzu are in the Meet the Cast, implying that there will be a subplot set in the present.
- Dog Man The Movie: Official Sticker Book was also supposed to be release on the same day with Big Jim Begins. However, it got pushed to December 24, 2024 in North America and January 2, 2025 in the United Kingdom.
- However, the book changed as Dog Man: Official Sticker Book which uses art from the book series.
- As shown on the book's cover, Dog Man's costume is red, the same as it was in Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder. However, he seems to have normal colored fur and skin now as the red stain is gone, but it remains on his tuxedo he wore on Chief and Nurse Lady's wedding, turning into his Scarlet Shedder costume.
References
| 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) | Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (2024) | Dog Man: Big Jim Believes (2025) |