A TALE OF TWO KITTIES

Humbug! Not only has feline supergenius Petey escaped from prison, but an evil psychokinetic fish is raising up an army of animate apartment buildings. What the dickens is Dog Man to do?

Fictive co-authors George and Harold dish up another heap of “mirth and woe” for their dog-headed police officer—featuring, to no Pilkey fan’s surprise, slapdash plotting, sly jokes, alimentary humor, and Flip-O-Rama sequences aplenty. Actually, in a major twist, Petey the cat takes center stage thanks to Li’l Petey. This is a mini-me clone who refuses to be evil even when presented with a “supa-robot” 80-Hexotron Droidformigon wielding “80-HD Power” and who transforms Petey from supervillain to self-sacrificing parent, intoning “It is a far, far better thing I do…” in the climactic clash. Said clash is inevitable after tiny but powerful Flippy sets out for revenge with a tank of “Living Spray Gas” that converts buildings to hungry monsters capable of eating (and, it turns out, ralphing up) anything in their path. But L’il Petey saves both day and the thoroughly diverse human cast by winning over the furious fish with a homemade picture book and, with his jailbird dad (temporarily) back behind bars, ends up Dog Man’s cherished ward. Step-by-step instructions for drawing major characters and monsters, plus a tail-wagging plug for reading to canine audiences, cap a sequel that ably fulfills the 2015 opener’s great expectations.

Only chuzzlewits will be less than delighted.