The Adventures of Captain Underpants

The Adventures of Captain Underpants is an American children's novel by Dav Pilkey, and is the first novel in the Captain Underpants series. It was published on September 1, 1997, and became a hit with children across America.

Plot
Fourth graders George Beard and Harold Hitchins are a couple of class clowns. They love to write comic books and pull pranks, but find themselves in big trouble. Mean old Mr. Krupp, their principal, videotapes George and Harold setting up their stunts and threatens to expose them. The boys' luck changes when they send for a 3-D Hypno-Ring and hypnotize Krupp, turning him into Captain Underpants, their own superhero creation. His identity is so secret, even he doesn't know who he is!

Why It's Epic

 * 1) Alongside Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it became one of the most iconic children's literature series to ever be released, having became a success with children and spawning lots of merchandise, and even crossed into the lore of George Beard and Harold Hutchin's first comic Dog Man, another spin-off series by Pilkey.
 * 2) It actually uses toilet humor well. For example, the name of the main "hero" is Captain Underpants yet it's a hilarious name. Another example is the scene where George launches fake poop near Dr. Diaper to make it look like he pooped is funny as well.
 * 3) Captain Underpants himself - that is, when he is Captain Underpants - is a clumsy yet charming and likable hero who tries his best to succeed at stopping any villains that come his way.
 * 4) George and Harold are also likable since they're actually good story writers for their age, and their pranks can be pretty funny. Also, George is an impressive decorator, as his treehouse is a child's dream.
 * 5) Dr. Diaper is a funny antagonist.
 * 6) It pays homage to pop-culture. For example, in the Captain Underpants comic George and Harold make, the main antagonist is called The Inedible Hunk, which is a homage to The Incredible Hulk.
 * 7) It spawned a memorable and dedicated movie, alongside an almost-as-good Netflix spin-off of said movie.
 * 8) Flip-o-Rama is a very unique and fun concept, and it actually puts physical fun into reading the book.
 * 9) In the full color version, there’s a bonus section that tells about how Dav Pilkey’s life used to be like George and Harold’s life when he was a kid.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) While it isn't really used that badly, the book sometimes relies too much on toilet humor.
 * 2) *Though it can be understandable since this book is called Captain UNDERPANTS .
 * 3) Mr. Krupp is an unlikable character when he isn't Captain Underpants, though he is intentionally this way so kids can side with George and Harold.
 * 4) George and Harold, while still sympathetic protagonists, can be unlikable at times when it comes to their troubles and cruel pranks.
 * 5) Kids may learn not to trust ANY authority figures since they are all portrayed as either mean-spirited, stupid, lazy, or incompetent.
 * 6) *It also teaches kids a very bad moral lesson is to prank teachers, neglect the educations, and do some jokes that are very pointless and serious to others. This is the main reason it's banned in some schools.
 * 7) George’s spelling in the comic books are very bad, however, it was thankfully improved in the Dog Man series.

Trivia

 * Dr. Diaper is named Dr. Nappy in the United Kingdom.
 * Early printings of the book have "An Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey" instead of "The First Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey", and the "Little Apple" logo on the cover.
 * On why he focused on underwear in the book, Pilkey stated "I think underwear is funny because you’re not supposed to laugh at it.".