The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav PilkeyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Summary
Two boys hypnotise their principal into becoming the hero of their self-published comic book, Captain Underpants. The three of them then go on to defeat Dr. Diaper and his robotic henchmen. Seriously.
The Good
The story is simple and the writing is crisp. The plot moves along at a quick, however painful, pace and the accompanied art fits the pulp style to a tee. The book is great fun, especially if you are willing to lift your suspension of disbelief and become the 7 year old this book is targeted to.
The Bad
The characters are pretty dull. Yeah, they play pranks and get away with mischief but never in an organic way. Things seem pretty slapdash as one event just happens with little effort to explain or even make sense of the world it attempts to create. There is little in the way of lessons or morals that while never a problem in stories, causes this pulp to be little more than filler for more well-told comic adventures.
Why is it banned?
The use of a grown man in his underwear is enough to ban this juvenile book. However, the depiction of both the over powering, child hating authority figure and the boys glee in subverting him could also cause the material to be banned by a more "moral" centered community. The boys pranks could also be seen as a bannable offence as they could encourage children to do them to disasterous results. Also, there's a poo gag.
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