Pilkey uses comic book features throughout his series to depict George and Harold’s comic book hero, Dog Man. The illustrations rely on many components usually employed in comic books, rather than illustrated children’s novels. Text is supported by illustrations laid out in panels, or frames, in multiple-panel sequences that convey action. Pilkey includes numerous flip-e-rama sections in the story, where one flips pages so that the illustrations seem animated. He also employs onomatopoeia (such as “KA-BOOM”), where a word looks how it sounds; this is also a feature typical of comic book action scenes.

Furthermore, Grampa’s penchant for destruction, as well as his maniacal and sinister manner, are recognizable tropes of many comic book villains, such as Batman’s Joker or Penguin. Dog Man’s haphazard approach to defeating criminals is a satirical take on comic book superheroes, such as Superman or Spider-Man, who are motivated to defeat the forces of evil that threaten their respective cities, despite the destruction it causes to their cities.

Dog Man: Grime and Punishment is the ninth installment of Pilkey’s Dog Man series. Dog Man is Pilkey’s second serial publication, following the widely successful Captain Underpants series.