Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties gets a fast start when Dog Man is dispatched to supervise the autopsy of Flippy, the evil fish he defeated in the previous episode. Scientists plan to study Flippy's brain to see what can be learned from this brilliant mind gone wrong. As Dog Man is on his way to "The Supa Awesome Science Center Over There" (yes, that the facility's name!), Petey escapes yet again from Cat Jail, taking a ride over the prison yard wall by holding a bunch of helium balloons. Petey has learned his lesson from the last two books: he needs help to overcome Dog Man, and who could provide better help than a replica of himself? Petey orders a Clone Machine, but he's stunned when the clone he creates is only a kitten. He didn't sign up for an eighteen year wait to confront Dog Man!
Things predictably go wrong with Dog Man's security detail at The Supa Awesome Science Center Over There. Before dissecting Flippy's brain, scientists stabilize his shredded body with bionic parts. Giving a powerful criminal an indestructible frame seems like a poor idea even if he's dead. A series of freak occurrences whisks Flippy's corpse out of the laboratory, where it ends up at the Living Spray Factory. You can guess what's about to happen. Across town, Petey is exasperated with his clone; the kitten's obvious affection for his progenitor doesn't seem able to thaw Petey's cold heart. He boxes up Li'L Petey and tries to palm him off on unsuspecting civilians. He abandons his clone as night approaches, and the kitten drags his crate bed in front of the police station before wanly singing himself to sleep.
Petey eventually misses his clone, the only being who ever showed him love, but by the time he goes looking for him it's too late. Dog Man has already found Li'L Petey, and instinctively protects him from a world of threats. Dog Man isn't the kitten's "Papa", but he cares for him as Petey refused to, and their bond is set for life. Could Dog Man and the original Petey have hit it off this well if Petey hadn't been corrupted years before their paths crossed? The older cat invents an 80-Hexotron Droidformigon (80-HD...think about that a moment), and kidnaps Li'L Petey from Dog Man's doghouse. The kitten isn't physically capable of the criminal activities Petey at first had in mind for him, but the 80-HD body suit gives him supernatural strength. How deep, though, does Dog Man's influence over Li'L Petey run?
Meanwhile...Supa Mecha Flippy is resurrected at the Living Spray Factory, and uses the hoard of spray to bring tall buildings to life. Exerting mind control, he directs the brawny buildings to attack the city. Dog Man's wits level the playing field against the anthropomorphized buildings, but not enough to destroy them all and cut off Supa Mecha Flippy's flow of psychokinetic energy. Can Petey and Supa Mecha Flippy both be confounded again? Is Li'L Petey the key to a happy ending for everyone?
Knowing Dav Pilkey, you can assume fresh, original humor is part of every Dog Man graphic novel, but Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties is something more. The book has heart, best seen in the relationships between Petey and Li'L Petey and Dog Man and Li'L Petey. Both cat and dog grow to love the kitten to the point of self-sacrifice. That's major character development for Petey, even if the only creature he can empathize with is his own genetic copy. I was pleasantly surprised by the story's emotional tone, and I feel sure there are excellent adventures ahead in Dog Man and Cat Kid. I give Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties two and a half stars, and I wavered before electing not to round up to three. The art, humor, and narrative are Dav Pilkey at or near his best, and it's enjoyable to read.