Dog Man

George and Harold are fourth-grade boys who attend Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. As the fictional authors of Dog Man, George and Harold are not characters in the Dog Man universe. They appear only in Dog Man’s frame story, which consists of a prologue and a few authors’ notes scattered throughout the book. Like the Dog Man comics themselves, these asides are written and drawn by Harold and George.

George and Harold are the principal characters of the Captain Underpants series, in which they are developed as individual characters. There, George is stated to be academically gifted, highly verbal, and outgoing; Harold, on the other hand, is described as introverted, artistic, and brave. However, in Dog Man they largely function as a unit and are identified by their shared traits. Both boys are artistic, intelligent, fun-loving, and mischievous. They share an interest in comic books, superheroes, monster movies, and practical jokes.

Dog Man is the first comic book George and Harold ever made together. It is the result of their friendship and their mutual love of storytelling: “One time, George met Harold in kindergarten. […] They became best friends and started making comics” (6).