David Murray Pilkey Jr., known as Dav Pilkey, is an American comic book writer, author, and illustrator of children's fiction. Born on March 4, 1966, in Cleveland, Ohio, he has become widely recognized for creating engaging stories and illustrations for young readers. Pilkey is best known for the Captain Underpants series, which he both wrote and illustrated. The series became a major success in children's literature and was adapted into animated films. Building on this success, he created the Dog Man graphic novel series, a spin-off from the Captain Underpants universe. Interestingly, for the Dog Man series, Pilkey uses the pen names George Beard and Harold Hutchins, which are also the names of the two main characters from the Captain Underpants franchise.