Texas' latest "Dirty Books" list targets a middle-grade comic about talking dogs

Texas has added a new wave of comics and graphic novels to its state-level book-restriction apparatus, and the titles caught in the net this time include a middle-grade graphic novel about a non-binary kid and a squad of magical dog superheroes.

Jeremy Whitley's The Dog Knight — co-created with artist Bre Indigo and colorist Melissa Capriglione — follows Frankie Bryant, a non-binary drummer who saves a golden retriever from bullies and gets recruited into the Pawtheon, a "Justice League" of dog heroes. Whitley didn't mince words when the news broke.

"Well, there's another Texas book ban and this time The Dog Knight is on the list," Whitley wrote on Bluesky. "If you ever had a doubt what these bans are about, this should tell you. There is nothing sexual in this book, not even anything political. This is about a non-binary kid finding their place with help from talking dogs."

Whitely continued, “To be clear, I don't think we should be banning any books, but I think this decision especially illuminates the lie that bans are for the welfare of children. Republicans are terrified that magical dogs are going to make your kid feel accepted and supported for who they are.”

Whitley isn't alone. Cartoonist Ryan Estrada revealed on Bluesky that two of his books, Banned Book Club and Occulted, have also landed on the state's list, and he says the stakes go well beyond a title getting pulled off a shelf.

"The biggest target I've ever seen on my books," Estrada wrote. "Texas placed Banned Book Club and Occulted on a state-wide list of illegal 'dirty books.' Having them in any school could lead to state takeover where the government could shut down the library entirely and convert it into a student detention center."

Estrada added, "These aren't ‘dirty books.’ They're hopeful stories of young people making their lives and countries better through a passion for reading. I suspect that the reason Mr. Patrick dislikes them is [that] he doesn't want people to realize that he's acting just like the real historical villains in them.

The mechanism behind the threat

Estrada's warning isn't hyperbole about vibes—it's a description of how Texas law is built to work. According to Book Riot, under Senate Bill 13, passed in 2025, schools must review and pull any book flagged by a public complaint. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has since expanded that framework, pushing legislation that would dock a school's state accountability rating for keeping a challenged title on the shelf, and subject schools that fall below performance thresholds to state takeover. Houston ISD's ongoing takeover, which has included converting library space into student disciplinary space, is the model critics point to when they say "shut down the library" isn't a metaphor.

Patrick has publicly claimed the state's "dirty books" list runs to roughly 2,200 titles, framing the push as enforcement rather than censorship. Critics — including librarians, authors, and free-expression groups already suing over similar list-based bans in other states — argue the process sidesteps the actual professional judgment of librarians and educators in favor of public complaints and, in some cases, AI screening tools.

Why creators see a pattern

The irony Whitley is pointing to is hard to miss: The Dog Knight has no sexual content and, by his account, no explicit political messaging — its "controversial" element is a kid figuring out who they are, with a lot of good dogs along for the ride. And that’s precisely the point Whitley is making: identity representation itself, not content, is functioning as the trigger for removal.

Estrada's Banned Book Club is, pointedly, a graphic memoir about censorship and book bans under martial law in 1980s South Korea. Its inclusion on a list literally named for banning books hasn't been lost on readers reacting to his post.

Neither creator has indicated a next step beyond raising the alarm, but both posts are circulating widely as the broader fight over SB 13 enforcement continues to play out district by district across Texas.

“It sounds like a joke ‘A book about banned books is now a banned book,’” joked one commentator. “Why don't they just ouright say they want more detention centers?”