Netflix’s wildly popular unscripted series “Tiger King” is being made into a comic book.
Animal rights group PETA is partnering with TidalWave Productions on the biographical comic, slated to debut in June. In addition to telling the story of Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic made famous by the Netflix series, it will also include information on roadside zoos and animal cruelty involved in using wild animals for photo opportunities, as was the habit of the show’s star, Joe Exotic.
The 22-page comic was written by Michael Frizell and drawn by comic book artist Joe Paradise — yes, you read that right. The two men are also behind comics entitled “Political Power: James Comey” and “Female Force: Stormy Daniels.” Jesse Johnson is credited with drawing the cover art.
“PETA is excited that TidalWave Productions will reveal some of what ‘Tiger King’ left out,” said PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet, who appears in the Netflix series. “When readers learn how exotic animals suffer when they’re snatched away from their mothers as babies and exploited for photo props, they’ll despise ‘Doc’ Antle, Tim Stark, Jeff Lowe, and anybody else who profits from breeding and abusing these wonderful animals in shady, moneymaking schemes.”
“We wanted to create a fun and entertaining distraction from the current state of the world. I am obsessed with everything in this story and wanted to tell it with a different medium,” said TidalWave publisher Darren G. Davis.
“I worked at an animal hospital for a while and found out that pet people can be a little bit eccentric. I just remember starting to watch the show saying to myself, ‘Yeah, that tracks.’ We all have Joes and Caroles in our lives, and it’s always interesting to me to learn how these extreme characters got to be where they wound up,” said Paradise.
“You can’t make this stuff up. I never imagined I’d be researching a book like this. It was a challenge to find a focus for the comic because there’s so much happening. No wonder Netflix created a limited series as opposed to a ‘Dateline’ episode,” Frizell said.
The comic book will be available to purchase in print and digitally, with two collectible covers by Johnson and Paradise, pictured above.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.