With school out for the summer and kids clambering for something to do, now is the perfect time to launch a brand-new comic to suck them in, and PANICK Entertainment has just the thing. FANGORIA is excited to exclusively premiere all three covers for the third issue of the upcoming series T.A.M.A., and help announce that the upcoming six-issue series has already been optioned for a feature film.
Written by Adam Schlagman and Doug Pasko, with art by Daniel HDR, the first issue of T.A.M.A. hits shelves on August 6, after having sold out and prompting a second printing with a special rainbow foil variant. The series’ synopsis is as follows:
T.A.M.A. is a horror story and nostalgic throwback where a grieving teen named Kit bonds with a mysterious virtual pet. But the pixelated creature hides something much darker. As more bodies pile up, Kit is forced to confront the disturbing origins of the unreleased COMPANIMALS game and whether TAMA is a misunderstood friend or a full-on digital demon. For readers who grew up loving their virtual pets, T.A.M.A. is a gut-punch of grief, gore, and 16-bit terror.
PANICK gives us a gnarly look at the virtual pet craze with Issue #3’s covers, which go on sale on October 15. Cover A, featuring art by Ashley Witter, captures TAMA’s creeping digital menace, while artist Daniel HDR takes over for Cover B with a Pokemon tribute, and Tony Fleecs whips up a retro box art illustration for Cover C.
“T.A.M.A. is built on a big idea but anchored in personal grief,” added co-creator Schlagman. “We wanted something that could speak to today’s digital anxieties while creating an iconic new horror figure. It’s eerie, intimate, and franchise-ready.”
Producer Abbey Sibucao has optioned the rights to T.A.M.A. for a big screen adaptation, making it the first project under her new banner, Immortal Jellyfish. “We optioned T.A.M.A. because it’s original, dark, and uncomfortably relevant,” she said. “It taps into our collective nostalgia while reflecting very real anxieties about our dependence on technology. The story is genre forward, but emotionally grounded.”
T.A.M.A. Issue #1 hits shelves on August 6, with a film adaptation to follow at an unspecified date. Check out the covers for Issue #3 below:
