Jake Tapper Makes his Graphic Novel Debut with The Butcher: The Decades-Long Hunt for Klaus Barbie, One of the World's Most Notorious Killers

Top Shelf Set to Release the Original Graphic Novel June 1, 2027

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LOS ANGELES, CA (October 21, 2026) — Stepping away from the newsroom to the creator’s chair, award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author, Jake Tapper, tackles the hunt for one of the most terrifying war criminals of the 20th century with his debut graphic novel, The Butcher: The Decades-Long Hunt for Klaus Barbie, One of the World's Most Notorious Killers, publishing June 1, 2027 via Top Shelf Productions. The Butcher is the compelling true story of Klaus Barbie, the mass murderer who escaped justice and thrived for decades, the Nazi hunters and journalists who tracked him down, and the shocking investigation that revealed who helped him escape to begin with. Using his investigative skills and researching from source material in four different languages — German, English, Spanish, and French — Tapper has chronicled the shocking pursuit of one of the world’s most sought after war criminals in excruciating detail, as writer AND illustrator!

“This has been one of the most difficult and rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on — both in terms of the research into the astounding and troubling life of one of the world’s most notorious and elusive Nazi war criminals, the effort to turn that into compelling storytelling, and the work to illustrate it all,” says writer and illustrator Jake Tapper. “I hope readers find it as satisfying to read.”

“Jake Tapper combines his passions for investigative journalism and literary comics in his debut graphic novel, which he both wrote and illustrated,” says Chris Staros, Editor-in-Chief, Top Shelf Productions. “What sets this book apart is its powerful revelation of those who assisted in helping a notorious Nazi evade justice, contrasted with the relentless, uncompromising efforts of those who fought to ensure accountability.”

The Butcher: The Decades-Long Hunt for Klaus Barbie, One of the World's Most Notorious Killers will be available as a full-color graphic novel on June 1, 2027 in two editions. The softcover edition (ISBN: 978-1-60309-615-7) will be available wherever books are sold for a list price of $19.99. There will be a limited, signed and numbered hardcover edition (ISBN: 978-1-60309-626-3) available exclusively at the IDW Publishing online store for a list price of $49.99.
 
About the Creator:
Jake Tapper is the award-winning lead Washington anchor for CNN who hosts the weekday television news show The Lead with Jake Tapper and co-hosts the Sunday-morning public affairs program State of the Union. He is the best-selling author of the novels The Hellfire Club and The Devil May Dance and the nonfiction book The Outpost as well as the co-author of the critically acclaimed Original Sin, which debuted at number one on the New York Times best-seller list for nonfiction and remained on the list for almost two months. A Philly boy and Dartmouth man, he lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, daughter, son, five dogs, and cat.

 Photo credit: Elliott O'Donovan

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