Jake Tapper announces graphic novel about Klaus Barbie

CNN anchor Jake Tapper is set to release his first original graphic novel, titled ‘The Butcher: The Decades-Long Hunt for Klaus Barbie, One of the World’s Most Notorious Killers’. Published through Top Shelf Productions, the book is scheduled for release on June 1, 2027.

The graphic novel chronicles the pursuit of Klaus Barbie, the former Gestapo chief in Lyon, France, known as the ‘Butcher of Lyon,’ who evaded justice for decades following World War II. Tapper spent three years researching the project using sources in German, English, Spanish, and French, and he personally illustrated every panel.

The narrative explores the efforts of journalists and Nazi hunters to locate Barbie, as well as the investigation into those who assisted his escape. The project features Allan Ryan, a former U.S. Department of Justice official who investigated Barbie’s evasion of punishment, appearing in the work as a narrator.