Courtesy of Panick Entertainment, AIPT has announced that it is now able to share details about its first comic book series, “TAMA,” a six-issue miniseries launching in March 2025. The series, called Child’s Play meets Pokémon, tells the story of long-forgotten virtual pets, powered by modern AI. Return to the real world for revenge. It’s invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen using augmented reality technology (think Pokemon Go).
PANICK Entertainment is inviting TAMA #1 to participate in the company’s pre-release promotional event on manga-focused crowdfunding platform ZOOP. A unique and limited opportunity to get your hands on PANICK’s launch titles with exclusive covers and other unique offers. The campaign starts on Friday, September 13th!
So what is TAMA?
When a neglected boy discovers a defunct virtual pet system, he finds the companion he’s been desperately searching for. But as mysterious and gruesome tragedies begin to pile up around him, the boy wonders if his digital furry friend might somehow become a “virtual” common denominator. How far will children and creatures go for attention? And how many will be harmed by this terrifying beast that can somehow interact with the real world?
As part of the pre-launch, check out the trailer below to get more information about the series.
Origin (How did you get to TAMA?)
Remember those nostalgic virtual pets? They came in the form of watches, dongles, and even furry creatures like Furbys. We all had pets…but at some point we got bored, moved on to the next trendy thing, and forgot about the pets we were supposed to take care of. Not feeding them. ignore them. Imagine how they would feel and what they would do for revenge if they could influence the real world.
Virtual pet modernization
At the time it was Neopets, but now it’s this. We use platforms like Pokémon Go where you can only see your fuzzy friends using VR/AR technology. Many of these interactive creatures and characters are powered by the latest adaptive AI, so they look extremely realistic. It’s often kind of alarming and uncomfortable how much they know and how real they feel.
*FYI – Before television and comics entered the technology industry, Doug’s career dates back to the days of the first commercial internet companies. He has seen a lot and knows firsthand how we have completely let this “information age” slip away from us.
Who is Tama?
In our story, we have a virtual pet platform called COMPANIMALS. One of the many virtual pets featured in the game, TAMA is an adorable interactive companion equipped with cutting-edge augmented reality technology. A seemingly perfect pet, Tama is always ready to play, play with, and give unconditional love. TAMA automatically integrates with all your devices. No matter where you are, TAMA is there…
When you anger TAMA, it becomes clear that a completely different side of its programming emerges. Glitches and repressed memories hide TAMA’s own deep-seated trauma and neglect.
Who is Kit?
Kit is the 14-year-old protagonist who discovers TAMA and activates it without thinking. There are many things working against him. A severe allergy to furry things, a struggling single mother who recently lost her father and is trying to keep everything together, and his true unpopularity at school. This child has been through a difficult time, feeling neglected by his mother and still processing the trauma of his father’s death. TAMA seems to be exactly what the kit needs. TAMA has made him more confident. At first, Kit kept Tama a secret from his only friends, Bobby and Eva. However, as Kit grows closer to Tama, his allergies begin to worsen and he realizes that Tama can enter the real world.
Tama’s eagerness to help Kit begins as a harmless prank, but quickly escalates into a misunderstood act of violence. Kit is forced to make a heartbreaking choice: allow TAMA to continue harming those she cares about, or find a way to “silence” her newfound friend (e.g., by killing TAMA).
theme
The central theme of TAMA is overcoming trauma, highlighted by Kit’s relationship with her mother and TAMA. Both Kit and her mother struggle to move on and accept their father’s death. Kit’s mother is immersed in work, refuses to talk about it, and ignores her son. I feel like the kit has been completely ignored. TAMA has experienced trauma himself that is difficult to understand and shares Kit’s feelings of being ignored.
The story also raises questions about nature and nurture. Is TAMA so ferocious and violent because he was “born” that way, or because of some horrible experience? Can you tame wild animals?
tone
A modern take on Gremlins, TAMA is a horror adventure story featuring cutting-edge AI like M3GAN, told through the eyes of a child like Stranger Things and It. For us, seeing horror through the eyes of a child is always scarier.
*FYI – Adam was an executive producer on Shazam! And I believe there’s something special about seeing a story through the eyes of a child. This adds more concern, danger, and fun. For them, everything is the best or the worst ever, and they are more likely to make unpredictable and terrible choices.
contributor
We are looking forward to having the talented Breno Tamra do the interior artwork for us. He nailed the design of our characters and the many creatures that make up the COMPANIMALS zoo. He brings a wealth of experience having worked on major titles such as Birds of Prey, Doctor Fate, Batgirl, and Radiant Black. We love the combination of horror and watercolor vibes with manga inspiration he brought to this project.
We were lucky enough to have the prolific Dustin Nguyen (Detective Comics, Batman: Li’l Gotham, Descender) draw our first cover. His amazing artwork sets the standard for the entire series.
vision for the universe
We don’t think of TAMA as just one miniseries, we see a larger series in the works. We have already mapped out the story for the trilogy. COMPANIMALS The multiple horror Pokemon-esque creatures in the game each have their own traumas and can easily branch out into different stories. And we’re not even talking about transmedia opportunities. I’m telling you, we’re going to scare you for years to come!
Why comic books?
We want to tell TAMA’s story in a way that is unique to this medium.
Comics allow us to tell stories the way we want them to. There are no budget or evaluation constraints. It can include really messed up stuff. By placing a panel without TAMA right next to the same panel that highlights TAMA, you can emphasize how invisible TAMA is in the real world. For example, in one panel Kit is playing with Tama while Tama flies around a bookshelf and knocks over picture frames. In the same panel next to it, Tama is gone, but the picture frame is still falling… creepy! We’re leaning into the suspense. The tension builds as the pages turn, and they often use splash page reveals to surprise the reader…and then scare the hell out of them.
TAMA format/release
First release from PANICK Entertainment 6 issue miniseries wherever comics are sold March 2025
Details of ZOOP
PANICK Entertainment is inviting TAMA #1 to participate in the company’s pre-release promotional event on manga-focused crowdfunding platform ZOOP. A unique and limited opportunity to acquire PANICK’s launch titles with exclusive covers and other unique perks. Have you ever been drawn into a manga and wanted to be killed? This is your chance to make that happen.
Campaign starts on Friday, September 13th!
