Country music legend Dolly Parton is getting her own comic book, the latest addition to TidalWave Comics’ “Female Force” series dedicated to inspirational women.
The singer-songwriter, actress, and businesswoman, who has 11 Grammy Awards under her belt, has sold more than 100 million records since releasing her first album in 1967. In 1999, Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and she has since received a number of nominations for Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and Emmy Awards.
Parton is also known as someone who has dedicated time to helping others. She has supported many charitable efforts over the years and founded The Dollywood Foundation in 1988, offering scholarships to students. She also founded the popular Imagination Library, which sends free books to children every month. Other causes Parton has supported include Save The Music, American Red Cross, HIV/Aids, and more.
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Earlier this month, the 75-year-old shared a video of herself getting the COVID-19 vaccination, rejigging her hit song “Jolene” with the word “vaccine” as she urged others to do the same. A $1 million donation from the singer last year helped fund early-stage research by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee with Moderna on its COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273.
All this to say Parton is, in fact, a “Female Force” worthy of recognition. “Writing about Dolly was a joy,” writer Michael Frizell said in a statement. “Her creativity, philanthropy and humanity are legendary.”
Parton joins the likes of former first lady Michelle Obama, singer Cher, women’s rights campaigner Gloria Steinem, and nun Mother Teresa in having a biographical comic written about her. “Female Force offers a broad examination of strong and influential women who are shaping modern history and culture,” the TidleWave website reads.
“We’ve found a niche with our bio comics,” TidalWave publisher Darren G. Davis said. “There is a much wider audience for sequential storytelling than many have thought. These readers are simply looking for something other than superheroes.”
The 22-page “Female Force: Dolly Parton” will be released on March 31, in print and digital formats. In the meantime, check out a preview of Dolly Parton’s comic book below.
(Reporting by Alicia Powell and Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alex Richardson)