As the heat of summer begins to wane and gives way to the spookiest of seasons, one particular tradition that pairs All Hallow's Eve and "Stars Wars" is the annual release of the holiday-themed "Star Wars Adventures" comic from IDW Publishing.
These all-ages anthologies lurk around the Dark Lord of the Sith and a haunting selection of Halloween-time tales told from his ominous black castle on the volcanic world of Mustafar.
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IDW's autumn event first started back in 2018 with "Tales From Vader's Castle," followed by 2019's "Return to Vader's Castle," both of which were five-issue miniseries set inside the chilling obsidian fortress and shined a sinister spotlight on a cast of popular "Star Wars" characters including "Star Wars Rebels" stars Hera, Kanan, and Chopper; Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku; Han Solo and Chewbacca; and the energetic fluffballs of Endor, the Ewoks.
Last year’s offering was "Star Wars Adventures: Shadow of Vader's Castle," a 40-page one-shot composed by writer Cavan Scott ("Star Wars: The High Republic") and accompanied by cosmic art delivered via Derek Charm, Francesco Francavilla, Nicoletta Baldari, and Nick Brokenshire.
For 2021's "Star Wars Adventures: Ghosts of Vader's Castle," Scott is back on writing duties starting in September to explore more sinister shades of the "Star Wars" universe. It's another five-issue miniseries and the latest horror-packed entry in the wicked "Vader's Castle" saga.
"We're now on our fourth year of spooky "Star Wars" stories, which blows my horror-loving mind," says Scott in an official press release. "Thank you to everyone who has embraced this creepy little corner of a galaxy far, far away, giving us the opportunity to tell terrifying tales every Halloween. We said right back with the first series that we hoped this would become a tradition, and it has!"
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"Ghosts of Vader's Castle" sees beloved "Star Wars" characters haunted by nightmares of zombie droids, vicious Wookiees the size of mountains, and monstrous terrors aplenty… all tied to their experiences at the dreaded Fortress Vader on the smoking planet of Mustafar.
"We could not be more excited to return to Vader's Castle… and we're not going alone!," says editor Heather Antos in the same press release. "Coming back to the series are artists who've explored (and decorated) its haunted hallowed halls since the first issue -- from Francesco Francavilla to Derek Charm, Megan Levens to Robert Hack, Chris Fenoglio and more. The galaxy just got a little spookier, and this time there's no stopping the "Ghosts of Vader's Castle.""
Each weekly issue of "Ghosts of Vader's Castle" will be available with three cover variants: Cover A by Francesco Francavilla, Cover B by Derek Charm, and a Retailer Incentive edition featuring Francavilla's masterful line art in all its stark black-and-white glory.
IDW's "Ghosts of Vader's Castle" arrives on Sep. 22.
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