Shadow of Vader’s Castle - Comic Review

The Vader’s Castle comic series have been a Halloween tradition since the first five-issue run was released back in 2018. Tales from Vader’s Castle and it’s sequel series, Return to Vader’s Castle have brought the horror genre into the Star Wars universe like never before. Each comic issue featured a spooky story—inspired by some of the horror classics, including but not limited to ghosts, witches, zombies, and more cursed monsters. Star Wars horror master Cavan Scott returns this November to tell more haunting stories—this time bundled in a one-shot comic: Shadow of Vader’s Castle.

The newest installment of Vader’s Castle is scarier than ever, this time (as the title implies) focused on the shadow of the Dark Lord of the Sith and his terrifying castle. The first part of the comic is a beautifully horrifying homage to the prequels, in particular Revenge of the Sith. Artist Derek Charm perfectly recaptures the iconic scene of Anakin Skywalker shedding a tear while gazing at the harsh planet’s landscape—moments before he is reunited with Padmé for the last time—as the story fills the short gap with nightmarish sequences caused by red lava fumes.

Legendary horror artist Francesco Francavilla then illustrates the main timeline of the story (just like in Return to Vader’s Castle), set after the battle of Endor. The Imperial occupation is over on Mustafar, but its inhabitants will never be free of the dark side as long as Vader’s curse still stands. A couple of young Mustafarians set on a quest to lift that curse once and for all by attempting to destroy the terrifying fortress.

The change of the main characters driving the story—from the Rebel bunch to the Mustafarian duo—makes the overall story much more personal and terrifying. The Rebels from the first two Vader’s Castle series were trying to escape the horrors of the planet, whereas in Shadow the curse is imprinted within the lava fumes—there is no escape from it. Just as Cavan Scott recently shared on TatooineTimes.com: “… true horror is the absence of hope, and Star Wars even at its most horrific must always have that glimmer of hope to remain true to its core.” However, in Shadow there is an absence of hope—making this one-shot series among the most horrific Star Wars stories we have read yet. From this point forward, the series goes back to the original “tell-a-tale” format from the previous series.

Shadow of Vader’s Castle switches once again to Charms’ impactful design and colors—this time featuring one of the most pleasantly surprising origin stories in Star Wars horror: Vaneé’s beginnings. This must have been a dream come true for Scott, since he hinted at a possible telling of the origin story of Vader’s servant during an interview with TatooineTimes.com about Return to Vader’s Castle.

Nicoletta Baldari returns to Vader’s Castle with her gorgeous artwork—bringing to life the tale of the Sorcerer’s Jewel. This is a nice visual change from the ominous dark tones of the series—and it is somewhat reminiscent of the folktale of Aladdin. Baldari’s execution is brilliant, especially when it comes to dynamic panels and soothing color tones—from blues to purples to golds, the palette matches the fairy tale style, which just like the previous series provides a nice contrast to the spooky story.

If Shadow of Vader’s Castle wasn’t already an amazing series, artist Nick Brokenshire brings to life probably the most visually fun story of the entire comic. Cavan Scott knows how to please the horror aficionados—this time featuring not werewolves, but Were-Gamorreans! You will have to see it to believe it … Brokenshire did not disappoint with the monsters’ execution!

The ending of Shadow is as ghoulishly delightful as it can get—full of hopelessness, damnation, and possible RESURRECTION! Grab your copy of Shadow of Vader’s Castle today and don’t forget to share your favorite moments of the series with a comment below or on our social media outlets.