Star Wars has a long history of getting spooky every October, and this year the galaxy's most famous father and son duo are taking part. Delilah S. Dawson, the author behind Star Wars: Phasma, has written Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu: Nightmare on Nevarro, a Halloween one-shot from Mad Cave Studios and Papercutz in collaboration with Lucasfilm Publishing.
The comic arrived in shops yesterday (October 21st), just over a week before Halloween.
Red Eyes In The Lava Tubes
The story is a classic haunting with a Star Wars twist. In the official synopsis, creatures with glowing red eyes are terrorizing the people of Nevarro, and Din Djarin and Grogu head into the planet's magma-filled lava tubes to find out what is really going on.
Waiting for them in the dark are menacing cave creatures, a deranged mining droid and red-eyed flying specters, and the publishers warn that "surviving the darkness may be the greatest challenge of all." They describe it as "a spooky Star Wars adventure where not everything is as it seems!"
Mad Cave pitches the 40-page book at younger readers, promising suspense, humor and heart alongside new creatures and a new droid. Alessandro Ranaldi, whose credits include Darkwing Duck and Robin Hood, provides the interior art.
Delilah S. Dawson's Star Wars Track Record
Dawson is one of the most versatile writers in the modern Star Wars publishing line. Her novels include Phasma, a 2017 "Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi" book that revealed the history of the First Order captain, Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire in 2019, which tied into the Disney Parks land, and Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade in 2023, which follows a Padawan who becomes an Inquisitor after the fall of the Jedi.
Her short fiction includes "The Perfect Weapon," a 2015 Bazine Netal story tied to The Force Awakens, and contributions to the From a Certain Point of View anthologies. In comics, she has written stories for IDW's Star Wars Adventures and the Forces of Destiny one-shot starring Rose and Paige Tico.
Dawson also has a strong horror background. Her official bio describes her as a Stoker Award-winning writer, so a creepy all-ages ghost story in the Star Wars galaxy is a natural fit.
A Spooky Star Wars Tradition
The release follows a familiar pattern for Star Wars comics. IDW's Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle ran across October 2018 as a Halloween event, and it was followed by Return to Vader's Castle in October 2019 and the Shadow of Vader's Castle one-shot in 2020.
Francesco Francavilla, who provided covers for Tales from Vader's Castle and is known for his stylish horror art, is back for this one too. At New York Comic Con earlier this month, Mad Cave debuted a convention exclusive Francavilla variant at its booth, with 500 standard card stock copies at $20 and 500 foil copies at $25, and a limited quantity offered on its website after the convention.
The regular release has five $6.99 covers, by Soo Lee, Alessandro Ranaldi, Nicoletta Baldari, Arianna Florean and Juni Ba, plus a $7.99 foil Cover F and a $79.99 metal Cover G.
A New Home For All-Ages Star Wars
Nightmare on Nevarro is Dawson's second Mandalorian one-shot for Papercutz. The first, Danger in the Dark, came out in July and was billed as the first original comic one-shot starring Din Djarin and Grogu, with Arianna Florean on art.
Both are part of a partnership between Lucasfilm Publishing and Mad Cave announced in January. At the time, Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain said the books would be "exciting, fun, and age-appropriate stories that span all eras of Star Wars storytelling," created for a middle-grade audience.
Which Star Wars character would you most like to see get a Halloween story next, or should the galaxy bring back Vader's Castle?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.