Ghosts of Vader's Castle

 

Introduction:

“Ghosts from Vader’s Castle” marks the 4th Halloween that IDW has given us spooky tales from Mustafar. Time has passed since Lina Graf escaped from the volcanic planet. And yet, the planet is not done with her. The ghosts of Mustafar have returned and they have come for her brother Milo...

“Dawn of the Droids” - Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #1 - (Vader’s Castle #13)

Dawn of the Droids is probably the most terrifying vignette that Marvel has ever produced. Anakin & Padme and their companions are on a diplomatic mission to Rubinero when they find that the planet is deserted. Yet at least one thing still invests the planet and it has taken over the droids

Seeing Threepio and Artoo taken over by a parasitic agent and abandoned by their masters is frightening enough. The closing panel of this tale doubles down on the tale’s non-canonicity. And that’s sort of the point of combining Star Wars with Halloween. Fans can watch truly terrible things happen to their favorite heroes and be left with a Goosebumps-style cliffhanger at the end.

Interlude: 

Lina Graf has gone to Chandrilla to ask Senator Organa and Chancellor Mothma for a ship so that she can rescue her brother. The Chancellor cannot spare any ships, but the Senator sends Graf to Emita to hunt down a smuggler who may be just crazy enough to help...

“Attack of the 50-Foot Wookiee” - Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #2 - (Vader’s Castle #14)

Jaxxon might only be the second most popular Lepi in Star Wars right now (after Lop was recently introduced in Star Wars: Visions)- and yet Jaxxon has not been ignored by Star Wars creators. 2020 saw Jaxxon get his own short story in the “From a Certain Point of View: Empire Strikes Back” collection as well as his first action figure release.

In this issue Jaxxon is warned not to smuggle saava berries off of Kashyyyk during the festival of bounty, but he doesn’t listen. The consequence of his actions (of course) results in a Kaiju style battle between a 50-foot Chewbacca and a 50-foot Jaxxon. This tale is not exactly spooky or scary, but it sure is a whole lot of fun.

Interlude: 

Thom Hudd thought he was done with Mustafar. It was on Mustafar that he spent months in Vader’s Castle being tortured by Vanee. Part of this torture was having to listen to Vanee’s stories- ugh! Yet, Mustafar is not yet done with Thom Hudd.

“Danger on Dagobah” - Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #3 - (Vader’s Castle #15)

Dagobah is a swamp planet and classic horror is full of swamp monsters. There is The Creature from the Black Lagoon in the 50s. There is Man-Thing and Swamp-Thing from the 1970s (which were both successors to 1940s “The Heap”). It’s only natural that on Halloween, Dagobah should get its own swamp monster.

Interlude: 

Jaxxon (piloting the Rabbit’s Foot) is being pursued by TIE Fighters. Lina Graff, Thom Hudd, and Skritt are trying to make it back to Mustafar to rescue Lina’s brother, Milo. But Lina is in for a surprise when she is visited by a Force Ghost.

“Beware the Chosen One”- Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #4 - (Vader’s Castle #16)

Children are terrifying. If we weren’t physically stronger than 4-year-olds the world would be a scary place. Jake Lloyd’s Anakin never really got a chance to show his dark side in The Phantom Menace. But between the pages of these comics we see a 9-year-old Anakin in full Sith mode.

“The Evil End”- Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #5 - (Vader’s Castle #17)

And so… Our heroes have arrived on planet Mustafar: Lina Graff, Thom Hudd, Skritt, and Jaxxon T. Tumperakki. And (big surprise) it was Vanee that was behind the dreams and Milo’s kidnapping. His plan? To resurrect his master, Darth Vader: Lord of Sith. But has Venee really considered the possible consequences for his actions? Nope. Not really… 

Epilogue:

Ghost stories are for halloween, but are they for a Galaxy Far Far Away? If there is anything that the closing panel to this comic proves, it’s that ghosts have always been a part of Star Wars.