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Star Wars Adventures: Vader's Castle #3
Star Wars Adventures: Ghosts of Vader's Castle
Join Lina, Milo Graf, and Crater for one last adventure to Vader’s Castle! Perfect for middle-grade readers, these fun, but eerie and horror-packed tales, take you through the creepy side of the Star Wars galaxy.
The ghosts of Vader’s Castle are haunting everybody’s dreams! First, Milo has been having nightmares about zombie droids, with a special appearance by Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, and Jar Jar Binks. Then, Lina runs into Jaxxon, who reveals that he, too, has been having troubling dreams of vicious Wookies bigger than mountains! Plus, catch up with Hudd and Skritt as Hudd deals with dreams concerning the Spirit of the Swamp, a gilled monster that terrorizes Dagobah! But Lina isn’t immune to the nightmares either, as her dreams are visited by the galaxy’s most threatening villain!
In the finale, Lina, Hudd, Skritt, and Jaxxon race to Mustafar to save Milo and Crater. Will the group be able to fight the ghosts that still haunt the castle, or will the galaxy forever be bound to suffer from the wrath of the Ghosts of Vader’s Castle?!
Ghosts of Vader's Castle finishes the saga started in Tales of Vader's Castle and Return to Vader's Castle!
The ghosts of Vader’s Castle are haunting everybody’s dreams! First, Milo has been having nightmares about zombie droids, with a special appearance by Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, and Jar Jar Binks. Then, Lina runs into Jaxxon, who reveals that he, too, has been having troubling dreams of vicious Wookies bigger than mountains! Plus, catch up with Hudd and Skritt as Hudd deals with dreams concerning the Spirit of the Swamp, a gilled monster that terrorizes Dagobah! But Lina isn’t immune to the nightmares either, as her dreams are visited by the galaxy’s most threatening villain!
In the finale, Lina, Hudd, Skritt, and Jaxxon race to Mustafar to save Milo and Crater. Will the group be able to fight the ghosts that still haunt the castle, or will the galaxy forever be bound to suffer from the wrath of the Ghosts of Vader’s Castle?!
Ghosts of Vader's Castle finishes the saga started in Tales of Vader's Castle and Return to Vader's Castle!
124 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 2022
About the author
Cavan Scott
871 books453 followersis a freelance comic writer and author. He is best known for his work on a variety of spin-offs from both Doctor Who and Star Wars, as well as comics and novels for Vikings, Pacific Rim, Sherlock Holmes, and Penguins of Madagascar.
Cavan Scott, along with Justina Ireland, Claudia Gray, Daniel Jose Older, and Charles Soule are crafting a new era in the Star Wars publishing world called Star Wars: The High Republic. Cavan's contribution to the era is a comic book series released through Marvel Comics titled Star Wars: The High Republic.
Cavan Scott, along with Justina Ireland, Claudia Gray, Daniel Jose Older, and Charles Soule are crafting a new era in the Star Wars publishing world called Star Wars: The High Republic. Cavan's contribution to the era is a comic book series released through Marvel Comics titled Star Wars: The High Republic.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 8, 2022
A good conclusion to the Vader's Castle series. Though Vader is dead, his faithful servant Vanee still believed he can be resurrected. Strange how a religion based on betrayal breed loyal followers. To do this he must lure the survivors of the castle back. A dark prophecy from the last line if the first book.
An ok story, I do like the artwork style better in this book it reminds me of the original Dark Empire II. The only complaint is tough this book is set after the other book the main characters look like 10 years younger.
A decent conclusion but what the hell is Bucky O Hare crossed with Howard the Duck's personality doing in this book? The book finishes with a varient cover gallery.
An ok story, I do like the artwork style better in this book it reminds me of the original Dark Empire II. The only complaint is tough this book is set after the other book the main characters look like 10 years younger.
A decent conclusion but what the hell is Bucky O Hare crossed with Howard the Duck's personality doing in this book? The book finishes with a varient cover gallery.
December 13, 2022
The third and (maybe) final book in Cavan Scott's excellent Vader's Castle graphic novel series for young readers, "Ghosts of Vader's Castle" continues the fun as Lina and her friends must travel back to Mustafar for a third time to rescue her little brother Milo, who has been kidnapped by... the ghost of Darth Vader?
Another selection of fun and scary stories featuring a zombie Jar Jar Binks, a Godzilla-sized Chewbacca, a swamp-monster on Dagobah, and the angry ghost of Vader.
Honestly, I would love to see more of this series.
Another selection of fun and scary stories featuring a zombie Jar Jar Binks, a Godzilla-sized Chewbacca, a swamp-monster on Dagobah, and the angry ghost of Vader.
Honestly, I would love to see more of this series.
December 7, 2021
Entertaining in a non-canonical way.
May 27, 2025
(Review is largely adapted from my review of Vols. 1-2)
I stumbled upon a deluxe edition of Vader’s Castle at my local library: hardback, glossy colorful pages, black-edged pages, a black ribbon book mark, and overly large. It’s the beginning of this teacher’s summer break. How could I resist?
I’m clearly not the target audience for these comics. They’re definitely intended for younger readers (my guess is middle grade readers). But that’s okay! Star Wars has been forced to mature over the past decade or so. This collection takes Star Wars back to its family friendly, pulpy style.
In Vol. 1 a group of rebels have to make an emergency landing on Mustafar, where Vader’s castle is located. One of the rebels, Hudd, is captured by Vader. Vader’s lackey, Vanee, tells Hudd horror stories while torturing him (not the most convincing narrative move). Each of these stories features some kind of horror element and a Star Wars fan favorite: Anakin, Padme, Qui-Gon, C-3PO, R2-D2, Luke, Leia, Han, Yoda, and, of course, Vader. Since this is for kids, none of the stories are particularly scary.
I’m not sure if Vol. 3 is actually inferior to Vols. 1-2, but at this point, I’m over this series. The focus is clearly the short stories, not the main plot. The short stories feel so formulaic and incomplete.
The art was fun: bright, colorful, pulpy. The horror elements were aptly scary looking. Some of the “normal” characters are a bit on the cartoony side, but again, this is for kids. The lettering often looks like vintage horror movie poster lettering.
Combining vintage horror with Star Wars is a great idea, but the execution is not great.
I stumbled upon a deluxe edition of Vader’s Castle at my local library: hardback, glossy colorful pages, black-edged pages, a black ribbon book mark, and overly large. It’s the beginning of this teacher’s summer break. How could I resist?
I’m clearly not the target audience for these comics. They’re definitely intended for younger readers (my guess is middle grade readers). But that’s okay! Star Wars has been forced to mature over the past decade or so. This collection takes Star Wars back to its family friendly, pulpy style.
In Vol. 1 a group of rebels have to make an emergency landing on Mustafar, where Vader’s castle is located. One of the rebels, Hudd, is captured by Vader. Vader’s lackey, Vanee, tells Hudd horror stories while torturing him (not the most convincing narrative move). Each of these stories features some kind of horror element and a Star Wars fan favorite: Anakin, Padme, Qui-Gon, C-3PO, R2-D2, Luke, Leia, Han, Yoda, and, of course, Vader. Since this is for kids, none of the stories are particularly scary.
I’m not sure if Vol. 3 is actually inferior to Vols. 1-2, but at this point, I’m over this series. The focus is clearly the short stories, not the main plot. The short stories feel so formulaic and incomplete.
The art was fun: bright, colorful, pulpy. The horror elements were aptly scary looking. Some of the “normal” characters are a bit on the cartoony side, but again, this is for kids. The lettering often looks like vintage horror movie poster lettering.
Combining vintage horror with Star Wars is a great idea, but the execution is not great.
October 2, 2026
¡Que gran forma de terminar (de momento) la historia de Lina y la pandilla!
Esta fue una experiencia tan divertida como amena. La colección ya me tenía con una formula que funcionaba bastante bien: historias cortas unidas por una general. No siempre la historia que unía a las demás era destacable por sí sola, cosa que aprovecha Cavan Scott para contar una muchísimo más ambiciosa. La pandilla regresa a Mustafar para hacerle frente a Vaneé una vez más, bajo la idea de un rescate, mientras él les atormenta con pesadillas. La influencia del lado oscuro en la zona es palpable y me gusta que sirva como medio para contar más bien anécdotas ligeras, no solo limitadas a un solo mismo género, lo que las hace más interesantes. Además, que buena adicción es Jax al equipo.
En la misma línea, me gusta lo lejos que muestra que está dispuesto a llegar Vaneé. Muy entendible que para las secuelas sea solo una cabeza en un frasco. Ese tipo no sabía cuidarse.
En conclusión, que buena colección. Tengo muchas ganas de revisar más del personaje de Lina y su hermano a futuro.
Finalmente, algunos pensamientos random de cada historia:
- Dawn of the Droids. Está es la quinta o sexta vez que muestran "zombies" en un medio escrito. Ya va siendo hora que regresen para algo en la gran pantalla.
- Attack of the 50 foot wookie. Si Andor me hizo amar a Mon Mothma, estás historias son las que me hacen odiarla. Cómo no puedes presta UNA sola nave!??
- Danger on dagobah. Luke esqueleto. Es todo lo que tengo que decir.
- Beware the chosen one. La mejor historia de todas. Ese Anakin versión niño demoníaco es simplemente sublime.
- The Evil End. Pobre Jax, solo andaba durmiendo mal.
Esta fue una experiencia tan divertida como amena. La colección ya me tenía con una formula que funcionaba bastante bien: historias cortas unidas por una general. No siempre la historia que unía a las demás era destacable por sí sola, cosa que aprovecha Cavan Scott para contar una muchísimo más ambiciosa. La pandilla regresa a Mustafar para hacerle frente a Vaneé una vez más, bajo la idea de un rescate, mientras él les atormenta con pesadillas. La influencia del lado oscuro en la zona es palpable y me gusta que sirva como medio para contar más bien anécdotas ligeras, no solo limitadas a un solo mismo género, lo que las hace más interesantes. Además, que buena adicción es Jax al equipo.
En la misma línea, me gusta lo lejos que muestra que está dispuesto a llegar Vaneé. Muy entendible que para las secuelas sea solo una cabeza en un frasco. Ese tipo no sabía cuidarse.
En conclusión, que buena colección. Tengo muchas ganas de revisar más del personaje de Lina y su hermano a futuro.
Finalmente, algunos pensamientos random de cada historia:
- Dawn of the Droids. Está es la quinta o sexta vez que muestran "zombies" en un medio escrito. Ya va siendo hora que regresen para algo en la gran pantalla.
- Attack of the 50 foot wookie. Si Andor me hizo amar a Mon Mothma, estás historias son las que me hacen odiarla. Cómo no puedes presta UNA sola nave!??
- Danger on dagobah. Luke esqueleto. Es todo lo que tengo que decir.
- Beware the chosen one. La mejor historia de todas. Ese Anakin versión niño demoníaco es simplemente sublime.
- The Evil End. Pobre Jax, solo andaba durmiendo mal.
March 31, 2023
A few collection of horror stories set in the Star Wars universe. This collection finalizes the Vader’s Castle series and focuses on various people being plagued with nightmares and an obsession to bring back Darth Vader by one of his former servants. Really, really enjoyed the fourth issue.
March 17, 2022
yes force ghost anakin at the end made me tear up what can i say i’m incredibly predictable
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2021
This was so much fun! I love that these come out every October to go with the season. Cavan is at his best in this one. Plenty of great artwork and stories in this!
May 25, 2023
I was very much unaware this was the third and final volume of a series until many pages in and I just couldn’t be bothered to care so I kept going. Despite not knowing the characters I didn’t feel lost and I enjoyed the story. I really liked the setting being not too long after Return of the Jedi so we see the early days of the New Republic and what’s left of the Empire. Did not know Mon Mothma was made the first chancellor of the New Republic and I love that for her, makes perfect sense. Also, I’ve noticed that IDW comics has significantly more spelling and grammar errors than any other comic publisher I’ve read from. I don’t know what’s going on there but maybe they should look into it.
June 16, 2022
Very 1950s/1960s/1970s vibe. The story is technically connected by dreams. The overarching story is Lina working to track down and rescue her brother, Milo, who has been abducted and taken to Mustafar. Vaneé has taken a leaf out of Freddie Krueger’s book and every character is suffering from scary nightmares that are a bit too real. Rounded up to 3 stars.
DAWN OF THE DROIDS
4/5 stars. Short, creepy, and to the point. Jar Jar having to cut off Anakin’s robotic arm was horrifying in a way and a great way to throw some limbs around. Very Aliens-esque. I did find a small mistake though in one of the text boxes. It reads: “Then where were the bodies? We would’ve at least some remains, surely?” Editing seems to have been a bit slack on this strip!
ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOOKIE
1/5 stars. This did not click for me. It was this weird meld of Alice in Wonderland (one berry makes you larger), Power Rangers, Godzilla, slapped together in this superstition that no one can take off Kashyyk during the Bounty Festival. Chewie is usually pretty chill until he gets angry, and when he gets angry he tends to tear of limbs. But no limbs were torn off and we got to deal with a really annoying rabbit, like Howard the Duck but worse.
DANGER ON DAGOBAH
1/5 stars. Very Creature of the Black Lagoon. Luke Skywalker was the main star, and when he is around I don’t really feel a sense of danger because hey, it’s Luke Skywalker! Though I gotta say, seeing Luke and R2D2 hung up and desiccated will haunt my nightmares for awhile. I do like how this digs at property developers ripping apart nature for “luxury homes,” when we all know it is nothing more than a stupid time-share or something like that. And is it implied that Yoda is killing anyone he doesn’t like on Dagobah? Is he controlling the swamp monster? I know dreams never make much sense IRL, but this left me confused.
BEWARE THE CHOSEN ONE
3/5 stars. Young Anakin Skywalker is scary! And older Anakin/pre-burned Darth Vader cackling “This is where the fun begins” when he has Lina in the closet before he swings at her was the perfect note of dark comedy. But Milo wearing Darth Vader’s costume looked like Eddie Munster trying on his dad’s fancy clothes. Kind of ruined it.
VADER HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE
5/5 stars. Vaneé gets what frigging deserves, and I think this book confirms that Anakin suffered from borderline personality disorder and possesses two personalities – Anakin and Darth Vader. The last shot of Anakin as the “good” ghost was sweet and cute. Why haven’t they nuked Mustafar from the galaxy yet? Seriously, just get rid of the bloody planet, consequences be damned!
DAWN OF THE DROIDS
4/5 stars. Short, creepy, and to the point. Jar Jar having to cut off Anakin’s robotic arm was horrifying in a way and a great way to throw some limbs around. Very Aliens-esque. I did find a small mistake though in one of the text boxes. It reads: “Then where were the bodies? We would’ve at least some remains, surely?” Editing seems to have been a bit slack on this strip!
ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOOKIE
1/5 stars. This did not click for me. It was this weird meld of Alice in Wonderland (one berry makes you larger), Power Rangers, Godzilla, slapped together in this superstition that no one can take off Kashyyk during the Bounty Festival. Chewie is usually pretty chill until he gets angry, and when he gets angry he tends to tear of limbs. But no limbs were torn off and we got to deal with a really annoying rabbit, like Howard the Duck but worse.
DANGER ON DAGOBAH
1/5 stars. Very Creature of the Black Lagoon. Luke Skywalker was the main star, and when he is around I don’t really feel a sense of danger because hey, it’s Luke Skywalker! Though I gotta say, seeing Luke and R2D2 hung up and desiccated will haunt my nightmares for awhile. I do like how this digs at property developers ripping apart nature for “luxury homes,” when we all know it is nothing more than a stupid time-share or something like that. And is it implied that Yoda is killing anyone he doesn’t like on Dagobah? Is he controlling the swamp monster? I know dreams never make much sense IRL, but this left me confused.
BEWARE THE CHOSEN ONE
3/5 stars. Young Anakin Skywalker is scary! And older Anakin/pre-burned Darth Vader cackling “This is where the fun begins” when he has Lina in the closet before he swings at her was the perfect note of dark comedy. But Milo wearing Darth Vader’s costume looked like Eddie Munster trying on his dad’s fancy clothes. Kind of ruined it.
VADER HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE
5/5 stars. Vaneé gets what frigging deserves, and I think this book confirms that Anakin suffered from borderline personality disorder and possesses two personalities – Anakin and Darth Vader. The last shot of Anakin as the “good” ghost was sweet and cute. Why haven’t they nuked Mustafar from the galaxy yet? Seriously, just get rid of the bloody planet, consequences be damned!
May 9, 2022
The third and final book of the Vader's Castle series, set in the wake of 'Return of the Jedi'.
When Milo Graf mysteriously disappears, his sister Captain Lina Graf puts together a team to rescue him, including Thom Hudd, Skritt and the smuggler Jaxxon. However, they've all been suffering horrifying nightmares and someone is seeking to bring about the return of the Sith.
This book's biggest problem is its flashback interludes. In the previous volumes (and in the other Star Wars Adventures anthologies) I found the way in which these anthologies of short stories were loosely strung together with a framing story to be pretty contrived. Here, however, the short stories don't even have the benefit of being actual tales from the Star Wars universe because they're all just recollections of nightmares the characters had.
It means that the vast majority of this book has no impact because "it was all a dream", even if some of the imagery, particularly of Lina being hunted by an evil version of 9 year-old Anakin Skywalker, is solidly spooky.
That said, the framing story here is much stronger than it had been previously, with Lina gathering allies to mount a rescue of her missing brother and Vader's acolyte Vanee trying to resurrect his fallen master. And there does, in fact, turn out to be one real ghost in Vader's castle...
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
When Milo Graf mysteriously disappears, his sister Captain Lina Graf puts together a team to rescue him, including Thom Hudd, Skritt and the smuggler Jaxxon. However, they've all been suffering horrifying nightmares and someone is seeking to bring about the return of the Sith.
This book's biggest problem is its flashback interludes. In the previous volumes (and in the other Star Wars Adventures anthologies) I found the way in which these anthologies of short stories were loosely strung together with a framing story to be pretty contrived. Here, however, the short stories don't even have the benefit of being actual tales from the Star Wars universe because they're all just recollections of nightmares the characters had.
It means that the vast majority of this book has no impact because "it was all a dream", even if some of the imagery, particularly of Lina being hunted by an evil version of 9 year-old Anakin Skywalker, is solidly spooky.
That said, the framing story here is much stronger than it had been previously, with Lina gathering allies to mount a rescue of her missing brother and Vader's acolyte Vanee trying to resurrect his fallen master. And there does, in fact, turn out to be one real ghost in Vader's castle...
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
April 3, 2022
Full disclosure, this rating and review just reflects my personal thoughts. Also, this was the only one of this series I read. I think that these graphic novels will really appeal to the middle grade age for which they were intended, they just did not appeal to me.
I was not expecting an entire book, basically, about various characters turning into zombie like creatures. It got a little repetitive and boring, and quite honestly I was not expecting zombies at all. I was hoping for more actually set at the castle, maybe a little bit of backstory about the castle and Vader building it.
A lot of the art didn't really appeal to me either. Though, I will say, the color palette was very uniform throughout the entire book, which tied all the stories together well. I just did not care for the design or the coloring.
I will say though, one thing I did like was the very last panel. It was bittersweet, and, in my view, hopeful.
Not for me, but I'm sure others will enjoy it.
I was not expecting an entire book, basically, about various characters turning into zombie like creatures. It got a little repetitive and boring, and quite honestly I was not expecting zombies at all. I was hoping for more actually set at the castle, maybe a little bit of backstory about the castle and Vader building it.
A lot of the art didn't really appeal to me either. Though, I will say, the color palette was very uniform throughout the entire book, which tied all the stories together well. I just did not care for the design or the coloring.
I will say though, one thing I did like was the very last panel. It was bittersweet, and, in my view, hopeful.
Not for me, but I'm sure others will enjoy it.
April 21, 2022
I’m feeling generous here even though the Star Wars Adventure line is far too juvenile for me at this point. One of my gripes here is the frequency of uncorrected typos, a really unacceptable issue in books aiming for youth reading to improve general comprehension skills. I loved the cover art for the various issues — the throwback vibe to the late 70s and early 80s Star Wars comics was a nice nod to the old timey ghost story being told throughout the various issues here. This felt quite a bit more in-universe to me than I expected, with all manner of aliens and droids from the EU cropping into the frames. I still hate Jax (love to hate, maybe?) and the other characters all felt throwaway here. For reader 10-14 who can hang with how spooky this gets in moments, I think this could be fun for all the various ghost story mashups it engages in.
June 5, 2022
Bleh. Admittedly, being 42 years old and not a horror fan, I am not the target audience for this book. Still, I thought the stories were only mediocre and the one with Serial Killer Jake Lloyd Anakin was far too creepy for middle grade. I feel like someone just wanted to draw Scary Kid Anakin. I don't care for the method of having different artists do each story (and the frame story) - it felt very disjointed and the characters looked soooo different in each story.
Not my favorite.
Not my favorite.
October 23, 2024
Eu adoro essa série de Star Wars Adventures que são para um público um pouco mais infantis ou infanto-juvenis. Nesse compilado, cada revistinha foca em um sonho que algum membro da equipe está tendo e descamba de todos voltarem ao castelo do Darth Vader em Mustafar. Cada sonho tem claras inspirações em filmes de terror clássicos, mas com personagens de Star Wars e que se resolvem bem rápido porque era só um sonho. Gostei muito.
October 27, 2024
More spooky stories for kids set in the Star Wars universe. The framing sequence for these stories is a bit of a stretch to try and tie it into the first two. Great for kids, not bad for older kids and adults.
April 26, 2024
Another fun group of stories in the Vader's Castle series. I particularly liked the parts with Anakin and (believe it or not) Jaxxon. If you liked the previous Vader's Castle stories, you should enjoy this one.
March 25, 2022
NGL, I would read seven thousand more spooky Star Wars collections. More horror/spooky Star Wars content, please!
October 15, 2023
Cavan Scott never disappoints! Perfect for young Star Wars fans during the spooky season.
October 27, 2025
A fun finish to the trilogy (of which I’ve actually only read the last two!).
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews