Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Journey Book Four

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Journey #15-19

by D.J. Milky, Kei Ishiyama (Contributor), David Hutchinson (Contributor)

When Jack Skellington's faithful pet Zero gets lost, the ghost pup must get the help of the residents of Christmas Town to find his way back. With Halloween plans on hold while Jack mounts a search, will they be reunited in time to save both holidays? Explore the magical realms of Halloween Town and Christmas Town through the eyes of Zero as he tries to find his way home in an unfamiliar world.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Comics, Christmas, Graphic Novels Comics, Ebooks, Dogs

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2018

About the author

D.J. Milky is the author pen name of creator and entrepreneur Stu Levy.

Born in Los Angeles, Stu is the founder, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer of the manga media company TOKYOPOP. Stu also produces, directs, and writes for graphic novels, film, and television. His preeminent work "Princess Ai" debuted at #1 on the National Bookscan charts for Graphic Novels.

Stu’s creative works include writing the children’s novels “Sailor Moon – A Scout is Born”, “Sailor Moon – The Power of Love”, and “Karma Club”; children’s books “Stray Sheep” and “Kung Fu Klutz & Karate Cool”; and the graphic novels “Juror 13” and the “Princess Ai” series, created with Courtney Love. He has also translated manga volumes of “Parasyte”, “Sailor Moon”, “Ice Blade” and “Magic Knight Rayearth”. He also has written and produced a series of songs including anime theme songs and a soundtrack from “Princess Ai”.

Stu holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics/Business from UCLA and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. He studied at Tokyo University and Keio University in Japan and is a California attorney. Currently, Stu chairs the Producer Guild of America's International Committee and was previously a Board Member of its New Media Council. He is fluent in Japanese.

Reviews

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth and final book in the Zero's Journey series. This graphic novel is about Zero, the ghost dog, from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Zero is lost in Christmas Town, and needs help finding his way home.

I read the first book in this series, but missed books 2 and 3. I think I would have enjoyed this last book more if I had read all of the previous books. It was still a fun read, and I plan to go back and read the ones I missed.

A manga book for fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas. I imagine fans of the movie will enjoy this series. Great artwork. Light and cute story.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favourite films of all time, so it's only natural for this Halloween obsessed reader to pick up Zero's book!

Zero is lost, so Jack must go on an adventure to find his friend and keep him safe! While he's away, Zero finds a reindeer who is in trouble. Both Jack and Zero find themselves getting into some Christmas-filled mischief as they find their way back to one another. Also, Sally's along for the ride too!

I really liked this book. It appears to be aimed at a children's audience, but as a Disney and Tim Burton loving adult I totally was digging it too! It's a great graphic novel to jump into for a fun adventure with our favourite characters.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Journey Book Four was a fantastic conclusion to the Zero's Journey graphic novel series.

The illustrations in these comics are very similar to the art style in the movie which makes it feel like you're reading a continuation of the movie. The movie is one of my favorites, so I love how similar the comics feel to the movie. This volume takes place mainly in Christmas Town which is quite colorful but there are a few scenes in Halloween Town as well which has the darker toned illustrations.

This volume picks up right where the last one ended with Santa's workshop on fire after one of the reindeer tried to sabotage Zero putting the star on top of the tree. From there, the elves and Santa rush to save all the presents in the building that are waiting for Santa to deliver them. From there, Zero and the reindeer overcome their differences and work together to put out the fire. We then see the Halloween Town residents arrive led by Jack to find Zero. I enjoyed all the characters coming together and how they worked together to save Christmas.

Overall I really enjoyed The Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Journey Book Four as well as the rest of the series. I highly recommends these graphic novels for fans of the movie.

[Federica ~ Excusetheink · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In testa alla muta c'è Zero,
il cane fantasma
che per tutti ha un pensiero" 🎶

Dolcissima e dignitosa conclusione di una serie il cui ultimo capitolo s'è fatto attendere per un anno causa Covid, al punto da far circolare voci sulla possibilità che non avrebbe mai visto la luce.
Se il terzo albo era stato deludente sul fronte emozioni, questo le restituisce andando a riprendere le medesime dei primi due. Piccolo spoiler: Babbo Nachele ha portato in dono Uno al suo triste padroncino, regalando a entrambi una festa indimenticabile.
Leggere e seguire questo sequel man mano che usciva è valso la pena. Autori e matitisti sono stati in grado di riconsegnare al mondo la lugubre magia anni '90 di Nightmare Before Christmas.
Felice Halloween!
Buon Natale!

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 4 out of 5]

If its nightmare before Christmas ill read it.
And I love Zero!! And i was so happy to read his adventures!

[Knight Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute story where Santa had a better experience with the Halloween folk, and we got to see the unsavory parts of Christmas town.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book ghost dog Zero is missing and as Halloween town residents led by Jack set out to find him they discover Zero being a hero helping save Christmas from being ruined!


This was a fun short manga book in vibrant moody dark colours suitable for bringing the Nightmare World to life and it was fantastic to take a quick trip back into this world once again.


Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

[Linda ( Clary_Starfall ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun, I love Tim burton and Christmas and Disney 🥳🎃💕

For this book, to open it, I had to get behind the computer and had to use a extra program because it wouldn’t open in kindle or kobo or i reads. So hopefully netgalley will have extra options in the future, because the book was super cute ☺️ and it’s a pity when you can’t read it because the file that. was send wasn’t compatible 🤔.

Would love to see more of these graphic novels 🤗🥳💕🎃

[Marzia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable! I love the art style and the color palette.
The adventure is really enjoyable.
I suggest this graphic novel to all Nightmare Before Christmas fans.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute series that had some supprisingly dark moments. I love the art, it fits perfectly with the movie, and I loved seeing more of Zero.

[Haley The Caffeinated Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute graphic novel that's perfect for younger readers/fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas in general!

I'll have to go back and read the other three, but, again so cute and lovely art!

Thanks to the Publisher and Edelweiss for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Zandt McCue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't pass up an opportunity to check this story out. Granted, it's part four of a four part series of comics based around The Nightmare Before Christmas.

As with every child who lived through the Nineties, I went through a Nightmare Before Christmas phase. I'm a Tim Burton fan but not a fanatic. I owned Ed Wood at one point but never watched it. I do own The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy. He's impressive. I love the world that he created with, allowing an abbreviation, TNBC. One thing that always bothered me about the movie and the original book that Tim put out is that Halloween Town is small. With Jack's pumpkin patch and the forest, it's implied that there's more to the world but you never see anything else.

This comic isn't written by Tim but it features all the characters we know and love. Zero is actually the main protagonist here. Despite only reading the last part of the set, it was a story that was self contained. A brief introduction explained why Zero was in Christmas Town to begin with. This comic picks up with Jack missing his beloved dog. He decides he has to go to Christmas Town to bring him home. To do this, he recruits the other monsters. While this is going on, Lock, Shock, and Barrel set fire to Santa's Workshop as a distraction in order to steal the presents and one of Santa's Sleighs. Zero helps save a Reindeer who had fallen under debris and then assist the Elves in putting out the flames. Santa is attempting to make due with the remaining presents when Jack shows up and after briefly uniting they discover the trio trying to speed out of there. Santa's Reindeer team up with Zero to stop the children and get the presents back to Santa. Then he allows Zero to help him deliver all the presents to children around the world because Zero saved the day.

This is obviously all geared towards young children. I get that. Us older Nightmare Before Christmas fans will be able to enjoy this by seeing our old 'friends' again but we're not in Penny Dreadful territory here. It also made the world of TNBC seem bigger. You see part of Christmas Town and Halloween Town, but they don't feel like isolated locations. There might be a little bit around the bend in both areas. I liked how the other monsters went with Jack to bring Zero home, but once they were in Christmas Town they stopped being active characters once they ran into Santa Claus. The monster under the stairs steals the show in this comic.

I can see myself reading the whole set - even the ones I didn't see - to children at the end of the year. If a local library has a Nightmare Before Christmas Day showing the movie and then having different activities and related books to read, this'll be worth having because the younger audience will love it. The artwork was fantastic too.

[Yami · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new story between two worlds, very different in human eyes even for non-humans, but there are certain things in which they have similarities! And those are in the festivities, you already open hearing that Halloween and Christmas are totally different, but, that does not imply that they cannot meet ...
In this new story we see the highly acclaimed Jack Skellington and his new adventure, What is it? Well ... His beloved pet Zero has disappeared and no one in the town of Halloween knows where he is so Jack and Sally are heading to a new adventure where there are elves, gifts and the most impractical Santa Claus.
Zero searches for a way to return to the town of Halloween but suddenly he comes across a certain important factory of the Christmas holiday and is involved in that adventure.
As you read the book it makes you feel the two festivities in an intimate way and makes you wish they are in them in real life, in addition to seeing the love that Jack has towards Zero, and Zero steals our hearts as the story, I can't tell you much, but if you love stories with Halloween, Christmas and pets this is your book.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was received as an ARC from Diamond Book Distributors in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite Disney Movies ever and reading Zero's Journey was really a breath of fresh Halloween air. All the things I loved from the movie resurfaced while reading and I was in awe of how each character still had the exciting factor they possessed throughout the movie. The spirit of Zero even though he doesn't say much throughout the movie and book, comes through so brightly just like his nose. The artwork was just so brilliantly done that it looked like it came right out of the movie. I know our young adult patrons will absolutely love this book and the series and I know they will have a lot to say about it.

We will consider adding this title to our JGraphic Novel collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the final volume of this quaint series, Santa has invited Zero, Lock, Shock, and Barrel to the Christmas feast, but he makes the mistake of honoring Zero instead of the self-important Clementine, and the whole castle starts on fire. Meanwhile, Jack has finally had enough of waiting around, and soon there's even more Halloween in Christmas town. It's once again up to Zero to save the day.

That ending. Cringe. I liked the way this book focused on defying prejudices and realizing that some things just are what they are. This was the first book in the series where everyone wasn't horribly cruel. For a lot of this, the Christmas Town inhabitants were more awful than the Halloween Town citizens; at least in halloween town, we understand that folks are horrible because it's their nature. There are definitely glimmers of truth and a few warm touches of nostalgia, but overall, I was unimpressed by this story.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of anything Disney so of course I wanted to read about Zero! The graphics are amazing as always with Disney and the story was interesting as well.

Zero is lost so Jack sets out to find him and bring him home. While Zero is on his own, he finds a reindeer that is in trouble. When Jack finds Zero, they get into some mischief that of course only they can! Sally is in the story as well. Just a great read for anytime of the year, not just Christmas time.

I loved reading this graphic novel and getting lost in the great story as well as the amazing graphics. I am sure my younger kiddo will love reading this one as well. D.J. Milky is excellent as always as well!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this graphic novel and all opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this graphic novel.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero's Journey #4' by D.J. Milky with art by Kei Ishiyama, David Hutchinson, and Dan Conner continues the adventures of Zero in Christmas Town.

In the last volume, Zero was lighting Santa's tree when a jealous reindeer caused and accidental fire. In the panic to get the fire out, Lock, Shock, and Barrel take the distraction to steal presents. Meanwhile, Jack and other residents of Halloween Town come to find Zero.

This is a fun series with familiar characters. It's a quick read, but would be fun for young readers. The art is great and I love that it's in full color.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Bookish Selkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, so I was very excited to check out this story! Zero’s adventures continue in book four. Jack and Sally are alarmed when they realize they don't know where Zero is. They decided to look in Christmastown, where some mischievous shenanigans are afoot. Fortunately, Zero is around to help Christmas get off without a hitch! I love the gorgeous art style and color choices. The dialogue is true to the characters while being accessible. The plot is tightly paced and action-packed. If your students (or you!) are a fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, I highly recommend this. Zero’s Journey is out now! Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[riding_the_pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a happy surprise to receive! I'm so glad I was given the chance to read this. I picked for many reasons. Its Disney, its The Nightmare Before Christmas, its a graphic novel and it was something my son and I could enjoy looking at together.
The art concept in this novel was spectacular! It was vivid, it was vibrant and brought the story completely to life! I felt like I was back in Halloweentown and Christmastown. I heard the voices of Jack, Sally and even the Mayor playing out in my head as we read.
I LOVED it.
I cant wait to start collecting them all.

Full review on Miss Elizabeth

[Fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted this electronic ARC through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

I've always loved the Nightmare Before Christmas from Tim Burton and reading this Manga brought me back some joy from watching the movie and reading the poem that was written by Tim Burton. Zero was definitely one of my favorite characters of this story and seeing that he has his own little comic series is super cute. It's always nice to see the Nightmare Before Christmas universe expanding and that Zero is the canine hero of this story. I loved the writing style, the beautiful drawings and Zero's story. Great way to expand this lovely universe.

[emily_oriley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. When I say “quick read” I mean I read all four books in 20 minutes.

While I appreciate the attempt at lyrics, you just can’t compare to the vibe of the original. I would also argue that, while this story was cute, it probably didn’t need to be more than two volumes. I liked the Mr. Myzer story but everything else was pretty obvious filler. And no one’s gonna talk about the head elf dude? We’re all just cool with that guy? Or creepy Christmas Cult lady? No? Alrighty then

[Monique Rosenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4 in the graphic novel Disney manga series is about our favorite undead ghost dog and how he helps save Xmas once again. Features many great characters, graphics & storyline are great. This is Another winner in this series by Disney Manga, if your a fan you won't be disappointed in book 4.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review from netgalley.

[Madi ~☆TheBookNerdDiaries☆~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Nightmare Before Christmas fan, I found this Manga to be pretty enjoyable and the characters to be close to their movie counterparts. The story was easy to follow, but I did feel like a few things were odd: Lock, Shock, and Barrel never got caught or reprimanded for stealing the presents (what happened to them anyways?) and the Jack and friends storyline felt sidelined until the end.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful adventure that Zero has in this journey. The final volume see Jack with help in tow on the way to Christmas Town to try to find Zero. In the meantime, Santa Claus has invited Zero, Lock, Shock, & Barrel to the annual Christmas feast. What could possibly go wrong? This is the final volume in Zero's Journey.

[Jessica Bellemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perfect Ending

The last book of the series finds Zero trying to save Christmas, along with some unlikely friends.

The rhyming is such a delight, as it’s as if you’re reading a children’s book but with more adult-aimed content.

No matter the time of year, this series will bring joy and adventure into your day.

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute reading especially for "the Nightmare before Christmas" fans. This book would be a perfect choice for making children read during Christmas time :)

Thanks a lot to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for this ARC :)

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is absolutely adorable. I've been a fan of the movie since I was a kid and anything in the vein Nightmare Before Christmas holds a special place although they don't always get glowing reviews. This does.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all things disney. In this story, Jack is on the search for his missing dog Zero. At the same time, there is an emergency that may cancel Christmas. I enjoyed this graphic novel, but i was left wanting a little bit more.

[Alex Gruenenfelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a children's comic, fans of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" will likely enjoy the final installment of Zero's journey. I only wish there had been more exploration of the other holidays, outside of Christmas Town and Halloween Town.

[Nena Leonor Reynoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, I could relate to jack on this one and it gave me the feels. I started to think about my Spike and when I was out looking for him the night he didn't make it home for dinner. Loved to see all that Zero did for everyone.