Star Wars is about to introduce a nightmare-fuel new character known as the Nightlander into its mythos, which the synopsis for the horror comic Tales From the Nightlands intriguingly describes as being a “Star Wars boogeyman who seeks to possess a powerful, living host and bring despair to the galaxy!”

As revealed in an exclusive by Fangoria, Star Wars: Tales From the Nightlands will be a three-issue series written by Cavan Scott, featuring a rotating cast of artists, including Soo Lee, Vincenzo Riccardi, and Robert Hack.

“Nothing prepared me for the Nightlands,” Scott stated as part of the announcement for the series; Star Wars has featured its share of horror stories over the years, but this one seems like it has the potential to inaugurate a new era of terror for the franchise.

Star Wars Is Introducing "The Nightlander" A Horror Creature Deeply Tied To The Franchise's Lore

Star Wars: Tales From the Nightlands #1; Written By Cavan Scott; Art By Soo Lee

According to Fangoria, Tales From the Nightlands will introduce "a terrifying entity that will face off against three generations of beloved Star Wars characters," the eponymous Nightlander. The official synopsis for the series elaborates further on how this haunting character will interact with the protagonists of all three Star Wars trilogies, explaining:

On the planet Ryloth, Twi’leks speak in hushed tones about the Nightlands, the spectral realm where their spirits retire after death. According to legend, there are certain nights when the veil between that haunted place and the land of the living is so thin that one can communicate with the other side. Enter: The Nightlander, a Star Wars boogeyman who seeks to possess a powerful, living host and bring despair to the galaxy!

Each issue features one of three generations of galactic heroes facing off against the malevolent Nightlander. Issue #1 sees young Padawan Anakin Skywalker visiting Ryloth with Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, attempting to summon the ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn for a final goodbye. But when Anakin makes with the Nightlands, it isn’t his old friend who answers! Issue #2 features Luke & Leia facing this horror, and Issue #3 pits Rey & Finn against a dark power unlike any in the galaxy.

In other words, this new Star Wars horror creature is being depicted as a perennial threat, one that each successive generation of heroes is forced to confront, and survive.

The main cover for Tales From the Nightlands #1 gives a glimpse of a spectral figure, with three glowing eyes, sharp inhuman fingers, and fangs, looming over the rocky surface of a planet as a spaceship lands, and two figures, presumably Anakin and Obi-Wan, emerge. Fangoria also revealed a concept art variant cover for the issue, which gives readers an even better sense of the wraith-like, ethereal being that will be the centerpiece of this Star Wars foray into terror.

Star Wars Has Had Horror Stories Before, But "The Nightlander" Promises Something Different

Tales From the Nightlands #2 Features Art By Vincenzo Riccardi; Issue #3 Is Illustrated By Robert Hack

Tales From the Nightlands promises to be a frightening trilogy of Star Wars stories set across its three most recognizable eras, and though there have only been brief teases of it so far, the Nightlander seems to stand a chance of laying claim to the title of the most unsettling creature in the Star Wars galaxy. As author Cavan Scott put it:

It’s a true honour to introduce a brand-new spooky holiday to the galaxy far, far away. After all, why should Life Day have all the fun? Star Wars deserves a spooky season too! This time, we’re telling three chilling tales that span the entire Skywalker Saga—prequels, original trilogy, and sequels. It’s been an absolute joy to revisit Obi-Wan, Anakin, Luke, Leia, Rey, and Finn… and throw them headfirst into living nightmares. And beware the Nightlander. She’s beautiful, terrifying…. and coming right for you!

From the way that Scott, a Bram Stoker Award-winning horror author, hypes the series, readers can be confident that it will produce some satisfying, horrifying thrills when the series hits comic book stands.

The three-issue Tales From the Nightland series...will perhaps inaugurate the "Star Wars spooky season" as mentioned by Cavan Scott, paving the way for more stories of its kind.

The Star Wars Universe has proven that it has more than enough space for genres outside the "space opera" epic scope of the franchise's overarching saga, with horror stories in particular having been found to fit seamlessly into the franchise. The Nightlander, from the three-issue Tales From the Nightland series, will be the latest, perhaps greatest opportunity to reiterate this, and will perhaps inaugurate the "Star Wars spooky season" as mentioned by Cavan Scott, paving the way for more stories of its kind.

Source: Fangoria

Star Wars: Tales From the Nightlands #1 will be available September 3, 2025 from Marvel Comics.