A tie-in being allowed in this economy?! And it’s something Dave Filoni is involved in?! I’m going to need a minute to recover. Writer Benjamin Percy and artist Madibek Musabekov are set to explore the seedy world of Janix in Shadow of Maul, a prequel to the upcoming animated series, Maul: Shadow Lord. Out March 2026, the 5-issue miniseries will introduce to the world and cast of the upcoming show. Are we placing bets on when this arrives relative to the show’s release? Before, overlaps, or after? Get your bets ready and head below for more details, interior previews, and covers.
Taking place prior to the events of the show, the team behind Shadow of Maul has been working in close concert with Lucasfilm to line everything up. Writer Benjamin Percy told a Maul story before in Darth Maul: Black, White & Red #1, one full of creepy visuals and a very weird cult, and he’s recently contributed to Boba Fett: Black, White & Red as well. This will be his first non-one-shot story, so I look forward to him stretching his legs a bit. And Madibek Musabekov is an excellent choice, as his work in the Jedi Knights series, from kaiju-filled splash pages to first-person POV, has been an absolute treat for the eyes, and I feel like he’ll be able to match the tone of the show as well.
As for what Shadow of Maul is about, here’s the blurb:
“Welcome to Janix, a neon-lit, shadow-soaked maze of a planet that lies beyond the reach of the Empire. Captain Brander Lawson is doing his best to navigate the law in a lawless territory. He’s joined by his partner, a droid nicknamed Two Boots, as they face off against scheming crime bosses… and as the looming threat of the shadow lord, Maul, nears!”
Given the show will obviously be more focused on Maul himself, I appreciate this comic will focus on different characters involved in the show’s story and dig into the vibes of the new planet, Janix. I’m intrigued to learn more about Lawson and his droid partner, but more so because I’m curious to see how the comic (and later show) handles a law enforcement character given the terrible climate we’re in now. But I also like the idea of following non-Force using characters, as it shakes things up a bit and will give events a more grounded tone. And while Maul will take advantage of his connection to the Force, it’s not going to be enough to rise in the criminal underworld so maybe we’ll get to see how he’ll have to use more brain than brawns as we’re introduced to the many different players.
Check out the gallery below for the variant covers by AKA and Björn Barends (Derrick Chew’s responsible for the main cover above), as well as the three preview pages:
The first issue is out March 4 and it might just be the only new Marvel comic of the month, though Dark Horse will have some comics to enjoy as well. Yet it leaves me wondering…will we at least get ONE Women’s History Variant cover for this issue or will it be the first time in several years they go without one? It’d be a disappointing outcome, to say the least. We’ll maybe find out more when the March solicitations drop later in December.
Either way, head back to the Manor for reviews of this miniseries and the upcoming show, Maul: Shadow Lord in 2026!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky and Instagram @mynockmanor.