‘Shadow of Maul’ Writer Reveals How Darth Maul Comic Sets up ‘Shadow Lord’ Animated Series
_Star Wars_ fans looking forward to Darth Maul’s new animated series _Maul: Shadow Lord_ might want to check out the upcoming _Shadow of Maul_ comic first.
While _Shadow Lord_ is debuting on Disney Plus on April 6, the comic’s first issue is coming a month earlier on March 4 and it will focus on the animated series’ two antagonists, private detective Brander Lawson and his droid partner Two-Boots, rather than Maul himself. IGN spoke to _Shadow of Maul_ ‘s writer Benjamin Percy about the comic series and how it sets up the animated series.
> “The prequel ties directly into the series. It’s meant to establish the characters, the world, and the trouble that detonates wonderfully in episode one. You can read the comic book on its own and get a thrill. You can also read the comic book alongside the series and understand how they’re speaking to each other.”
Though Percy mentions you can read the comic and the series alongside each other, take that with a pinch of salt. While the first issue is releasing a month before the series, and the second issue a couple of days after the first two episodes, the third issue will likely release just after the series ends, and the fourth and final issue a month after that in June (though we don’t have confirmed dates for issues three and four yet).
A scene still from Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: MAUL – SHADOW LORD, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2026 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
While it was always pretty likely the story would be set on Janix, it turns out the story will be a police procedural. Percy revealed detective Lawson is a single father who used to be a bounty hunter but has decided to work on the side of good, a switch you don’t see too often in _Star Wars_ , unless your name is Asajj Ventress or perhaps Boba Fett.
> “… this is a police procedural, a gritty, grounded crime book. The stage is Janix, a shadow-soaked, neon-lit city controlled by crime syndicates. Lawson used to be a bounty hunter. Now he’s a cop and a single dad doing the best he can in a lawless territory. He a good man who pushes limits and breaks rules. And he’s joined by his partner, a droid named Two-Boots, who is loyal, warm, and a bit of a stickler.”
Headshot Variant Cover by Aka
Percy also gave us a better sense of exactly what the world of Janix is like. In the trailer it seems like Nar Shaddaa or Daiyu, a dark inverse of Coruscant. He does not disabuse that notion, calling the planet gritty and “very noir”.
> “Oh, man. I absolutely love the world of Janix. My two favorite _Star Wars_ stories are _Andor_ and _Rogue One_. And that’s because they’re grounded in realism. We’re taking a similar approach here. And this city is more than a stage—it’s a character in itself. Steam hisses from vents, billowing the air. Neon burnishes the night. Trash dirties the gutters. Lawson pops his collar and shoulders forward through the rain-drenched crowds. It’s all very noir.”
Percy wasn’t allowed to tell us exactly what the former Darth Maul is up to in _Shadow of Maul_ , though he revealed that we will get to learn what his goal is in traveling to Janix; as ever, it seems that revenge is at the forefront of his mind.
> “Hmm. I’m not sure I’m allowed to say much about that. I’ll keep it vague and say he’s got an ax (or, er, a double-sided light saber) to grind—and some folks on Janix are in his crosshairs.”
BENJAMIN PERCY (W) • MADIBEK MUSABEKOV (A) Cover by DERRICK CHEW
This won’t be the first time that Benjamin Percy has written a Darth Maul story, as he also wrote a horror story for the _Darth_ _Maul: Black, White & Red_ comic series. He felt that writing for that series prepared him well to write a canon story for Maul.
> “I’m very glad I got the opportunity to write both _Darth Maul: Black, White & Red_ and _Boba Fett: Black, White & Red_ before taking on this project. Because they were fun as hell. But also because those one-shots were like flirtations with the _Star Wars_ galaxy – a way of testing out writing for a galaxy far, far away and figuring out the standards of Lucasfilm. They are running a massive operation—a singular continuity that reaches across film, tv, novels, and comic books. They’re encyclopedias of lore. There’s a lot of zooms, calls, and emails between me, the Marvel editors, and the Lucasfilm folks, so it’s good to already have lines of communication open and a level of trust established.
>
> “And the Maul one-shot was not just a way to test-drive the character; it was a way to push boundaries. I took a horror approach to that story, which isn’t your standard lens for _Star Wars_.”
Percy teams up with illustrator Madibek Musabekov for _Shadow of Maul_ , who previously worked on the recently concluded _Jedi Knights_ comic series, and he is full of praise for the artist.
> “I got really, really lucky, partnering with Madibek. He’s not just great with action and character—he has a true, deep love for and knowledge of _Star Wars_. And every detail he manifests on the page feels exactly right for that universe. I can’t wait for you to see what he’s been up to.”
Hopefully, we’ll get another great Darth Maul story in _Shadow of Maul_ , even though this story will be told from the point of view of his antagonists. At the very least, it promises to whet our appetite ahead of _Maul: Shadow Lord_.
##### Josh Atkins
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Josh is a huge Star Wars fan, who has spent far too much time wondering if any Star Wars character could defeat Thanos with all the Infinity Stones.
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