‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ Returns in a Brand New Adventure January 2026

For fans who have adored Jack Skellington’s moonlit silhouette and Sally’s whispered laments, the world of Halloween Town is preparing to enchant and unsettle you once again—this time in comic form. Slated for release in January 2026, a fresh “Nightmare Before Christmas“ comic continues the story from the novels and graphic adaptations, promising new realms, darker mysteries, and deeper emotional stakes.

A New Comic Chapter: From Page to Panel

After decades of cult reverence, the “Nightmare Before Christmas” universe is expanding. According to AIPT Comics, “Dynamite Entertainment is ringing in 2026 with a brand-new journey to Halloween Town and beyond, as they launch ‘Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town’ this January.” This upcoming comic continues the expansion of Tim Burton’s enchanting world, building off the success of previous novels and graphic adaptations.

The book “Hour of the Pumpkin Queen” picks up Sally’s story as queen, involving portals, stolen time, and parallel realms. Meanwhile, the “Long Live the Pumpkin Queen” novel and its upcoming graphic novel adaptation explore her role in bringing together citizens across lands. Now, the January 2026 comic will take Sally’s journey further, adapting “Hour of the Pumpkin Queen” into a sequential format—or at least drawing from its storyline. The new comic adventure welcomes readers back to Halloween Town and beyond, extending the narrative in a visually expressive medium.

The Story Ahead: Time, Portals & Stakes

In “Hour of the Pumpkin Queen”, the narrative leaps forward: Sally, now married to Jack, finds her life as Pumpkin Queen fraught with strain and uncertainty. A mishap during a potion demonstration thrusts her and her apprentice, Luna, through a portal into an unfamiliar realm known as Time Town. There, they discover the clock that governs Halloween has been tampered with—and unless they can restore its balance, Halloween Town may collapse into chaos.

In comic form, readers can expect this story to be dramatized with visual flair: warped clocks looming, portals opening between shadowy realms, time fracturing landscapes, and emotional moments rendered in brushstrokes. The comic adaptation of “Nightmare Before Christmas” may embellish or restructure scenes to maximize tension, pacing, and cinematic flair.

Characters Old & New: Who Returns, Who Emerges

Longtime favorites from “Nightmare Before Christmas” are expected to return: Jack Skellington, Zero, Oogie Boogie, the Mayor, Dr. Finkelstein, and, of course, Sally herself. But the spotlight increasingly shifts toward newer figures, especially Luna—Sally’s rag-doll apprentice—who will accompany her into Time Town and likely grow as a character in her own right.

Beyond the familiar faces, expect wholly new denizens of Time Town, perhaps guardians or saboteurs of the clock, spirits of lost holidays, or echoes of Halloween’s past and future. The comic medium affords room to design visually striking new allies and antagonists who might not have been feasible in prose alone.

Visual & Narrative Tone

The comic will likely preserve the dark fantasy aesthetic that fans cherish—twisted architecture, elongated shadows, skeletal flora—but filtered through the palette and pacing of graphic storytelling. The adaptation team behind “Long Live the Pumpkin Queen”—Liz Marsham as writer and Alessio Petillo & Ismael Canales as artists—demonstrated a capacity to bring the world alive on the page.

Expect to see page composition that mirrors cinematic beats: splash pages for reveal, panels collapsing in time-distortion sequences, and visual motifs related to clocks, spirals, windows, and timepieces. Dialogue must balance poetic tone (a hallmark of the original) with clarity for comic pacing. Thematically, the comic may be darker and more introspective than previous entries—emphasizing loss, identity, and temporal consequence more than holiday whimsy.

“Nightmare Before Christmas”: The Return Awaits