Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Returns to Comics With ‘Long Live the Pumpkin Queen’

Prepare for an adventure back into Halloween Town! Shea Ernshaw’s bestselling The Nightmare Before Christmas tie-in novel Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is coming to comics. 

Announced by Dynamite Entertainment, the graphic novel adaptation of The Nightmare Before Christmas: Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is salted for release this summer. Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Shea Ernshaw, the new graphic novel offers a unique visual experience and a seamless translation of the beloved story. The story is a sequel to Tim Burton’s 1993 movie, continuing Sally’s journey after her marriage to Jack Skellington — and even introducing readers to a previously unknown realm.

The project is spearheaded by Liz Marsham (The Ultimate Spider-Man, Ariel Makes Waves), alongside the immense artistic talents of artistic duo of Alessio Petillo and Ismael Canales. Seminal comics artist and writer Jill Thompson, perhaps known for her work on The Sandman, has illustrated the gorgeous cover. 

Check out the official synopsis of the graphic novel:

Jack and Sally seem like the perfect couple — but all is not well in their colorful home of Halloween Town! As the graphic novel starts, after escaping the domineering clutches of Dr. Finkelstein and marrying Jack, her true love, Sally is officially the Pumpkin Queen of the realm. As much as she loves her skeletal husband and closest friends, the imposing public spotlight and weight of her newfound royal responsibilities feel like a new form of captivity. Everything begins to unravel and spool out of control when Sally and trusty ghost dog Zero discover a hidden doorway leading to the previously unknown Dream Town. As worlds collide, the resulting cascade of calamities risk jeopardizing her new position as the Pumpkin Queen, and the very foundations of her world! To save her beloved home, and find her place and comfort within it, Sally will have to summon all the strength within her seams — with Zero to help — or else the future could become a nightmare without Halloween!

“I really enjoyed the opportunity to work on this compelling story,” said writer Liz Marsham. “Shea Ernshaw wrote everything I could have needed: a compelling story about iconic characters I have loved as a fan for decades, an exciting mix of the settings we know and gorgeously-described new landscapes, enthralling action, an emotional journey that is both fantastical and deeply relatable, and, of course, the delightfully spooky vibes we all associate with Halloween Town. It was a pleasure to help add a new dimension to an already rich tale, and the art team has done a wonderful job bringing it all to life.”

The Nightmare Before Christmas has a pretty solid history in the comics medium, from stories in Disney Adventures Magazine in the late ’90s, to the more recent The Nightmare Before Christmas: Zero’s Journey (2018-2020).

Preview Pages

Check out these four preview pages from Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, giving us a first-look glimpse at some of the glorious art on display!

Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas: Long Live the Pumpkin Queen‘ release in June 2025. You can pre-order the graphic novel on Amazon here.