Dungeons & Dragons Confirms the Return of a Long-Forgotten Villain

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Published Jun 7, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

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The next terrifying Dungeons & Dragons series from Dark Horse Comics is officially bringing back one of the most terrifying liches in the history of tabletop roleplaying.

Dark Horse Comics has officially unveiled the full solicit synopsis for Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers #2, and the second issue of the hit indie publisher's next harrowing trek through Faerûn is already promising to be one of the most explosive. As it turns out, the series' eclectic band of monstrous adventurers has their sights set on Maskyr's Eye, although they'll never make it there alive if Valindra Shadowmantle has her way.

Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers #2

Written by CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS
Art by DENIS MEDRI
Colors by DAN JACKSON
Letters by LUCAS GATTONI
Main cover art by ELIZABETH BEALS
Variant cover art by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA

The official solicit synopsis for Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers #2 from Dark Horse Comics reads, "The monster party embarks on a quest to win their freedom from the infamous Valindra Shadowmantle! But the lich and her lackies aren’t the only obstacles faced by Tilli’s team. When the monsters arrive in the village of Maskyr’s Eye, they are treated as just that by the local residents. Our abhorrent adventurers will need all their skill and cunning (plus a few lucky rolls) to make it through alive!"

A former moon elf turned infamous lich, Valindra Shadowmantle has been a fan-favorite part of the Dungeons & Dragons mythos ever since she was introduced in R.A. Salvatore's 2008 novel The Pirate King. In the years since, Valindra Shadowmantle has gone from a relative obscure albeit instantly iconic figure to one of the most beloved villains to arise from the modern era of Dungeons & Dragons.

What Is Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers?

Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers was teased back in March, with fans getting their first glimpse at the series first issue, as well as an idea of what to expect from the decidedly unheroic adventuring party at the heart of the series. Rather than revolving around the likes of sorcerers, bards, or barbarians, Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers features a lycanthrope, gelatinous cube, mind flayer, death knight, and baby beholder who join forces to delve deep into the lair of the wizard Custos in the hopes of tricking a band of actual adventurers into setting them free from their immortal servitude to their now deceased master.

While fans will still have to wait until July for the first issue of Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers, it isn't the only Dungeons & Dragons comic book series ripe for reading. Fans can also follow along with the unlikely heroes of Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks in their currently ongoing limited series, which is spun out of the events of their own novel series by author Jaleigh Johnson.

For Dungeons & Dragons fans hoping to add a little more horror to their regular reading list, Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft is set to arrive in August to provide them with just that. Written by Amy Chu with art by Ariela Kristantina, colors by Arif Prianto, and letters by Haley Rose-Lyon, Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft will drop readers into the middle of the franchise's infamous interdimensional plane, which is set to be in the midst of falling apart at the very seams of space and time.

Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers #2 from Dark Horse Comics is slated to arrive in stores everywhere on Sept. 2.