IDW Digs Deeper Into the Headless Horseman’s Lore With ‘Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood’ Comic Series

IDW is returning to the gothic world of Sleepy Hollow with Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood, a prequel that leans fully into the story’s occult roots rather than its mystery.

Set for release on May 6 with multiple variant covers, the series revisits the mythos popularized by Sleepy Hollow but shifts the focus to something more intimate and unsettling.

Instead of Ichabod Crane, the narrative centers on Mary Van Tassel before she became one of the story’s most sinister figures.

“Before Mary Van Tassel terrorized the town of Sleepy Hollow with the devilish Headless Horseman, she was Sarah Archer – a young girl trying to survive her witch of a mother. Sarah and her twin are raised in the wild Western Wood, taught the ways of witchcraft, and forced to endure abuse and neglect. But a chance encounter with the hellish Hessian at the moment of his beheading lights a fire in Sarah, giving her the power to overcome those who have wronged her and grow into a fearsome witch.”

From writer Delilah Dawson and artist Jose Jaro comes the tale of Sarah Archer’s corruption and the Headless Horseman’s first ride.

In revisiting Sleepy Hollow, IDW is not tackling a familiar tale; instead, they are asking what creates a villain and whether monstrosity is born or made.

Here’s the artwork.