It’s been six weeks since the Sleepy Hollow hiatus began, and if you’re anything like me you’re really starting to miss the weekly adventures of Abbie, Ichabod, Jenny, Frank, and the other inhabitants of the little New York town. I’ve been reading my way through the various Sleepy Hollow publications on offer to see which are worth reading over the summer.
Sleepy Hollow Comics Series (Boom Studios)
The Sleepy Hollow comics were a four-issue mini series that came out at the end of last year. Each issue contains two stories, the longer main story written by Marguerite Bennett (Butterfly, Superman: Lois Lane) and illustrated by Jorge Coelho (Loki: Agent of Asgard, Venom) and a second short story at the end written by Noelle Stevenson (Lumberjanes).
Issue one begins with a series of miracles sweeping the town: A blind woman’s site is restored and a young girl is able to stop an oncoming truck from crushing her little brother. However when the miracles begin to backfire, Abbie & Ichabod somehow realize that Abaddon and witch Serilda (whom they destroyed in season one) are behind the events. Although all the stories link together, the main story begins in issue two and concerns a musical puzzle box which Ichabod discovers in Corbin’s cabin. Soon the box begins to consume him. Abbie discovers, with help from a vision from Katrina, that the box contains the soul of an 18th Century “mad scientist” imprisoned within it by Katrina’s coven. The song it plays becomes stuck in the heads of all who hear it. Naturally, Abbie and Jenny save Ichabod, however the box is not done with them yet and soon they find themselves fighting an even greater evil that has been released. As much as I enjoyed the main story, I found myself impatient to reach the end and the short stories from Noelle Stevenson. These shorts have little to do with the horror of Sleepy Hollow and focus entirely on the sillier side of the show as Ichabod explores a mall, shares a movie night with Abbie, and visits a county fair amongst other things. To use fanfic terminology these are pure illustrated fluff and fantastic for it.
The Sleepy Hollow comics reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series in the way they mix humor with horror, and mundane reality with bizarre other worlds, as we enter both Purgatory and a nightmare realm created by a mad scientist. They also serve as a fantastic introduction to the show for anyone who hasn’t yet been watching. No prior knowledge is necessary. Although the comic series has now ended, you can pick up each issue on Amazon in Kindle format or direct from Boom via their online shop. A trade paperback comprising all four issues is due out in September.
Children of the Revolution
If you’re looking for something a bit more wordy, the first official Sleepy Hollow novel is also available. Children of the Revolution is written by Keith R. A. DeCandido, author of dozens of spin off novels including stories set in the universes of Star Trek, Supernatural, Farscape, and others. Interestingly the novel also focuses on the witch Serilda and her coven, the remnants of which are attempting to resurrect their leader by stealing six magical artifacts known as the Congressional Cross of which Ichabod was a recipient.
The book does an excellent job of weaving real historical facts from the Revolutionary War era with fictional supernatural events in just the manner of the TV show. In fact the blending of fact and fiction was so successful that I, as a Brit who was never taught the subject at school, struggled to identify just where the boundaries between fact and fiction lay. The book is set during the TV show’s first season which dates it a little now. Katrina is still trapped in Purgatory and Henry’s true origins have only just been revealed, however this does not affect how enjoyable the story is. In fact, I found myself wanting to learn more about the real events that form the historical background. If you have older children who are able to handle the scarier side of the show, then Sleepy Hollow might be a great way to get them interested in US history.
If that’s still not enough Sleepy Hollow for you, a one-shot comic, Sleepy Hollow: Origins, is out this week and features five short stories that give us an insight into the origins of Abbie, Ichabod, Jenny, Henry, and the Hessian. You can also pick up The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane by Alex Irvine, and even more official releases will be due out in September alongside season three of the show. Roll on fall!
GeekMom received these items for review purposes.
