My Rating
“The Witches of the Western Wood – Part 04”
Killing becomes natural when performed out of love. For the good sister, her reputation Sarah sought to end. Old Theodore’s head was found pooled in blood, A patient lost, yet Mary remained his faithful friend.
A crow soon flies o’er Sleepy Hollow on the Devil’s breath, Its blackened wings carrying whispers of disgrace. Sarah plants her wicked seed beside poor Theodore’s death, Hoping all will see guilt upon sweet Mary’s face.
Yet evil eyes see nothing but the love they crave, Jealousy and bitterness now guiding Sarah’s hand. One sister heals, while the other digs a grave, And the Devil smiles upon his daughter’s wicked plan.
Review
This issue is ultra-gory and lacks some of the nuance found in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, the movie upon which this world is based. Writer Delilah S. Dawson now paints Sarah Archer as a bloodthirsty maniac—someone who really wouldn’t need a Headless Horseman to do her killing. Poor Theodore Fargis learns this lesson the hard way. Sarah’s jealousy toward her sister Mary has seemingly stripped away whatever humanity she had left, and murder has become just another tool for getting what she wants.
Even the village of Sleepy Hollow seems to have grown considerably according to the artwork. In one panel, there appear to be large, multi-family buildings—or possibly some type of military barracks—looming in the background. Maybe I’m remembering the movie incorrectly, but I always pictured Sleepy Hollow as a relatively small farming community tucked away in upper New York. The architecture shown here makes the village feel much larger and more developed than the isolated settlement seen in Burton’s film. It’s a minor complaint, but one that caught my attention.
The Rating
With that said, I continue to enjoy Return to Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Woods and would certainly recommend the series to fans of the setting. Dawson has turned Sarah Archer into one hell of a villain, and at this point, I’m curious just how much further down the road to damnation she can travel. However, there needs to be some type of major explanation connecting the events of this series with the beginning of the movie starring Johnny Depp. We still have a lot of ground to cover before Ichabod Crane arrives in Sleepy Hollow.
For all my nitpicks, I’m still having a good time with the series. I give issue #4 another four out of five stars.
