My Rating
“The Headless Horseman Rides Again”
Was the Headless Horseman real? That’s what Matt Carter’s children asked Duke Durbano as he finished telling them the classic story by Washington Irving. How could he say no when their father was decapitated near the famous township only days prior. “It’s only a story,” Duke replied as their mother sent them to bed. It was true, Matt Carter was a New York Police Detective, and he was following up on a racketeering case upstate near Sleepy Hollow, but that’s as far as the similarities went.
But, what happened to Ichabod Crane in the story? Washington Irving must have based the story on some true facts? Matt’s wife asked hypothetically. She knew Duke was a Private Investigator by trade, he must have thought about it at some point. Duke frowned at the idea. Matt had been investigating one of New York’s most corrupt attorneys, Bones Bullinger, for years now. It was not some ghost or goblin who had murdered his best friend, all signs point to Bullinger.
As the two discussed the matters further, the sounds of car tires squealing up the Carter family’s driveway, then a heavy object came crashing through the front bay window. Duke yelled for everyone to get down on the ground. It was a bomb for sure, and he sprinted toward the package now laying on the livingroom floor. The Detective grabbed the device and pitched it back out the broken window. As he dove behind the nearby couch a large explosion rocked the house.
Duke yelled to Matt’s wife to call the cops. He then ran out the front door, jumped into his Triumph and gunned the engine. The killers couldn’t have gotten far! Duke floored the gas and began a car chase that would take him through New York city and northward toward the Hudson River.
What evidence had brought Detective Matt Carter to the infamous town of Sleepy Hollow? Does Duke Durbano really believe his friend was decapitated by a corrupt New York attorney? Could the Headless Horseman still haunt the backroads near the Hudson River? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
Where do I begin with this one? If you’ve bought Supernatural Thrillers #6 for the original story adaptation, this is not the book you’re looking for. This story is set in the modern world of 1973’s New York city, and revolves around the murder of police Detective Matt Carter.
As the plot progresses, a private investigator chases a car full of hitmen upstate to the town of Sleepy Hollow. The actions continue as the men face supernatural forces which lead to a twist ending. This story really pales in comparison to the original Washington Irving classic. I would compare Supernatural Thrillers #8 to one of those low budget SiFi channel knockoff movies.
There is one flub I caught in the writing. The dead police officer’s name is Matt Carter. In one scene, the head villain Bones Bullinger calls him Matt Slater. Roy Thomas should have caught this during the editing stage.
As a reviewer I try to add value to my posts by pulling as much interesting metadata out of the stories a possible. One of the data points I look for is the various makes and models of vehicles, aircraft, and other recognizable items within the comic books. I’ve been lucky so far in the identification process until this issue.
The penciller, George Tuska, really seems to struggle with drawing vehicles here. There were three cars in this issue. I was able to identify Duke’s roadster with 100% assurance. The hitman’s car I believe is some type of Mercury, but the front view is really odd. Duke’s replacement vehicle morphs so much between scenes I have no idea what it could be.
Overall I thought the story was a bit thrown together. It was a unique concept, I just don’t think Gary Friedrich pulled it off very well. I’m going to give this issue three out of five stars.
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