“Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood” goes back to the story of Sarah Archer, her twin, and the creation of the Headless Horseman.

Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow world expands with prequel comic on Lady Van Tassel (exclusive)

"Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood" goes back to the story of Sarah Archer, her twin, and the creation of the Headless Horseman.

By Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in *Vanity Fair*, Vulture, IGN, and more.

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January 20, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

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The Headless Horseman of Tim Burton's 'Sleepy Hollow'. Credit:

Paramount/Courtesy Everett

After the release of *Return to Sleepy Hollow*, a five-issue comic book sequel to Tim Burton's 1999 Headless Horseman movie, publishing imprint IDW Dark expands the world yet again with a new prequel.

Dropping its debut issue on May 6, *Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood* goes back to depict the origins of Lady Mary Van Tassel (Miranda Richardson's character in Burton's film) and the beginnings of her connection with the Headless Horseman.

** can exclusively reveal the details and a first look at the prequel comic from writer Delilah S. Dawson and artist Jose Jaro.

Luana Vecchio's variant cover for 'Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood'.

Jose Jaro's cover art for 'Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood'.

“I've been a fan of *Sleepy Hollow* since I saw it in the theater in 1999 and a fan of Tim Burton since *Pee Wee's Big Adventure*, so getting to play in a world as dark and whimsical as I am has been an absolute treat," Dawson says in a statement to EW. "I once had a lucid dream in the witch cave while falling asleep to the movie, which now almost feels like a portent of what was to come; this world lives in my bones. Prepare yourself to learn the secret history of Lady Van Tassel and her relationship with the Horseman — if you dare!”

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Before she was known as Lady Van Tassel and terrorized the town in New York with her ghostly avenger, Mary went by the name Sarah Archer, a young girl trying to survive her witch of a mother. Some of this backstory was glimpsed in scenes depicted by Burton on screen, but the comic will dig much deeper.

Character art for the Archer twins in 'Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood'.

Character art for the Headless Horseman in 'Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood'.

According to the official plot description from IDW Dark, "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."

"We wanted to understand this fearsome witch and the Horseman a bit better, and Paramount has been a wonderful partner in doing so — allowing us to push the story to be darker and more horrific than anything Sleepy Hollow has seen before," Riley Farmer, an editor on the comic, says. "And the way that Jose Jaro is bringing that horror to life is captivating (and sometimes gruesome!). I can't wait for readers to see the Horseman's first ride — heads will roll!”

Sara Richard's cover art for 'Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood'.

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The sequel comic kicked off last October with a story set 15 years after the events of *Sleepy Hollow*. It brought back the characters of Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel, played by Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci in the movie.

Like *Return to Sleepy Hollow*, *The Witches of the Western Wood* will be a five-issue limited series. Pre-orders for the debut issue are due March 30.

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Source: “EW Comic”