The first two issues of Sleepy Hollow: Witches of the Western Wood have shown the depths to which Sarah Archer is willing to sink to exact her revenge on the people of Sleepy Hollow. Not only did she take up the same black magic as her mother, but she’s also willing to use that magic on anyone who wrongs her. Sleepy Hollow: Witches of the Western Wood #3 reveals that this vindictiveness even spreads to her own sister, Mary. Once Mary catches a glimpse of the dark deeds Sarah’s committed, she resolves to take her gift and help the people of Sleepy Hollow… not knowing that Sarah will take this as an immense slight.
While Witches of the Western Wood has shown that Sarah and Mary’s relationship was the one pure link that Sarah still had in her life, this issue fully highlights how different they really are. Mary uses magic to heal others because she believes in the inherent goodness within mankind. Sarah, scarred by her childhood experiences, is harsher and more unforgiving. As she tells Mary in one scene, “I have become hard because this is a hard world.” Even if you’ve never seen the Sleepy Hollow film, you’ll be captivated by their dynamic thanks to Deliah S. Dawson.
That even extends to how the two sisters are treated in Sleepy Hollow: when Mary is around, they greet her with open arms, while Sarah receives curses and even has someone spit in her face. It’s in these moments that Jose Jaro’s artwork pops, as he pays close attention to the emotions running across the Archer sisters’ faces. Mary is almost always happy, with fear flickering across her face only when she learns what her sister is capable of. Sarah, on the other hand, seems locked in a state of growing rage that matches her inner thoughts – and that eventually leads to her taking what might be her most diabolical actions yet.
IDW
We also see more of Jaro depicting the horrors of the supernatural, especially in the opening pages, where the Archer sisters are confronted by the rabid fox that Sarah resurrected. The creature’s still a nightmare of patchwork flesh and feral hunger, and though we don’t see its death, once Sarah swings down the axe, there’s a horrifying “Slissh” sound courtesy of LetterSquids that implies its head has been severed. Xenon Hochar also splatters the page with liberal splashes of red, representing the blood that Sarah has shed and will continue to shed as she slips into darkness.
There is one moment that does stand out, though not for the reasons you’d think. In the present day, as Sarah recounts her tale to the occupants of Hell, she blames the Headless Horseman for not coming to her aid. It makes me wonder: how long until the Horseman actually does show up? This is a five-issue series, meaning that we’re roughly at the halfway point, and his presence is a key part of Sarah’s story.
Sleepy Hollow: Witches of the Western Wood #3 slowly drives a wedge between Sarah Archer and her sister Mary, as it shows that there might not be any line Sarah is unwilling to cross. Given how the Sleepy Hollow movie turned out, that’s a road lined with tragedy.
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