Dark Horse Comics has announced a new annual tradition set to debut this October. The Headless Horseman Halloween Annual will feature five stories from an all-star lineup of horror comics creators, with the titular headless horseman displaying decapitated dressage throughout.
Here’s how Dark Horse describes the Headless Horseman Halloween Annual:
Boils, ghouls, vampires, monsters, and creatures of all kinds, welcome. Take a seat, go on, fill the aisles, relax your fangs, and sit with us for a while. Follow a macabre and magical journey through all the haunts and spooks that keep you up at night. Here you’ll revel in darkness for a chilling, nay PETRIFYING experience as the Headless Horseman presents a collection of five terrifying tales to warm up your cold soul. Hurry up now, you won’t want to keep them waiting…
If you’ve ever gotten lost while trick-or-treating, if writer’s block gives you a disproportionate sense of dread, if you won’t walk past that certain house down the road… just in case, if you have ever wondered why the new kid came to town or what could possibly make those spooky horror games even scarier, and especially if you think nothing can frighten you, this anthology is for you.
Among the creators contributing to the five stories included in the anthology are Angela Slatter, Lukas Ketner, Olivia Stephens, Phillip Sevy, Christie Porter, Leah Kilpatrick, David Dastmalchian, Valeria Burzo, Tyler Crook, Frank Cvetkovic, and more. The stories will come packaged with a main cover by Lukas Ketner and variant covers by Mike Mignola & Dave Stewart and Mark Spears.
In a statement announcing the one-shot, Dark Horse editor Megan Walker described how the book came together:
“Doing a Halloween-themed anthology has always been a dream of mine, and we were able to assemble a fantastic crew of creators to help carry out that vision. The book is full of fun, creepy, and iconic stories that will scare and delight readers, I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on it!”
Writers David Dastmalchian and Leah Kilpatrick also spoke about their experience working on a story called “Horror House” with artist Tyler Crook:
“Being able to write Horror House with David was such a gift to my spooky heart and seeing Tyler’s beautiful artwork bring it all to life was something truly special.” said writer Leah Kilpatrick. “It’s such a treat to be able to be a part of an anthology series and when that series is about Halloween what more can you want!”
“There is a controlled kind of magic in one-shot, anthological storytelling that follows a tradition of EC Comics, short films and even well-crafted jokes. Getting to collaborate with the amazing Leah Kilpatrick and one of my favorite artists, Tyler Crook, under Megan Walker’s guidance has been the perfect laboratory to cook up a twisted Halloween tale!” said writer David Dastmalchian.
Check out Mignola & Stewart’s variant cover for the one-shot below. The 56-page Headless Horseman Halloween Annual is due out in stores and digitally on Wednesday, October 23rd.
