Hollow

 Tell me a story...about what happens in the town of Sleepy Hollow

Hollow by Shannon Watters and Brandon Boyer-White

Publication date: October 4, 2022

Date read: October 9, 2022

Isabel “Izzy” Crane and her family have just relocated to the town of Sleepy Hollow - a town made famous by, and obsessed with, the legend of the Headless Horseman. But Izzy doesn’t believe in ghosts, and has enough to worry about with trying to navigate a new school and attempt to make friends. Vicky Van Tassel, descended from the Van Tassels of the famous story, is tired of her obligations to the town, and just wants to live a normal high school life. Soon the two girls, along with popular prankster “Croc” Byun, end up getting hunted by the Headless Horseman himself, and uncover a curse set on destroying the Van Tassel line. They only have until Halloween to attempt to break the curse and save Vicky, but without knowing exactly what they’re up against, do they really have a chance?

I’ve been requesting a lot of graphic novels on NetGalley lately, and the results have been hit or miss, but there have been a few that I have absolutely adored. This is one of those times. 

First, the not as great. I liked the artwork but didn’t love it. Everything up close in the frame was gorgeous. The details were there, but still simple enough to not get overwhelming. The color was perfect - dark enough for a creepy story, but it was still easy to tell what was going on and nothing bled together. My only disappointment was that when characters were small or in the background the detail was completely gone. And I know that you’re going to have less detail in the background, but the faces were completely blank and almost looked like dolls. I understand the decision, but it did take me out of the flow a few times. I also thought it was a little distracting at first that Izzy was so androgynous, but only because I thought that it was going to be a plot point (her perhaps being trans), and I kept expecting it to come up. Once it didn’t, it was fine, it just threw me off a little. (To clarify, though, her being trans or not being trans does not matter. I just thought she was a boy from the first few frames by the way she was drawn.)

That out of the way, I loved the characters. All three of our main characters were so well-developed and fun to be around - I would have read 200 more pages of them together. 

I thought it was great how the plot wasn’t dragged out, and instead of our skeptic, Izzy, spending half the book not believing in ghosts, she was relieved of that notion rather quickly. And I wish I could say more without spoiling things here, but I thought the take on the Headless Horsemen story was so much fun. I’ve never seen it done this way and I loved it. I will also add that you don’t need to be versed in the Washington Irving story in order to enjoy this - all important information regarding the Horseman and his story are explained. 

Overall, I absolutely loved this comic. Just a little creepy, but not so much that I think it would be off putting to non-horror fans. And just so much fun. Highly recommended to all readers, middle grade and up. 

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.