The Headless Horseman
The legend of the Headless Horseman has been around in various countries folklore. The most well known is the tale by Washington Irving that was written in 1820. The Legend of Sleepy Hallow tells a tale that begins in Sleepy Hollow, New York, during the American Revolutionary War. In the traditional folklore, the Horseman was a Hessian trooper who was killed during the Battle of White Plains in 1776. He was decapitated by an American cannonball, and the shattered remains of his head were left on the battlefield. Afterwards, his comrades hastily carried his body away, where they buried him in the cemetery of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow.
In time, he rises as a malevolent ghost, furiously seeking for his lost head. During his search, he wields a Jack-o’-Lantern as a temporary replacement and/or weapon. The modern versions of the story often refer to his rides to Halloween, around which time the battle took place. But leave it the folks of Zenescope to find a unique way to include the character into their plethora of quality books. This time, in Belle: Headless Horseman.
Inspiring the Youth
Our story starts with a speech. A speech that Belle, in her guise as school teacher plans to deliver to the 8th grade graduation class. As a whole, it is quite intense and perhaps, a little too much so for 8th graders. At least that is what her friend Mel thinks after hearing it. Not that anyone could blame Belle for being somewhat fatalistic in her beliefs. That is what happens when you spend most of your time being a Monster Hunter.
Although, it ran in the family. Her mother performed that job before her and now it is her legacy. Perhaps the last in the generational line if her “dating” history is any indication. But that is not important right now. What is important is the remains of her family home…or what’s left of it. I guess that is what happened when you are the victim of a Kraken. But the memories of her past resurface as she shifts through the rubble of what was once a fine estate. At least until Mel contacts her and breaks her journey through the past. A police report has been put out that appears to be something Belle might want to look in to. Something about a decapitation. Two of them to be precise, in the city. Not something you run into every day. That IS something Belle needs to explore.
Keeping your Head
Elsewhere, a young woman is discovering the police report wasn’t mistaken. She scrambles to escape as a headless man on horseback attempts to catch her. On his belt, he wears the heads of two other unfortunate victims. Ones that apparently were not finished talking. It is the heads that proclaim their search for vengeance. Exactly for what is unknown. But the girl in question doesn’t really care. All she wants to do is escape. Fortunately for her, Belle appears in the nick of time to thwart his attempt to add the girl’s head to his belt. As she faces off with the mysterious rider, she tells the young woman to run. This was apparently necessary as she remained frozen in the spot. No doubt because of shock. Belle finally got her to get moving as she tried to keep the headless being’s attention. Which wasn’t easy as he was very one-track minded.
As Belle faced off with the entity, she was somewhat distracted by the voices coming from his belt-heads. Plus, it was disconcerting to her that all her quips and one-liners were falling on deaf ears…or no ears. Regardless, she needed to be careful. Because she found out early on that he could hurt her. The cut on her shoulder was more than enough evidence of that. However, as she attempted to press her attack, he had vanished. Not something, or someone you want roaming about. She needed to find him. The question would be, can she stop him? And who was responsible for his appearance. That would be explained, as you read on in Belle: Headless Horseman.
Thoughts
Zenescope excels in telling familiar stories in a original and exciting format. We can put Belle: Headless Horseman into their pantheon of such books. Writer Dave Franchini tells this tale in such a manner that even if you hadn’t been following the Belle books, you could still get sucked in to the narrative. The intrigue of the Headless Horseman mythos assists into making that so. It also helps that Franchini has made the Horseman a formidable foe for Belle. No easy victories here. She must use all her strength and smarts, if she has hopes to prevail. This makes for a page turner of a story that captures you even if you are NOT familiar with Belle.
Artwork
Another thing that Zenescope doesn’t mess around with is the artist they choose to bring their stories to life. I have NEVER read a Zenescope book where the art doesn’t impress the hell out of a reader. Belle: Headless Horseman is certainly no exception. Artist Julias Abrera kills (so to speak) from the first panel to the last. Whether it be in the spash pages, the fight scenes or just simple scenery or conversation, Abrera makes every panel a work of art. Combined with colorist Juan Manuel Rodriguez, this book is exceptional in visuals and in word. Be sure to check it out when it comes out on October 6th.
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Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
