THANK THE DARK GODS! Dark Horse Comics announces The Headless Horseman Halloween Annual 2024

All this sunlight got you down? Don't worry, goths and ghouls: David Dastmalchian, Leah Kilpatrick, Lukas Ketner, and more macabre masters have you covered

Image credit: Dark Horse Comics

Feature by Grant DeArmitt Contributing writer

Published on June 19, 2024

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Image credit: Lukas Ketner, Dark Horse Comics

Summer is here, and I'm already over it. Sorry, but the smiles and sunshine are a little much for the spooky kids like me. Thankfully, Dark Horse Comics is here to put some fall in the forecast, as Popverse is thrilled to announce the return of their spooky season staple, The Headless Horseman Halloween Annual. After their first anthology of abominations in 2023, Dark Horse has decided to resurrect the comic for a second go, and they're bringing some of the brightest stars in horror comics with them.

Er, darkest stars. You know what I mean.

Headlining the headless is Late Night with the Devil star David Dastmalchian, known in the comic world for creating the monster-hunting monthly Count Crowley. Dastmalchian is returning to writing duties for this second HHHA, joined by Lukas Ketner, who'll be pulling double shifts as both writer and illustrator.

Also on Team Text is YouTuber, horror hound, and returning writer Leah Kilpatrick, who will be joined by newcomers Ben Stenbeck and James Asmus. Both Stenbeck and Asmus have proven their creepy cred at Dark Horse before, with the Koshchei in Hell and Survival Street titles under their (respective) belts.

Image credit: Francesco Francavilla, Dark Horse Comics

Visceral visuals of the Headless Horseman Halloween Annual 2024 come from titans of terror Matt Smith, who you may recognize from Hellboy in Love, and Chris Panda of Pop's Chocklit Shoppe of Horrors. Rounding out the retinue of the reanimated are letterer Frank Cvetkovic and frequent horror cover artist Francesco Francavilla. You can see both Ketner's and Francavilla's covers for the anthology on this page.

Unfortunately, freaks and geeks, The Headless Horseman Halloween Annual isn't coming out right away. But the good news is that it'll be on shelves just in time for All Hallows Eve - with a release date currently set for October 23, 2024. Preorder it now at your local comic store.

Until then, my cryptic cadre, keep applying that sunscreen. If you tan too much, people might start to think you're alive.

In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." We couldn't agree more, which is why we think you should check out horror aficionado Greg Silber's list of the best horror movies of all time. Or, if you've already seen those classics, check out our list of the most underrated horror movies from the past couple years. And if you've already seen all of those, Let us tell you what to look forward to (or dread) in Popverse's list of upcoming horror movies.