Ahoy Comics
(w) Mariah McCourt (a) Soo Lee (c) Pippa Bowland (l) Rob Steen
Ash & Thorn is a Lovecraft style horror tale mixed with some Buffy the Vampire Slayer with an added comedic dash of the Golden Girls. When guardian, Lady Peruvia Ashlington-Voss, went to find the new champion to train little did she know what to expect. The new chosen one, Lottie Thorn, isn’t so new. Lottie is a grey dread locked retiree looking well past her prime. Can our guardian train this old woman some new tricks? Lottie does seem to have a naturally deadly swing with a cast iron skillet. Will these two little old ladies rise to the challenge? Can they save the world from the upcoming apocalypse? And what is a Tirmek Hound anyway? If you are looking for something different to read this is the comic for you. Plus don’t forget to read to the very end of issue #2 to find the “apocalyptically” delicious recipes from Pickle’s pantry.
The Creative Team
Writer – Mariah McCourt is a longtime editor in the comics field and has worked for both DC and IDW. She has also written an adaptation of Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones with IDW and September Mourning with Image.
Artist – Soo Lee has worked with a lot of comic publishers including BOOM!, Dynamite, Black Mask Studios, Aftershock and Ahoy. Besides working on Ash & Thorn Lee is also working with Mark Russell on Billionaire Island.
The Work
Mariah McCourt is definitely having fun turning the trope of the chosen one on it’s head. The banter and complaining of our two little old heroines is really funny and creates a great chemistry between them. It also makes for a great counterpoint to the rest of the story, giving McCourt lots of space to swing back and forth from horror to comedy. Also her choice of placing this Lovecraft style horror tale in modern day makes for a great contrast between the mundane life of for example a community town hall meeting discussing the construction of a local community center and the plotting of demons trying to take over the world.
Soo Lee’s art is great at capturing the moods and expressions of the characters which adds greatly to McCourt’s storytelling. Her action sequences work well too, not to mention the depiction of Lottie’s aches and pains in the aftermath. Lee’s art works well in both showing the reader the humor and the horror of Lottie’s and Peruvia’s situation.
This series is well worth reading and should be follow where McCourt and Lee take us next. Issue #2 comes out on Wednesday, July 8, 2020.