Ash and Thorn #1 - NEW COMICS REVIEW
Ash & Thorn #1 is out June 24, 2020.
By Jacob Cordas — A: It’s late, man.
Jacob: I know it’s late. I just. I just can’t figure out this review. And I need to run it by somebody.
A: I mean.
Jacob: And it’s not that late.
A: I’m on Eastern Time right now.
Jacob: Oh. My bad.
A: It’s fine.
Jacob: Do you mind if I talk-
A: It’s. Go ahead.
Jacob: So like. I just read this comic called Ash & Thorn. Not just read. But I read this comic, Ash & Thorn #1.
A: And?
Jacob: It’s okay. I mean, it’s better than okay. I think.
A: You think?
Jacob: Well, it’s like. You know that feeling you get when you watch a mediocre pilot. Like Community? And you know this show is going to get really good? You can tell like Community did, but it’s not there yet?
A: Yeah.
Jacob: Well, it’s like that. All the parts are there. The story is dynamic. The characters are interesting enough. It’s a cool take off of Golden Girls.
A: Oh?
Jacob: Yeah. It’s like intersectional Golden Girls mixed with a hero’s journey urbany fantasy story. Kind of.
A: That sounds cool.
Jacob: It kind of is. It conceptually is. But that sounds too harsh.
A: It does, yeah.
Jacob: I don’t want it to be. I liked it. It’s just.
A: I mean we’re just talking. It’s not like anyone is gonna read this.
Jacob: Yeah. I just. I wish it were sharper. There’s a lot of cool ideas. I love how they associate her power with her femininity in the beginning. I love the different generations element. I really like that they draw a distinction between lived in ability and scholarly ability. Which is an especially valuable element considering the ages of the characters. And so many of the recent bad ass old women stories that have popped up often turn the bad ass women into just an older version of the strong woman trope. And of course, most of those are made by men so it’s really just a reskinning of it so they can keep doing it without acknowledging that’s what they’re doing.
A: Yeah.
Jacob: Yeah. And this is an all female creative team and it shows. Like the characters are way more dynamic than when men try to pull this shit. Hell, there’s only one speaking male part in the comic and it’s a demon so I don’t know if that even counts.
A: Men are demons.
Jacob: Fair.
A: Men are pigs.
Jacob: Yeah. I don’t disagree. I mean Maybe I’m being sexist? Like. Maybe I’m being harder on it than I need to be because it’s made by women? Like Jonathan Hickman never really wrote a good first issue till, I don’t know, HOX/POX? But I still signed off his work. I kept going with most it. Why is that okay but I’m here trying to tear down these clearly talented women?
A: I don’t know, man.
Jacob: I don’t know. I just want to read more, you know? I want to be able to fairly judge it. And really all of the problems are the kinds of things that get ironed out quickly after a few issues.
A: Okay.
Jacob: Preacher’s first issue sucked and it became one of the best comics ever.
A: I never got past the first issue.
Jacob: Yeah. That’s fair.
A: Yeah.
Jacob: You don’t care.
A: I do not care.
Jacob: I just want to get this right. Like the comic could be good and it’s filled with shit I like. The parts are all there. It just isn’t the sum of its part.
A: Then just say that.
Jacob: But I don’t want to say it in a way that hurts their ability to keep going. This comic absolutely deserves the space to improve. It be wrong to hold back something this promising. But how do I say that without hurting the odds of people buying it? How do i say that without sounding like an asshole?
A: You’re already an asshole.
Jacob: Oh. Yeah. I guess.
A: Okay. Just say you like it. It’s a promising start of a series that is marred by some issues you hope will be ironed out soon And that you still recommend buying it because the concept game is strong. Or something like that. Does that work?
Jacob: Yeah.
A: Awesome. I’m going to bed now.
Jacob: Yeah. Fine.
A: Night
Overall: It’s a promising start of a series that is marred by some issues I hope will be ironed out soon. That being said, the concept game here is so strong, I would still recommend buying it and watching how it grows. 7/10
Ash & Thorn #1
Writer: Mariah McCourt
Artist: Soo Lee
Colorist: Jill Thompson
Publisher: Ahoy Comics
Price: $3.99
The apocalypse is nigh! The world needs a Champion, and the only heir to a sacred mystical lineage is...a little old lady? Meet Lottie Thorn, reluctant savior of the world, and her also-elderly trainer Lady Peruvia Ashlington-Voss. They might not look it, but these women are prepared to take on any Big Bad that comes along. But first, perhaps a nice cup of tea? Every AHOY comic also features extra prose stories and illustrations.
Release Date: June 24, 2020
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My name is Jacob Cordas (@Jacweasel) and I am not qualified to write this.