“Ash & Thorn” is a post-apocalyptic comedy that subverts the typically young female protagonist in favor of Lottie, an octogenarian, retired art instructor trying to live out her golden years. Instead, Lottie becomes the chosen champion tasked with saving the world from hordes of giant insects, demons, and Cthulhu horrors. The five issue AHOY Comics miniseries is written by Mariah McCourt (“Stitched: The First Day of the Rest of Her Life,” “True Blood: All Together Now”), art by Soo Lee (“Strange Attractors,” “Charlie’s Angels Vs The Bionic Woman”), colors by Pippa Bowland (“Repairman Jack,” “You are Obsolete”), letters by Rob Steen (“Second Coming,” “Wolverine and the X-Men”), and covers by the legendary Jill Thompson (“Wonder Woman,” “Swamp Thing”). In the interview that follows, McCourt discusses the balance of humor and horror in her story as well as the women who inspired the creation of the comic’s characters. The first issue hits stores on April 1st.
We’ve also got the exclusive reveal of the fourth issue’s cover by Thompson, which follows the interview.
Written by Mariah McCourtCover by Jill Thompson
Illustrated by Soo Lee
Colored by Pippa Bowland
Lettered by Rob SteenThe 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.
How has being an editor influenced your work as a writer? Because you have experience as a project manager, do you think you write differently for artists than most comic book writers?
Mariah McCourt: It’s actually my background in illustration that influences how I write for artists the most. I’m very visual as a writer and I try to keep that in mind when writing for artists, balancing how I’m describing something while knowing the artist will almost definitely have a better or more interesting idea. Where my editor experience comes in is not being afraid to cut my own dialog down to let the art breathe and tell the story. I think it helps me be less precious about my writing since comics are a visual medium. You have to respect what the artist is bringing to it and let go of your own expectations a lot.
Lottie and Lady Peruvia are far from the typical protagonists found in the pages of most comics. What are the challenges or differences in writing more senior characters?
MM: For me, I wanted to make sure that while we’re poking fun at several tropes in this story, we aren’t mocking being older. There are assorted complications with aging that definitely come up, and Lottie in particular is well aware of the challenges and absurdities in the situation, but her age and experience outside of being a “chosen one” ends up being very important to the narrative. Older characters are, for me, especially thrilling to write because you have to really consider a lifetime of experiences and knowing who they are for so long, while still making sure they grow and have satisfying character arcs.
The sequence where Lottie meets Lady Peruvia and discovers that she’s the latest champion of the realm seems to indicate that the universe has made a mistake. As the main characters of your story, how are Lottie and Lady Peruvia necessary to tell this post-apocalyptic tale? In other words, why did this story scream for older characters?
MM: I grew up with my grandmothers who lived into their late 80’s, so I’ve been around older women my whole life. Many of my favorite characters are older women: Miss Marple, Granny Weatherwax, The Golden Girls. I’m 40 now, which I realize isn’t “old,” but there’s an invisibility that comes with aging when you’re a woman that I wanted to address with this book. You rarely see women as heroic main characters to begin with, and certainly not many over the age of 25. And there’s this fixation with “strong” female characters that often just means violent. Strength of character, to me, comes from more than the ability to punch something really hard. And older characters give you a lot to work with that way, since I think by the time you reach Lottie’s age, you know who you are. But you still have things to learn and grow from. To me, that’s always the most interesting aspect of any character, how a story changes and shapes them, and what remains the same.
Continued belowI really enjoy Soo’s work on “Ash & Thorn.” Her characters are expressive and distinct and her monsters are cartoony, but match the overall comedic tone of the comic. What has it been like developing this comic with Soo?
MM: Soo has been wonderful. She got the characters right away, especially the monsters, and has been balancing the humor with the horror perfectly. That’s not an easy thing to do! But horror/comedy is probably my favorite mixed genre and I’ve loved seeing how Soo develops the characters and lets their individual personalities shine on the page. Also, Pippa Bowland has really upped the entire horror vibe with her colors!
The monsters in the first issue range from the demonic to the Lovecraftian. What fantasy and horror stories are you pulling from when writing Lottie and Lady Peruvia’s foes?
MM: Well, the Lovecraft/cosmic horror elements are pretty obvious, so there’s that. I’m also a huge Buffy person so there’s not a small amount of influence there. There’s also a lot of Stranger Things and 80’s monsters like the grotesquerie in Carpenter’s The Thing in this as well. Later in the series we delve into more psychological horror along with the monsters, a lot of trippy weirdness and the ways we can twist ourselves up inside. That’s always interesting to me and not really influenced by anything but my own anxieties, fears, and struggles with mental health and the state of the world right now.
Did you have a hand in designing Lottie and Lady Peruvia? The monsters?
MM: Character design is one of the areas where my art background comes up. I tend to be very detailed and particular about how characters look and can get very specific in my character descriptions. Character is, to me, what every story hinges on so I usually have a very clear idea of that in my head. Soo was wonderful about that and brought her own style and take to it, giving these characters personality and quirks all her own.
Later in the issue, we meet Sarah, Lottie’s art student. What role will she play in the upcoming issues?
MM: Sarah definitely has more to do the series, since in most “chosen one” type tales she’d be the one tapped with saving the world. By switching that up, Sarah has an opportunity to explore the whole “world ending” scenario from a different POV and find ways to help Lottie with such a difficult and sudden responsibility.
Finally, after reading the first issue of “Ash & Thorn,” I can see this book going in a variety of different directions – Who are the previous champions? What was Lottie’s life prior to the oncoming apocalypse? Will Lottie win her pie-baking contest? Etc. What can you tease about what’s coming next for the series?
MM: We get a bit more into Lottie’s life in the upcoming issues, but as a retired art teacher, her life was pretty calm before the whole sudden apocalypse situation and previous champions (there’s a whole mythology there!). I have several other storylines mapped out that go deeper into the “chosen one” situation here, how the “good” fight never really ends, and what the consequences of power and constant apocalyptic threats are really like for those who fight them and the world they keep happening to. I can also tease this: Lottie has some EPIC baking situations coming up!
