With Ahoy Comics well received and cleverly done series Ash and Thorn reaching its conclusion, we still had some unfinished business. We have been fortunate to have talked to most of the all female creative dynamos behind this original tale. From writer Mariah McCourt, artist Soo Lee, Colorist Pippa Bowland, and Editor Sarah Litt. (I still haven’t given up on talking to cover artist supreme Jill Thompson) they have all shared how this team came together.
I quickly realized though, we hadn’t talked to the stars of the show. So in advance of the upcoming fifth issue, we welcome the ladies that have driven this story for the past four, Lottie Thorn and Peruvia Ashlington-Voss to Geek Vibes Interview. Thanks for talking to us ladies. We know you have an upcoming engagement.
Together: Thank You, Young Man.
So let’s start with our Champion, Miss Lottie Thorn:
GVN: Life has certainly changed for you in such a short time. But while we now know what has transpired to this point, we don’t know what lead up to it. So now that you have become a “celebrity,” let’s delve a little in your life before Miss Peruvia knocked on your door.
Lottie’s Youth
GVN: What were you like in your youth? Did you have lots of friends, were you a loner? What was young Lottie Thorn like?
Lottie: Oh, pretty average I guess. I always liked painting and crafts, anything creative with my hands. My Nana taught me to bake and cook. While, My mama taught me to knit and take no nonsense.
I picked up other creative skills along the way. Eventually, I went to art school and fell in love with everything to do with Expressionism for a time. I then did print-making, and botanical studies. These days I enjoy portraiture. Finally, I decided to teach. Especially little kids who struggle a bit, because art can help anyone communicate with others and themselves.
GVN: Sounds like you were pretty self-sufficient.
Lottie: I prefer my own company and I’m quite determined about things I care about which can be a little intense for other people. But I’ve always had some good, close friends, though I’ve sadly had to see a lot of them into the ground at my age.
GVN: That kind of goes along with aging I guess. Doesn’t make it any easier though. Along with your teaching, you appear to be very community active.
Lottie: I suppose you could save I’ve always been civic-minded. What’s going on around you in the place you live is just as important as what’s going on in the world. A lot of people can be hurting and struggling next door and you have to look out for them. We all matter.
Becoming a Champion
GVN: We do indeed. Now, let’s talk about the matters at hand. You seemed to accept everything that transpired with amazing grace. Most people would have excused the crazy old lady and her talk of battling monsters and went on with their life. You appeared to embrace the challenge you were given. What made you so easily adapt to the situation? Beside the fact that you suddenly had super powers?
Lottie: Probably all the fantasy, sci-fi, and horror I’ve read. That sounds like a joke but I think it’s at least a little bit true. Plus, life is weird. You don’t get to be the age of 80 without experiencing some strange things. And really, once you start seeing monsters ripping through time and space, you have to deal with it whether you think it should be happening or not.
Lady Peruvia Ashlington-Voss
GVN: No argument there. (Chuckles) So Miss Peruvia…You are the Guardian of Earth, Realm Three, Sector Nine. How does one get THAT gig?
Peruvia: The Ashlington-Voss’s have a very distinguished lineage and have been proud members of the elite supernaturals of this realm for centuries. We pass along the traditions of The Guardians to each generation. An Ashlington-Voss has served Earth since the fifth Beginning. It is bred into our bones.
GVN: I had no idea it was so lineage based. I apologize if I seemed flippant.
Peruvia: Not at all, Young Man.
A Champion is a Champion
GVN: Once you realized that Lottie was the Champion you were looking for, you immediately started her training. What would you have done if she told you, thanks, but no thanks? Or what if you realized that she would not be able to hold up to the fight (obviously she could) did you have another option?
Peruvia: A Champion is a Champion until death. It is my duty to support and train them regardless of any…hiccups in the system. Lottie may not be what I expected but we do what we must with what we have to work with.
GVN: Well you certainly have been working her hard. I believe I caught a glimpse of blue earlier. What was your relationship with Pickle? Had you dealt with him previously?
Peruvia: The fey are a tricky folk and I am not particularly thrilled with their involvement. Why Pickle has chosen to stay and be a pest, I don’t know. The fey like nothing more than games and trickery, however, so perhaps Pickle is simply entertaining himself.
[Authors Note:] Miss Peruvia had a previous engagement and excused herself at that time. Unfortunately, it was also during this time (for those of you who have been following the story) that circumstances made it impossible to follow up. We do thank Miss Peruvia for the time she did give us.
Miss Sarah
GVN: I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Sarah as I entered your lovely home. What was your relationship with Sarah? When do you meet, how long have you known her and why did you feel free to tell her about your Champion status?
Lottie: I’ve known Sarah since she was a toddler with a droopy diaper. She had the sweetest laugh you ever heard. We just always had a way with each other, an understanding if you will. We knew we were just a little bit different than everyone else in a lot of similar ways.The last few years I’ve been teaching her what I know about painting and baking, my favorite things. And I guess a bit about life, too! Since when you’re my age, you can’t help but know a thing or two about it.
Sarah is the kind of person who really listens to other people. She cares and she wants the world to be a better place than it is but she’s grounded. Sarah takes things as they come. She trusts me so the least I could do was trust her. Especially with giant squid like monsters around trying to eat everyone.
GVN: That would have been hard to explain otherwise, I suppose. But you certainly were right about her. She has really stepped up since she learned the truth. Even after facing imminent doom. It must give you a sense of pride that she has basically chosen her way because she believes in YOU!
Lottie [smiles] I’m proud of her. When the world is actually ending around you, it takes a strong person to stand up and fight back. I don’t think Sarah thought she had it in her but I did. There’s no one I’d rather be facing a cosmic monster who eats worlds with.
In Summary
GVN: Somehow, I think that’s not a statement you would have EVER thought to be making just a week or two back. But you ARE a Champion after all. Even Pickle admits that. So in closing, if you could paraphrase what this adventure has taught you to this point? What you would want others to learn from your experiences?
Lottie: You have to stand up and fight. Whether you’re pushing back against some crappy town ordinance or a tentacled demony thing, it all amounts to the same thing: you have to stand up for what’s right and fight back.
GVN: Even if all you have is “Gram’s Old Skillet.” 😉 Thank you so much Lottie. Best of luck to you and please take care. You be careful too, Sarah…Umm…Where did my car go?
Lottie: Sarah? Have you seen Pickle???
(We wish to thank writer extraordinaire Mariah McCourt for being the voice of her great creations. You are a good sport for playing along.)🖖🏻
Have you been following Ahoy Comics’s Ash and Thorn? If not, you should. It is a series with a fresh perspective and full of humor. It goes out of its way to set aside all the old tropes of what makes a superhero. Check out issues 1-4 so you’ll be ready when Issue 5 comes out next month. And don’t forget to read the extra stories and recipes you’ll find in every issue of Ash and Thorn.
Make sure to check out our podcasts each week including Geek Vibes Live, Top 10 with Tia, Wrestling Geeks Alliance and more!
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.
