Deep in the mountains of Pennsylvania lies the town of White Ash; a small and mostly proudly redneck community covered year-round by a thick layer of coal dust. There we find Aleck, a begrudging lifelong resident of White Ash. With a coalmining father and having the displeasure of working for the richest man in town, Aleck is heading off to college. He hopes to make his hometown a memory. As Aleck says his goodbyes, a mysterious killer known as Seth makes his way into the town. Although there is a clear lust for blood, Seth’s motives and powers remain unclear. However, a mine explosion injures Aleck’s father. He now must stay behind and discover the secrets hidden underneath the soot.
White Ash is a perfect example of a the phrase “more than meets the eye”. Firstly, there are the characters, who are all mostly hiding something. Whether that be secret affairs, a dwarven lineage, or even that they used diapers until the age of 22. There is so much backstory and lore in both the residents and the town itself. Well-paced and non-clunky, the delivery is stellar. All of the characters brim with plenty of personality and motivations. This makes them more than just “another” elf, dwarf or human.
Aleck and Lillian also really stand out to me as joint main characters, and comparable opposites. Lillian, like Aleck, is stuck in a place she doesn’t want to be in. Both are motherless with fathers keeping obvious secrets from them. While Lillian is a trained and mostly calculating fighter, Aleck embodies brashness and courage, moving with his heart and not his head. They both have potential to be great individual protagonists. But the draw is in how they work so splendidly together.
For me, the highlight of White Ash is how well everything comes together. The town itself is alive, and reminiscent of towns I have lived in throughout my youth. The lore is deep and intriguing; with only six chapters currently out, the introduction impresses with information without feeling like an exposition dump. I believe this is because we as the readers remain mostly in the dark with the main character; we learn new information when Aleck does. There is a clear and sequential process to the journey. This allows us to not feel overwhelmed and also not instantly demand more.
White Ash is beautifully drawn. The people and the settings are vibrant and full of character. Emotions come across despite no words spoken due to the expert use of color and light. While I remain intrigued and drawn by the story, the stand out moments to me are the action. Lillian displays incredible agility and archery prowess; Seth is a brutal and cold-blooded beast. These are impactful and key moments that I simply want more of. Especially because of how fluid and natural they look on the page.
It is not very often that a story can easily hook me in. But White Ash does. I breeze through the six chapters only to read them again twice more. I think there is something very special about White Ash. Maybe it’s because it’s funny and weirdly realistic. I feel that if this is a story about a mountain town and a murder, even with no added magic or mystical forces, it might still work. It would work because the characters have and can stand outside of these traits. Yet the story isn’t harmed by it’s fantastic nature; it is exponentially more intriguing due to it. This town feels like a realistic scenario of what would happen if these creatures live amongst us in this day and age; like you may stumble upon them on a drive home at any point in time.
Above all, White Ash is just a hell lot of fun. There is murder, mystery, romance, elves, dwarves, and so much more! And that’s only a taste of what the two-hundred plus pages have in store for you. It’s a true action fantasy adventure that you should absolutely not miss.
Eager to read something quite fantastic? White Ash is available via Scout Comics. Sound off in the comments or send us your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter!
