Reading: ASH & THORN VOL. 1: RECIPE FOR DISASTER - Mariah McCourt (author), Soo Lee & Jill Thompson (illustrators)

Prose: Putting together issues 1-5 of the popular comic series, this is volume one of a graphic novel where the Apocalypse is at hand, and the world's only chance at a savior comes in the form of ... a crotchety old African-American gal with dreads named Lottie Thorn, who - along with her equally old trainer/mentor, Lady Peruvia Ashligton-Voss - drinks coffee and bakes a lot, in between Lottie honing her skills in kicking bad-ass creatures, preparation for the biggest of Big Bads to come.

Don's: Storywise, there's a lot to like here; I was originally drawn to reading it when I saw it compared to "The Golden Girls" meets "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" - and indeed, Lottie is built like Dorothy and has the same lack of tolerance for stupidity or baddies, while the chubby Lady Peruvia kind of feels like a Rose with more brains. The banter between these two is fun, as is the story, much of about Lottie's efforts to train even as she's already forced to fight monsters already seeping over into our world prior to the big invasion, as the graphic novel both plays up and pokes fun at various tropes of the genre. For me, though, the story just seemed a bit padded in the middle, to where I wasn't rushing to pick it up for some time, before finally getting to the final battle - and subsequent hint at a sequel - all of which, while fun reading it, afterward left me with wanting more. I'd also kind of fallen for the book's cover art, but to me inside the book the illustrations weren't up to the same style; darker, coarser, and with muted tones, the artwork is well-done and fits the mood of the dramatic part of the story, but for this reader didn't also reflect the wonderfully dry sense of humor sprinkled throughout, as well. Definitely worth a read, but will wait and see what volume two has in store before deciding to continue on with the series.  3/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.