Oak, Ash, and Thorn by Laurence Alison and Pebble Tay is the latest project from PSYComics currently seeking support via Kickstarter – and is very different in look to its other recent releases, Odysseus and Soul Breaker.
Pitched as “Roald Dahl Meets HP Lovecraft”, it’s an all ages tale of three ancient woodland creatures battling to keep the landscape alive: a comic steeped in the spirit of old folklore, echoing the haunting beauty and moral depth of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
Like those classic stories, Oak, Ash, and Thorn does not shy away from darkness. The woods are deep, the dangers are real, and the choices faced by the title characters, Oak, Ash and Thorn, guardians of nature, carry weight. Yet within that darkness lies something enduring: compassion, love, and the quiet but unstoppable power of the natural world.
Set in a land where ancient forests stand against the creeping march of industry, Oak, Ash, and Thorn tells a story of balance under threat. Smoke and iron spread across the countryside, cutting into sacred groves and obliterating gentle brooks. The forest is not silent, however. It remembers. It resists.
At the heart of the tale are characters who must navigate a world torn between progress and preservation. Oak, Ash and Thorn and their unlikely allies find themselves bound together by a struggle larger than any one life. The story explores how kindness can survive even in harsh places, how love can bridge the divide between worlds, and how nature – patient, ancient, and alive – can rise to challenge the machines that seek to tame it.
Written by Laurence Alison, loosely based on a song from 1906, beautifully illustrated by Pebble Tay, Oak, Ash, and Thorn combines lyrical storytelling with evocative artwork to bring its mythic world to life. Together, they craft a tale that feels both ancient and urgent – rooted in folklore, yet speaking directly to the modern struggle between nature and industry.
“Each page is handcrafted,” says children’s illustrator Pebble Tay, who started working on Oak, Ash, and Thorn last year. “No artificial intelligence or AI used. Painted with watercolours and arranged in photoshop. A time consuming process, but the results are worth it.
“The hard thing about comics is juggling the story and the art so this was nice.”
The hard work Pebble Tay has put into this is obvious. Watercolour takes like long time, as does reworking the art digitally for the comic page, but the end result, complemented by Laurence’s script, is simply astonishing.
“Pebble Tay’s illustrations are nothing short of breathtaking,” PSYComics Neil Roche rightfully enthuses. “Every page is alive with texture, movement, and atmosphere, inviting readers to step fully into the living forest and wander its shadowed paths. The art style is bold and adventurous, blending delicate natural detail with imaginative flourishes that give the world of Oak, Ash, and Thorn a sense of magic and depth. Twisted branches seem to stretch beyond the page, moonlit glades glow with quiet mystery, and the characters themselves are rendered with warmth, personality, and emotional depth.
“The visual storytelling is as powerful as the written word. Panels flow like winding woodland trails, sometimes quiet and contemplative, sometimes bursting with motion and adventure. The forest feels ancient and alive, filled with creatures, spirits, and hidden wonders. Each page invites you to pause, explore, and discover something new tucked among the leaves and shadows.”
“For younger readers, the artwork sparks imagination and curiosity, encouraging them to dream of enchanted woods and brave journeys. For older readers, it offers layers of symbolism and visual poetry that deepen the story’s themes of resilience, compassion, and the enduring bond between humanity and the natural world.
“In this way, Oak, Ash, and Thorn becomes more than a comic – it becomes an experience. Children of all ages will find inspiration in its pages: inspiration to explore, to care for the world around them, and to believe that even the smallest acts of kindness can grow into something powerful.”
Rich with dark fairy-tale sensibilities and lush visual storytelling, Oak, Ash, and Thorn is a story where roots break stone, forests whisper their will, and hope grows quietly in the deepest shadows.
Step into the woods. The old stories are waking again.
• Check out the Oak, Ash and Thorn Kickstarter here
The Creative Team
Laurence Alison is known for writing Hedrek, Out There, Warfighter, the recent Madness & Monsters, Circe and SoulBreaker. In 2026 he will be bring you (deep breath) Medusa, Circe Book II (with Simon Harrison), and Argonauts (with Stewart Kenneth Moore). Heartwood are also in the works. The man does not sleep!
Laurence is also a forensic psychologist and has studied interrogation, risk and extreme decision making for 30 years. He now works with Neil Roche on a small but ever-growing, quality indie publisher called PSYComics… which keeps him sane!
Pebble Tay is a self taught artist and children’s illustrator with a dream to see a comic in print. Illustration work includes the BLEAGH! series of six children’s picture books, written by teacher-turned-author Leana Lyn Doray.
Pebble had been practising for over a decade in many different mediums, and reached out to Laurence for a script. Laurence happily obliged and Oak, Ash and Thorn is the result of many months work in design, colour work and layouts. Pebble continues to grow and change styles and work and this shows the attention to detail in story telling and design work.
Follow Pebble’s Patreon here, or check out the Little Pink Pebble Facebook page for some process videos and more amazing art – and the Little Pink Pebble website for examples of other work
• Check out the Oak, Ash and Thorn Kickstarter here
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, Crowd Funding Projects, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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