It’s been decades since Ashley had a regular blog. Jason missed the big blogging phase the world went through in the aughts. This project is a fresh start for the both of us. If you’ve found this page we assume you know us from Geek History Lesson proper, however, as Stan Lee reminds us, everyone on this page is a new reader, an introduction feels like the place to begin.
“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” ~ Alice in Wonderland
We’ve written an abundance of fiction, reviews, and Tweets, so some of these facts might not be new to you, but they are more personal than my usual internet fare. You probably know Ashley immigrated from Canada to the United States and now hold dual citizenship. You probably know Jason grew up in Kansas before joining the military. You’ve probably heard me shrieking about comic books on my podcast (Geek History Lesson) which debuted in 2014, you probably know we self-identify as a proud Cat Mum and a person-who-has-a-cat. And you know we love comics!
As a companion to what we think you know about us we want to share some things we believe may have remained “lost in the weeds”. Confession time: we’ve struggled for years with how much of my personal life I want to share with the internet and are both in a place where we are actively opening up more to supporters - and especially new readers. Yes, we are the people who will talk to you at our convention table to make sure you know how important to the superhero genre Robin is - and why Tim Drake is the best of all potential Robins.
Up first, Ashley:
1. Autumn is my favourite season.
Living in Los Angeles, California for (nearly), my entire adult life has robbed me of the ability to enjoy seasonal shifts. I went from such an extreme winter clime to a chaparral. While I don’t miss the harsh winters nine months out of the year, I do miss the vibrant transmuting landscape of autumn. There’s nothing I miss more than a 18C day wearing pants, boots, scarf, and sweater, with a steaming hot cup of coffee in hand, and the sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet.
2. Foxes are my favourite animal.
Specifically the Vulpes Vulpes (red fox). Many people may think of me as an obsessive Cat Mum, but the animal with a straight line connecting to my heart is the red fox. If I lived in the world of His Dark Materials my daemon would be a red fox (we actually have a Geek History Lesson discussing our daemons if you would like to listen!). Astute readers will note red foxes fall right in line with the autumn colour palate mentioned above and would certainly look at home in a Northern American deciduous forest. Their beauty, their cunning, and their deep ties to Celtic mythology enrapture me. If you have never heard a fox laugh I encourage you to run down a Youtube hole on that.
3. The Lord of the Rings is my favourite fictional property.
I was young enough to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies - and move directly onto the books - when I was a child. My brain was still squishy and absorbent the way it is before you graduate to being a teenager. The impression it made has never left with me. Gondor and its history is a particular obsession of mine, whether that be the fictional history of the land itself (Numenor, Dunedain, all the way back to Elrond and Elros, et al), or Tolkien’s development of the country with its roots in the Byzantine Empire. I have a replica of Anduril, several pieces of Gondorian clothing, and all the LotR characters I love the most (except Frodo), have prominent ties back to Gondor.
If you would like to hear my squee-ing take a listen to our recent Fellowship of the Ring movie retrospective!
4. I need coffee to survive, but I know nothing about it.
When I was 12 my best friend’s mother bought me my first coffee (shout out to the Ice Cap from Tim Horton’s), and when I was 13 I fancied sitting around a café looking sad and reading book was the sexiest way to spend my time. Now that I’m no longer 13 I have a tough time making it through the day with what I jokingly call, “Dirt Water”. However, I need my coffee sweet, which largely robs me of a sense of the beans’ quality. I can only tell if coffee is very, very bad. I can rarely tell if it is very, very good. My favourite cup of coffee I ever had was in a beautiful café in Berlin, Germany.
Speaking of Deustchland ...
5. Ich lerne Deutsch.
For years and years I’ve wanted to study German. Along with the disaffected youth-in-a-café vibe I’ve always romanticised being a polyglot. I read about Cleopatra and Elizabeth Tudor being celebrated as up-and-coming young women for their fluency and easy in many languages. When I’ve visited Germany in the past the sweet people I encountered always encouraged me to try out my baby German and never once made fun of what I’m sure was a funny accent. Now I’m pursuing my education in one of my ancestral languages. Ich liebe meine Katze!
Now, meet Jason!
1. I wanted to draw comic books.
Growing up my inspiration was to go to the Kubert school. With comic book having been such an integral part of my childhood I always knew I was somehow going to tell my own stories in the medium. It wasn’t until I was in high school and began comparing my teenage art to the output of professional comic book artists that I gave up. My advice as someone who is no longer a teenager? Never judge yourself the way I did. There was no reason I needed to be holding myself to the standard of working professionals. It was a ridiculous thing to do! Always chase your dreams. Happily, I now write comic books. A secret? I do still draw storyboards and references for my own comics … and I talk about it in our podcast episode on our award-nominated series Jupiter Jet!
I would be remiss if I didn’t also encourage you to pick up a copy of Jupiter Jet while you’re here.
2. Iced tea is my favorite drink.
Coffee is always present at the Geek History Lesson table - as you can probably tell from Ashley’s segment above - but I want you to know there is also iced tea. As a midwest boy sweet tea is what I think of when I think of iced tea. Refining my own specific iced tea recipe has been a process I’ve worked on for the past couple years. There is no longer white sugar in my recipe, but there is a brewing process which lasts exactly 6 minutes for my optimal cup. Coffee never stuck with me, but tea did!
3. I loved Westerns.
As someone who was raised in the United States of America, there are very few mediums and art forms unique to us. So much of what we think of as Western arts come to us by way of Europe. Jazz is a truly American art form. Comic books are a truly American art form. Westerns are a truly American art form. Comic books probably pop into mind if you know me, Westerns maybe not as much. We explore the love of Westerns in an episode of Jason & Ashley’s Excellent Adventures from 2021 that was really fun. Through the Joseph Campbell narrative structure lens, what I love about Westerns is the pitting of a human being against such harsh elements. Throw in an Ennio Morricone score and I’m a happy camper.
4. Cyclops is my favorite X-Men.
“What about Wolverine!?” I hear you scream. Don’t get me wrong. Logan is great. He’s part of Cyclops’ family. There’s a joke at home about my affinity for all things Summers Family. The origin of this love begins and ends with Scott Summers. He’s a character it’s super easy to overlook because he is the “fearless leader”. Like Jack from Lost, he has to be responsible. Scott has to fulfill his mentor’s hopes and dreams and all the promise of what the X-Men represent due to his position as adjunct leader from the character’s very inception. Unlike many comic book character he has also been allowed to change. If you don’t know what I mean I recommend you read Uncanny X-Men vol 1 immediately.
5. If I were a carpenter …
… I would need to have a little more time. With so much of my passions and hobbies now being jobs it’s often hard to come up with what I like to do “as a hobby”. Presently, I consider myself an amateur carpenter. A little more space and a little more time and I could build you a table in no time. As it stands, I practice making smalls projects or gifts for friends and family. I’m a wild man with a solderer!