White Ash is an urban fantasy comic series that has been quietly building a dedicated following since it first launched on Kickstarter in 2017. Created by writer Charlie Stickney with art by Conor Hughes and colors by Fin Cramb, the series is set in a small mining town in Western Pennsylvania where elves and dwarves live in secret, and ancient evils are buried deeper than the coal under the mountain. The comparison to Supernatural is not just a marketing tagline—it is a structural and tonal match that makes White Ash a natural successor for readers who miss the Winchester brothers’ blend of family drama, small-town horror, and blue-collar grit.
What Makes White Ash Tick
The story follows Aleck Zwerg, the son of a coal miner who has spent his whole life planning to leave White Ash behind. Just as he is about to head off to college, an accident at the mine traps him in town for three more days. During that time, he falls into the orbit of the enigmatic Lillian Alden, runs afoul of her powerful father Thane, and discovers a secret about his own family that changes everything. If Aleck leaves, there will be no one left to protect the people of White Ash from an ancient evil that has just returned.
That premise—a reluctant hero bound to a place he wants to escape, a forbidden romance, and a town full of secrets—is pure Supernatural DNA. Both stories are about family legacies, the weight of destiny, and the messy business of fighting monsters in the American backwoods. White Ash swaps the open highway for a closed-in mining community, but the emotional engine is the same.
Why It Works as a Supernatural Replacement
Supernatural ran for 15 seasons and ended in 2020, leaving a gap for a weekly dose of monster-of-the-week storytelling with a serialized mytharc. White Ash fills that gap in comic form. The series blends fantasy, horror, and forbidden romance in a way that feels familiar without being a copy. Charlie Stickney himself described the book as “one part Supernatural, one part Twin Peaks with a healthy dose of Lord of the Rings.” That mix of small-town weirdness and high-fantasy stakes is exactly what Supernatural fans gravitate toward.
The series also has the same blue-collar texture that made Supernatural relatable. The characters are miners, sheriffs, and working-class families—not chosen ones in capes. The horror comes from the ground beneath their feet, not from a distant hell dimension. That grounded approach is what keeps readers coming back.
“White Ash is about that quest to discover who you are and how you fit into the universe. And if you find out, is it actually going to make you happier? Or in this case, is it going to get you killed?” — Charlie Stickney, creator of White Ash
The IDW Connection
White Ash has been published through White Ash Comics and previously through Scout Comics, but the series is now appearing in library catalogs under IDW Publishing. Several library systems list White Ash collected editions with Sherman Oaks, CA: IDW Publishing as the publisher for 2025 and 2026 releases. This indicates that IDW is handling distribution or collected editions of the series, bringing White Ash to a wider audience through traditional comic shop channels and libraries.
For readers who have been following White Ash through its Kickstarter campaigns, the move to IDW is a significant step. It means the series will be more accessible to people who do not crowdfund comics and prefer to find books on shelves or through online retailers. The Master Edition hardcovers and collected volumes are already listed in library catalogs with IDW as the publisher, suggesting that the partnership is already in motion.
Release Info and Where to Find It
The most recent single issues of White Ash are available through White Ash Comics directly and via digital platforms like Comics Plus. White Ash #8 released in May 2026, and the series is ongoing with new arcs planned. The Master Edition Vol. 1, collecting chapters 1–4 plus a Glarien short story, is listed with a March 2026 release date through IDW’s catalog.
For readers in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and India, White Ash collected editions are available through library systems, online retailers, and comic shops that order through IDW’s distribution network. The single issues remain available through Kickstarter backer campaigns and White Ash Comics’ direct store. Release dates for future volumes should be verified against IDW’s official solicitations and White Ash Comics’ social media announcements rather than fan speculation.
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The Bottom Line for Supernatural Fans
Supernatural fans who miss the show’s mix of brotherhood, lore, and rural horror will find a lot to like in White Ash. The series does not try to be Supernatural—it tells its own story about a town with too many secrets and a young man who cannot outrun his destiny. But the tone, the pacing, and the emotional stakes are cut from the same cloth. With IDW now listed as the publisher for collected editions, White Ash is positioned to reach the same audience that kept Supernatural on the air for a decade and a half.
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