Lumberjanes #18, believe the hype on this all age comic

Creating a great all age comic is thin line. Is it a boy’s comic? If so, don’t make it too girly or they’ll demo out of it quickly, if they read it at all. If it’s aimed at the girls then it’s a rare breed of comic that is usually set in Riverdale. * Lumberjanes is from Boom Studios and has been building buzz since its first issue.  We read it a couple times and meant to write about it, but got distracted by shiny objects or cat videos. However, after reading a handful of issues it’s apparent that Lumberjanes is the comic that you need to read that you might not be reading.

I say might not be reading because Lumberjanes started with a bang and only got better. It’s been opted for a motion picture by 20^th Century Fox. ‘But every comic is being turned into a movie’ you say-and to an extent you are correct. Consider, however that this comic was only 15 issues deep when it was officially signed and you’ll get an idea as to how fun and cool this all age comic is for anyone.

Lumberjanes is about five best friends at Lumberjane Scout Camp. Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are typical teen girls, each with their own personality. The camp has its fair share of monsters, mythical creatures, the occasional regular forest dwelling animal and all of life that a teen is going through.

The reason that Lumberjanes really shines as an all age comic is due to the writing and the art. It’s not that it’s just a comic that is geared towards girls and critics are giving it praise because they’re paying attention to an ignored market segment, the comic book is great on all fronts.

The art in Lumberjanes #18 by Carolyn Nowak is big, detailed and moves the story along with minimal dialogue.  It also has a classic style that looks entirely in place with retro illustrations from the 70s. The colors are something that I usually take for granted in comic books, but here they really add to the story and characters. Done by Maarta Laiho the colors are sharp and round out the look of Lumberjanes.

Written by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh, #18 has the girls at the side of the lake as they witness a big mermaid fight. April is a massive, old school fan of mermaids and immediately starts peppering her with questions. Come to find out that Harlow, actually prefers to be called a merwomyn and is a rocker. She’s got a leather vest, complete with rock patches, a simmering band rivalry and a lake serpent that the merwomyn hang around with.  By the end of the book the Lumberjanes decide to reform the band in order to help Harlow.

The dialogue in Lumberjanes is clever. It’s peppered with references that have older readers will laughing out loud, all the while being targeted to a younger audience.

Lumberjanes is not just a comic for girls.  It’s a well crafted book with characters that anyone can relate to, regardless of whether you’re an X or a Y.

*We are BIG fans of the new Archie reboot. That series is fresh, imaginative and great or boys or girls. That poorly worded quip was aimed at the series a couple years ago. How that dated joke made it past our proofreaders is currently being researched.