Review: Lumberjanes, Volumes 1-4

Lumberjanes is one of the most engaging, eccentric, and funny comics series I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The series is set at a girls’ camp named Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types. Right there, you know this series is not going to be ordinary. The girls in the series start out a little cartoonish, but as the series grows, so do the characters. The girls encounter a range of supernatural creatures and dangerous situations in their summer at camp, much to the chagrin of their assigned cabin counselor.

In the first two volumes, there are many creatures and some seemingly unrelated events, but by the end, there is an overarching story. The art in these first two volumes was awesome, with lots of color and animation, and I frequently found myself laughing out loud at the absurdity of things. Deeper issues, such as sexuality, are touched on in these volumes as well. The group of girls make for a fun, eclectic bunch of people I wish I could’ve been friends with in high school, and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the more absurd moments.

Volume 3 has a bit of a different tone. The artist for this volume is different, and I have to admit I didn’t love the change. The story was also a little lackluster after the excitement of the first two volumes. It does have a sweet love story between two of the girls, which is awesome, but the rest of the crew is pretty much stuck in an amusing, yet uneventful storyline. This volume is definitely needed for the mushy love aspect, and it does show us a different side to our group when they aren’t in mortal danger, and while I disliked some things, I still enjoyed myself while reading it.

For me, volume 4 was definitely back on point for the series. I didn’t notice the difference in art as much, and I chuckled at many amusing moments. The story is back to being interesting and eventful, and there’s a lot of character development we didn’t have before. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I just keep admiring how the series incorporates all kinds of diversity, which is sorely needed in YA books. I’m very much looking forward to how revelations from volume 4 continue to play out in volume 5 (not yet published).

Recommend: Yes, especially if you like goofy, offbeat, eccentric characters and storylines (kind of along the lines of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Supernatural at times)

Average Rating:  4 out of 5 (volume 3 was a 3 out of 5 for me)

More Information: Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter (I did not know this existed until I wrote the post..so excited to follow!)

Have you read Lumberjanes? Love it? Hate it? Let me know below!