Lumberjanes Vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holy
by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, ND Stevenson, Brooke Allen
2015, BOOM! Box
Paperback, 128 pages, $19.99 CAD
Rating: ★★★★☆
I was originally on the lookout for Lumberjanes because ND Stevenson—showrunner for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power—is one of the series’ creators. You can read my reviews for the first two seasons here: Season One & Season Two. I had heard of Lumberjanes a long time before I began watching She-Ra, but I wasn’t in the headspace to find new comic books to read at the time. I do remember being interested on the concept alone, and I loved the idea of a group of kick-ass, non-conforming ladies going on adventures together. So it was for these reasons that I decided to give Lumberjanes a try. I wasn’t sure at first which volume to pick up, so I decided to start with Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware The Kitten Holy. which describes itself as the first entry in the series. I can happily say that I ended up enjoying Lumberjanes. It has a great main cast of characters, and the situations they get into are wacky and fun. While the comic is certainly meant to be a set of episodic stories aimed at a younger audience, it makes up for its formulaic structure with a brazen and unapologetic approach to female empowerment and queer identity. There’s also a decent amount of diversity in the cast, which is always nice.
The only real issue I have the series so far is how shallow it is, but I think my opinion on this may stem from how I’ve been chafing against the comic book format for years. On the one hand, I really enjoy visual storytelling. On the other hand, the format lends itself to short-form stories that have to fit within twenty or so pages. As someone who reads for character progression, I’m always left feeling unsatisfied with the length of comic books. While Lumberjanes follows this format, I have a hard time criticizing it since the writers are simply following the blueprint. I can still wish for something more like graphics novels or Japanese manga, but I understand that’s my own issue to deal with. It’s not something I’ll ever hold against a comic book series. Despite my issues with the format, I think the writers behind Lumberjanes did a good job of establishing a consistent through line, as far as the first volume is concerned. I’m not that interested in the mystery the girls are trying to solve. It just feels like your standard summer camp ghost story to me—reminiscent of something like Gravity Falls—but lacking anything that sets it apart as unique. The best part of the writing to me is the relationships between the characters. The girls are “Already Friends” before the series begins, i.e. they already seem to be familiar with each other, and so there are little to no internal conflicts within the group. Instead, the writing focuses more on showcasing their different personalities and building relationships between them. It’s sweet, straightforward, and subversive, without being self-righteous about it. The last thing I’d like to touch on is the art style. It’s fun, and the expressions were always well done, but I wasn’t blown away by any of it. The style lends itself well to the format and the story, but it’s not something that breaks any boundaries.
I think that I would normally spend some time breaking down each chapter, analysing or reviewing them individually. But I don’t feel the need to do that with Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware The Kitten Holy. As mentioned, I found the experience enjoyable, but ultimately shallow. There isn’t a lot of depth to Lumberjanes. I’m hesitant to say that this detracts from the experience, but it does make it difficult for me to delve deeper. Though, considering the target audience, that’s to be expected. As an aside, I was pleased to see Lumberjanes volumes in the children/teen section of the bookstore. I’d like to imagine a young girl picking up this book by chance, and being enamoured with the cast and the situations they get into, or even identifying with one of the main cast members. As fun as superhero or funny comics are for kids, it truly makes me happy that there is a growing number of these kinds of stories available. I will definitely be on the lookout for more of Lumberjanes, though I will only be sharing any future thoughts on the series if anything significant changes in the way stories are told, or if I become more interested in the main mystery plot.