Comic book reviews for Lumberjanes #68, Lumberjanes #69, and Lumberjanes #70 by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh, Kanesha C. Bryant, Julia Madrigal, Maarta Laiho, and Aubrey Aiese
Average rating: 3.6/5 stars
Lumberjanes #68 by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh (written)
Art: Kanesha C. Bryant (illustrated), Maarta Laiho (colors), and Aubrey Aiese (letters)
Irpa (not Freya) just needed to ask the Lumberjanes for help from the start. Hunting down lost kittens seems like a merit badge at this camp and also something these campers would excel at.
The aliens the other hardcore lady types found were Freya’s magical cats. This expectation swap was some pretty fabulous design from Bryant and Laiho. Of course, Ripley held on tightly and flew through the air with one. Like we didn’t see that coming.
April having one of Diane’s flaming purple arrows sticking out of her hair for the entire comic was a great visual gag. Especially when she spent most of the time talking to Diane and the arrow served to remind us how much they dislike each other. The “less hostile” panel was pretty cute.
Mal and Molly officially calling each other girlfriends and making out on the roof were pretty cute.
It also played as a nice contrast with Hess and Diane. I take it from the conversation that Diane is asexual, and I’m curious to see how the book will continue like this. They are pretty adorable together.
Lumberjanes #69 by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh (written)
Art: Kanesha C. Bryant and Julia Madrigal (illustrated), Maarta Laiho (colors), and Aubrey Aiese (letters)
I assume that we’re going to be finding Jane and company on this adventure. They seem to be from before Rosie’s time, given her reaction to the diary. This wouldn’t be the first time the girls have found people lost to time.
No one is surprised that April ripped the older book. Perhaps the page always would’ve crumpled, but April continues to be overly impulsive, and seemingly, there’s no lessons or consequences around her behavior. The other Lumberjanes will likely almost immediately forgive her next issue.
Ripley’s love for all creatures extends to trees. This is heartwarming. I adore how upset she gets when she thinks they are to chop down the ancient tree. Rosie’s speech about how to tend to the forest — which is what she goes in the off-seasons — was a wonderful bit of eco-care to introduce to children.
Molly has another hidden talent, and it proves to be a useful one. Her ability to identify trees would seem to signal another step forward in her becoming Rosie’s eventual mentee to take over for her or at least help out all year.
Chopping wood is no small task. The moment Jo says that she “wants to go back to NOT knowing where all our vampire logs come from” was pretty cute.
Lumberjanes #70 by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh (written)
Art: Kanesha C. Bryant and Julia Madrigal (illustrated), Maarta Laiho (colors), and Aubrey Aiese (letters)
Jane named the Lumberjanes after herself. I love this. I also love that she did take a ladies finishing school run by her mother and turned it on its head. I cannot wait to see more of her original story and the camp’s.
Yep, I love that the monster of the week is clearly knotweed. Knotweed may not be sentient in the way that Lumberjanes fictionalizes it, but it is true that if you leave a tiny bit of rhizome in the soil, it becomes more plants! It’s super invasive. In the UK, any knotweed on your property makes your home unsellable. In NYC and parts of the East Coast, it’s wholly overtaken greenways. And it will bust through concrete and home foundations.
The illustration of how the weed grows is pretty much a visualization of knotweed.
I am also thrilled about the return of Abigail. She may not be hunting magical creatures, but she’s still hunting, just being pickier about it. Maybe this will win back Rosie’s heart. The Roanokes adoring and admiring her is incredibly cute.