Lumberjanes Vol. 20

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 20

Author: Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Brooklyn Allen, Alexa Bosy, Kanesha C. Bryant

Publisher: BOOM! Box 2021

Genre: Comics

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

THE END OF SUMMER IS HERE. Jo, Mal, Molly, April, Ripley and the scouts of Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types are running out of time to fight back against the mysterious force known as the Grey! And even if they succeed, they will have to deal with their biggest challenge yet - saying goodbye as summer finally comes to an end. The team of Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters, Alexa Bosy, Kanesha C. Bryant and returning series co-creator Brooklyn Allen conclude one of the most important and acclaimed comics of the century by taking Friendship To The Max one last time. Collects Lumberjanes #75 and Lumberjanes: End of Summer #1.

And so we come to the end of the summer at camp and one last big adventure. At the end of the last trade, all the inhabitants of Roanoke cabin had set out one last activity before summer ends. We get to see those various activities, but also everyone both in camp and in the forest must come together to save the area from a malevolent gray mass. We get to see all our favorites. This was such a lovely way to end the series. I’m going to miss all characters, but especially Ripley!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lumberjanes Vol. 19

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 19:

Author: Shannon Watters; Kat Leyh

Publisher: BOOM! 2021

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

THE END OF SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE! With the end of summer coming up soon, Jo, Mal, Molly, April and Ripley decide to go on one last adventure each, finishing up their summer to-do list with a bang! For April, that’s getting her very last Lumberjanes’ badge for the perfect, most completed sash the world has ever known. Jo and Ripley head into a vortex and over to the Land of Lost Things for one last farewell with Ripley’s dinosaur bestie, Jonesy. And Mal and Molly? Well, they mostly want to spend just a little bit more time together. But no one’s ready for the shocking secret force that’s heading straight for the ‘Janes!

It’s the penultimate trade for the series. Things are so close to ending for the Janes and I am so sad that they are going away soon. I loved the April storyline featuring her quest to attain the last patch on her sash. The other storylines were lacking a bit. I wanted more for Mal and Jo, but maybe they were get more in the last few issues.

Lumberjanes Vol. 18

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 18:

Author: Shannon Watters; Kat Leyh

Publisher: BOOM! 2021

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

THEY’RE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS QUITE YET! When April, Jo, Mal, Molly, and Ripley get in trouble with Rosie, the mysterious director of Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types, they figure the punishment is gonna be a walk in the park… er, woods. That’s before a super gross, and seemingly-sentient creeping vine starts popping up everywhere and scooping ‘Janes up! And then there’s Rosie’s best friend from long ago: the elegant and enigmatic Abigail, who’s appeared out of the woodwork to join forces with the Lumberjanes once more!

I love these storyline where we get to learn more about the camp’s past. Every once in a while, there’s a small snippet of information or we even get to meet someone from the past. In this volume, we get to revisit Abigail (yeah, loved her character previously) and learn about the founding of the Lumberjanes. I’m sad that the series is coming to an end, but the ladies have been at camp for a very long time now… We’ll see how they wrap up their summer. Maybe we will get more information about the past and why the forest is just so strange.

Lumberjanes Vol. 17

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 17: Smitten in the Stars

Author: Shannon Watters; Kat Leyh

Publisher: BOOM! 2021

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

STOLEN KITTIES, SECRET CRUSHES & A NIGHT TO REMEMBER! Jen and Rosie plan to take the Lumberjane scouts to see an amazing astronomical event. But their night of star-gazing is thrown off course when half of the Roanoke and Zodiac cabins sneak away into the night in search of aliens, leaving everyone else to deal with a gatecrashing goddess who throws the entire camp into a tizzy. Not to mention there’s a nefarious kitten-napping and a super-secret crush to contend with!

Oh yay! We get another story featuring Diane and the various gods and goddesses that seem to pop into camp now and again. I loved the reveal our the new visitor and her “mission” on Earth. Plus we get a big mystical fight with Diane, appearances from the other members of Zodiac cabin, and Marigold (my favorite kitty!). Such a fun volume.

Lumberjanes Vol. 16

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 16: Mind Over Mettle

Author: Shannon Watters; Kat Leyh

Publisher: BOOM! 2020

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

DINOSAURS, DANGER & DIMENSION-HOPPING AND ...OH MY!

Mal wants to learn to be braver, but when she recruits Ripley to help her face her fears, she ends up somewhere she really should be afraid of--the Land of Lost Things, a pocket universe where dinosaurs still roam the earth, and time doesn’t work the way it should. Stranded on her own in an alternate dimension, will Mal be able to find her way back home to camp? And back on the other side of the portal, will Molly, April, Jo, and Ripley be able to find Mal again and save her? Or are they about to get stuck, too?

Yes! This is the kind of volume that I’m always up for. We get a fun and dangerous adventure in the Land of Lost Things. I love that we get to revisit some great settings and see how things have changed. Plus we get some great character development for Mal. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Lumberjanes Vol. 15

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 15: Birthday Smarty

Author: Shannon Watters; Kat Leyh

Publisher: BOOM! 2020

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

BIRTHDAYS TO THE MAX!

Jo’s birthday is coming up, and April is determined to pull out all the stops for her best friend! But when her elaborate plans for a huge, over-the-top celebration fall through, April recruits the yetis and some fellow ‘Janes to put on a play for Jo, instead.

Meanwhile, Mal has been tasked with keeping Jo busy to protect the surprise, but she might’ve done TOO good a job. Will the birthday girl make it back in time for her own party? And does she even want to?

Cute story focused on Jo and April. I was very excited to to see the story focus on some of the other Lumberjanes. We get appearances by some many fun previous characters I can see that the series is starting to build to an ending and I’m not ready for it to be over. But it’s been a super fun ride so far.

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy

Title: Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy

Author: Chynna Clugston-Flores, Maddi Gonzalez, Whitney Cogar Rosemary Valero-O'Connell

Publisher: BOOM! 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The Lumberjanes and Gotham Academy kids team up!

DREAM TEAM UP!

When a teacher at Gotham Academy goes missing, it’s up to Olive, Maps, Colton, Pom, and Kyle to figure out what is happening and how to get her back. With only an outdated birthday invitation as the clue, they find themselves in the middle of the woods with no idea of where to start. With the sudden appearance of the Lumberjanes—April, Jo, Mal, Molly, Ripley and Jen—who are on the hunt for their missing Camp Director, all clues point to an abandoned cabin with more secrets than cobwebs.

BOOM! Studios and DC Comics team up to bring together Lumberjanes and Gotham Academy for the ultimate friendship-fueled crossover event. Written by Chynna Clugston Flores (Blue Monday), and illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me) and Maddi Gonzalez, this is a running-for-your-life-from-skeletal-monsters mystery that leads to lifelong friendship!

Oh such fun! I loved this adventure romp featuring both the ladies of Roanoke Cabin and the students from Gotham Academy. The was lighter than the other Gotham Academy volumes and more like a Lumberjanes volume. Thank goodness. I wanted the fun romp through a slightly strange mystery. It was great to see the connections between the two worlds and a few of the characters. Lots of fun for an afternoon’s reading.

Lumberjanes Volumes

Title: Lumberjanes The Shape of Friendship

Author: Lilah Sturges, Shannon Watters, Brooklyn Allen, Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, polterink

Publisher: BOOM! 2019

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

While adventuring in the woods, Jo, Mal, Molly, April, and Ripley discover the hiding place of a group of magical creatures called Pookas and they think they’ve found new friends. But what they don’t know is that the Pookas are tired of hiding, and they’ve found the perfect way to join the outside world…by impersonating the Lumberjanes themselves and taking over Camp! To reclaim their identities, the ’Janes will have to work together to remember who they really are…and to help another group of friends accept themselves, too, in a story about looking inside yourself and learning to love who you meet there.

I didn’t quite realize that this was part of the first trade as a standalone volume. It was nice to revisit the ladies of Roanoke cabin and their first adventures into the woods.

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Title: Lumberjanes The Infernal Compass

Author: Lilah Sturges, Shannon Watters, Brooklyn Allen, Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, polterink

Publisher: BOOM! 2018

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The first original graphic novel set in the award winning and critically acclaimed Lumberjanes world!

When the Janes start to become separated during an orienteering outing thanks to a mysterious compass, Molly becomes more and more insecure about the effect of her relationship with Mal on the other girls. Meanwhile, a lonely woman explorer is trying to steal the compass, with the help of some weirdly polite automaton butlers.

Such a fun story! I loved this fun adventure. Mal and Molly are such a perfect fun couple.