The Lumberjanes have the day off! April, Ripley, and Jo promise not to get into any mischief while Mal and Molly go on a date, but keeping out of trouble is pretty impossible when you’re a Lumberjane. Mal and Molly don’t stumble upon adventure so much as follow it into the woods. Before they know it, they’re in another dimension. It’s just another day. April, Ripley, and Jo are mighty bored keeping out of trouble. Books won’t hold April’s interest when there are yetis and whatnot in the woods. Jo tries to keep them occupied by suggesting they work for some Lumberjane badges. Ripley’s game for anything, as always. Her enthusiasm never wavers.
Mal and Molly’s picnic date is fully underway when they spot the bearwoman in the woods; they decide to follow her, naturally, and she leads them to the same outhouse we once saw dinosaurs emerge from. Molly’s determined, so they follow the bearwoman into the outhouse as well- and immediately get sucked in and transported to another dimension.
This issue introduces the start of a new arc. Now that they’ve dealt with an angry goddess and saved the camp from all manner of supernatural creatures, the girls are bored with the basic camp life- earning badges and learning to tie knots and build fires and all. Adventure’s never really more than a foot away, and undoubtedly Jo, Ripley, and April will soon be sucked into the mess Mal and Molly have created. Then again, maybe they’ll create their own mess instead.
I’m so happy that Lumberjanes is continuing past its initial arc. The characters are so delightful, and the strange happenings at this camp are entertaining and original. We don’t just have yetis in the woods; we have hipster yetis. It’s brilliant. Lumberjanes is all around fun, but still manages to play serious moments without overdramatizing. There’s a wonderful balance that never compromises the storytelling.
The best part of this new arc is that we already know the characters well; the girls and their relationships are established, and we know how they fit and work as a unit. It makes reading this issue like reading about your own friends, like a warm welcome back after a long weekend away. I’m so excited to see how this arc plays out, and to see how the girls and their friendships- and romantic relationships!- develop further. And let’s not forget the badges: will Ripley earn that ballroom dancing badge? Fingers crossed.
Score: 3/5
Writers: Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters Artist: Carolyn Nowak Publisher: BOOM!/Boom Box Price: $3.99 Release Date: 1/21/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital