By Cat Wyatt

It’s not every day a comic gets to hit the big five-oh, but that’s exactly what the Lumberjanes have done. Here our crew is back for issue #50, and fans couldn’t be happier about it. The last we saw of this curious cabin they were stuck inside thanks to the weather, and we all know how quickly these kids can get into trouble when left to their own devices.

So in the last issue, the Lumberjanes had unknowingly split into two groups: the ones staying inside, mostly behaving, and playing a board game; and the ones that are sneaking around in the tunnels below the camp. Feel free to take your pick for which group you’d rather be in…

Diane is among the Lumberjanes playing the board game, and let’s just say her competitive nature is coming out in full swing. She seemed pretty disinterested at first, but you know how it goes…you throw a game in front of somebody that hates losing, set it up, so everyone else is doing better than them, and presto! You suddenly have a newly enthused player.

It’s interesting seeing all of the different playing techniques. Jo is unsurprisingly going to higher tech and advancement as part of their play through. Barney, well nobody seems to know exactly what Barney is up to, besides the fact that he’s hoarding resources, mostly water. Hes is conquering everything she can get her hands on. You get the idea. Diane doesn’t have a firm grasp of the newly invented rules but gives her five minutes, and the competition should get going.

Meanwhile, Mal, April, and Ripley are still exploring the tunnels. They don’t seem to have come across much, relatively speaking. Considering what we already know lives down there, that’s probably for the best.

Ripley does discover this interesting fungus looking stuff, it appears to be bio-florescent, and it glows in response to movement. It’s actually really pretty, in an odd sort of way. It’s sort of bubbly looking, but it comes in all sorts of colors.

Naturally, the Roanoke three can’t resist running around and lighting up as many as possible. Some singing may occur at this point, but it’s all fun in games. You know, until they realize that they’re lost. That sort of thing tends to happen when wandering inside a cave without leaving any sort of markers. Or paying attention to where you’ve gone.

Now, you’re probably wondering why they don’t just use the pretty glowing fungus to find their way back. After all, it lights up as they moved by it, so it should act like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs, right? Well… here’s the thing. They’re not exactly the only ones running around this tunnel system, are they? There are plenty of other beasties that could be activating the fungus.

Which is, unsurprisingly, the case here. Walking up to a few massive centipedes is an incredibly terrifying thought, and I’m sure nobody will blame the Lumberjanes three for running as fast as their legs could carry them. Wouldn’t you?

Up above the soil, the game is still going strong. Molly is working on gaining as much of the forest as possible, as she’s not trying to win, she just wants to have fun. That sounds exactly like her. While Molly is playing and having a blast, Diane is doing her best to scheme her way through the group playing, looking for any and all advantages she can use…again that is pretty much what we expected.

Belowground the Lumberjanes are still terrified, but Mal, being the oldest has taken it up the duty of rallying the troops. This is actually pretty impressive since Mal was by far the most terrified up until this point. It’s amazing how taking care of somebody else can give you a whole new clarity on the situation. The giant bugs are still hot on their heels, but Mal is convinced that if they keep heading in an upward direction, they’ll eventually find themselves above ground. Not bad logic, all things considered. It isn’t necessarily going to work out for them, but considering the lack of plans, it certainly couldn’t hurt.

You’ll likely never guess who ends up winning the board game, but here’s a hint: it wasn’t Diane. And yes, she was just as surprised by that, if not more. Now that they’re no longer distracted, how long do you think it’ll be before they realize some of their friends are missing?

This issue ended on a cliffhanger, like the last one. However, it also deviates from the norm for its conclusions. There’s a short story included in the back, so don’t skip over it by mistake! It’s set in the past, as the black and white images easily indicate, and tells us the story of the came before our Lumberjanes ever dreamt of coming here. It’ll be interesting to see where this leads.

This has been an interesting plot so far. The game story was more fluff and filler than anything, but it’s been cute and fun, so that’s okay. The tunnel plot will likely find a way to include the rest of the Lumberjanes in it as well, likely by having them form a search party or something when they realize they’re missing people. Regardless, it should be interesting to see how it all connects. Presumably, the short story at the end is also related, so that’s one more tidbit to consider.

While the story may be taking a different turn than is usual for the Lumberjanes, the artwork has been spot on as per usual. It’s bright, cheerful and fun. Where the art lacks in detail is more than makes up for with its personality. The representation of the glowing fungus was a nice touch – especially when the colors changed while they were being chased.

Score: 4/5

Lumberjanes #50
BOOM! Studios