By Cat Wyatt

While the wait for the next volume pretty much felt unbearable, we’re finally there! I keep wondering/worrying that we’re going to see the end of the summer on the horizon, but based on some of the theories forming about time dilation I’m starting to feel a little safer about this series. I don’t see it ending sooner than it wants to (though perhaps it’ll do what Gothic Academy did and have ‘breaks’ but always come back to the story, just a year later? It’d be interesting to see how the girls/guys would change after a year away).

I’ve loved this series from the first moment I read it, and I can safely say that it hasn’t changed. The Lumberjanes are still the characters we know and love, though their expanded group is steadily growing (take Barney joining the Lumberjanes camp last volume), which I actually kind of love.

This volume takes us back to focus more on Greek mythology again, which is fun and full of puzzles and riddles (because of course) and brings Diana and some Gorgons along for the ride. It’s great fun (of course), but also forces us to consider the idea of accepting and forgiveness, which is such a Lumberjanes thing to do.

While the main plot focuses on Diana and her family issues (which of course was the cause of this whole mess, because why not?) most of the Lumberjanes get a moment to shine, which is greatly appreciated. I feel like Molly in particular got some extra attention in this volume, giving us our first real glimpse of her family life at home (previously we’ve had nothing but hints and suspicions). Her family issues tie in well with Diana’s family issues, even if their root cause is completely different.

Obviously Diana gets a decent amount of focus and character development as well. Being that she’s a goddess (currently lacking her powers, talk about a new way to ground teenagers) her family drama takes on a whole new level. To say she has daddy issues would be putting it mildly - more like she has a daddy with issues – I mean, seriously, what sort of father wants to turn his child to stone in order to keep her a kid a little while longer? (The answer to that question is obvious: Zeus).

Barney gets a little bit of love too, which is so sweet! Barney is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters (and I swear it isn’t just because of their love of cats! Okay that’s a little bit of a lie), and with good reason. I love how accepting everyone is of Barney, such as letting them join the camp in the last volume (remember, the only issue they had with that was they had never had any camper join so late in the season, it had nothing to do with gender).

I’ve always loved his diverse and accepting the Lumberjanes are. I know some people would probably call some of the moments that occur because of this ‘sappy’, but honestly I just adore those moments. They’re so cute and sweet; it’s hard not to appreciate them for what they are.

I’ve always enjoyed the lighter storytelling style of the Lumberjanes. While it touches on some very heavy and difficult topics, it’s always done in a lighthearted way, almost like the things that are going on aren’t a big deal (such as a character’s sexuality, which is wonderful).

The artwork for Lumberjanes was fantastic, as per usual. I sincerely hope the artist or art style never change, I’m not sure I could take it. I love the bolder shapes and color choices – it seems to really fit in well with the world that’s been developed. I particularly enjoyed the stone effect they used, especially when the demon bird things were breaking free of the enchantment. It was a nice touch of foreshadowing, which became more obvious the more it occurred.

Score: 4/5

Lumberjanes Vol. 8: Stone Cold
Publisher: Boom! Studios