Review: Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy

When I first read issue one of Lumberjanes, it was standing in the living room of my friend’s house. I was on my way home, and in a fit of enthusiasm, she insisted I read it. I stood there, holding a bag, reading the comic cover to cover and grinning like a maniac. Lumberjanes is a delight.

After a move and some other tumult kept me from diving in the way I wanted, I finally got my chance to get back in with the release of the first trade paperback collection, “Beware the Kitten Holy.”

Lumberjanes takes place at a summer camp – Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Girls Hardcore Lady-Types. It centers around one cabin of five girls who can’t seem to stick to the schedule for wandering off into the forest looking for adventure. They stumble across three-eyed foxes. They battle a serpent while trying to take a kayak trip for a merit badge. All the while, the creatures they encounter hint at a larger mystery plaguing the woods.

Writers Grace Ellis and Noelle Stevenson set a  tone that’s absurd in a very modern way. That is to say, everything that happens makes sense, but there’s an inherent silliness in the book, from the way the girls speak to the way, for instance, that a guardian statue flexes and struts as he challenges the girls to feats of strength. Comparisons to Adventure Time are reductive, but they’re also really hard to avoid making in this specific regard. There’s a sense of humor that’s either grown up in the Internet or simply found a foothold there, and you can definitely see it coming through here, but in a very methodical, restrained way – more as part of the overall tone than anything else. The humor is occasionally referential, but never overbearingly so (two characters take out a stone giant with a fastball special, for example), but there’s also enough inherent charm that the book would be fun without it.

The first two issues are fun, and do a good job of setting the stage, the tone, and the mysteries – like why, for instance, all the defeated creatures seem to drop items, RPG-style. But it was the third issue that really grabbed me. Prior to that, I was starting to wonder what each of the characters brought to the table. I had glimpses of their personalities, some stronger than others, but I wasn’t sure what all of them were doing there. Issue three puts the girls in a dungeon that tests the wits and abilities of all five of them, while also cementing the fact that this group of people genuinely care about and for each other, encouraging and nurturing each other along the way. It was refreshing. I know that part of the appeal of a “team book” in superhero comics is to play everyone’s personalities against each other, but man, it’s nice to see people just treating each other like family. By the time I’d reached the end of the book, I found I wanted to spend more time with the girls, as much or more as I wanted to find out what happens next in the story. The impetuous Ripley seems like the obvious fan-favorite, but I recognized in each of the girls something to relate to, and each have their devotees. Mal goes along with her friends in spite of her anxiety, and she comes through for them in a scrap. Jo’s level head and experience lead the way for the other girls. Molly worries that she doesn’t bring enough to the table, but she’s as capable as any, and she pays attention to how the others are feeling. Ripley leaps before she looks, but she’s also the first one to spring to the rescue. April seems to be a blend of all of them – brave but not rash, thoughtful but not timid. There’s a member of the group that anyone could see in themselves.

Faith Erin Hicks’ art is wonderfully apt – it’s kinetic enough to propel the young adventurers forward, but it’s also absolutely adorable. Hicks does a wonderful job of leading the eye where she wants it to go, and the layouts contribute a real sense of pacing, and add a dimension to the storytelling. The art is age appropriate and easy to follow – faces and figures look fairly simple at first glance – but there’s also a great deal of detail work that belies the apparent simplicity.

The extras for the paperback include a cover gallery, and issue introductions in the form of pitch-perfect scouting manual extracts. (I felt like I was back in my Boy Scout troop.) Missing are the mixtapes for each character at the end of the issues, but those can be found online, and honestly, the rest of the extras that go into making this collection feel like a unified whole are worth it.

More than just a delight, Lumberjanes fills a lot of important niches in the modern comics world. It’s an all-ages book that really does have something for people of all ages. It’s a book about a group of girls that’s less interested in ticking boxes on the “strong female character” checklist than it is with presenting well-realized characters. It’s a genuinely intriguing modern fantasy. It’s a “team” book that makes sure that every member of the team has a place. It’s a well-crafted comic from so many angles, for so many reasons. Whether you have kids or you just want something that stands out from the comics landscape, Lumberjanes is worth a look, and “Beware the Kitten Holy” is a fine place to start.