We don't cover nearly enough comic goodness here on the blog but we're always on the look out for new comic series that are A) kid-friendly and B) have a bit of a mighty girl focus. It's almost by accident that we fell over the news about "Lumberjanes", a comic series by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters and Brooke A. Allen. As fans of neat weirdo out-there stuff like Gravity Falls and Adventure time, what does our girl with a nose for comics make of "Lumberjanes"? Let's find out...
Q: So what's it about, Charlotte?
A: It's about 7 girls who are at a summer scout camp. They love cooking marshmallows, sleeping under the stars, cute critters, warm jumpers and are always on the look-out for weird creatures that inhabit the forest.
Q: 7 girls? Sounds...chaotic. Who are they?
A: Jo is the leader, she's the strongest character and the most level headed - with an eye for mathematical puzzles. April is her second in command, a bit more of a daydreamer and the smallest of the group but she can arm-wrestle stone statues so she's actually the strongest. Molly is like Katniss Everdeen, she's a superb archer and is constantly followed around by a cute raccoon called Bubbles (who is really, really cute). Mal is a punk rocker with a huge heart. She overthinks problems so by the time her elaborate plans are put into action, the moment has passed! Poor Mal! Ripley is effervescent, bubbly and slightly kooky. She has a deep love of all animals, specially unicorns. Jen is the Roanoke Scout Leader who tries to keep the girls safe (often fruitlessly) but takes her job very very seriously. Don't mess with Jen in a temper. It would not end well. Rosie is the mysterious camp scout master, full of secrets. She seems to know an awful lot about the mysterious phenomena and events happening in the woods but isn't letting on!
Q: What sort of things do the girls get up to each issue?
A: A lot of this sort of thing...
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| Baby unicorns look so sweet, tiny faces, tiny feet! |
Q: The series is now on Issue 14. Is it easy to dip in and out of such a huge series?
A: The first collected volume is released today (hooray!) so you can catch up. "Lumberjanes" was originally planned as a limited run 8 issue comic series but it's obviously gone stratospheric, so it's now an ongoing series from Boom! Stories are ongoing though it's a lot more 'approachable' than most series comics and even though our first encounter was with Issue 14, we could pick up the threads of what was going on and what had gone before pretty easily. Bonus!
Q: Can we get it over here in the UK?
A: Most comics indies will stock it and it's easy to get from the internet. First collected volume is listed on Amazon as are the rest of the comics from various sellers with Amazon stores, but check those indies first and give them some love!
Q: What's the best bit of this particular issue?
A: A couple of really funny "Frozen" references, the world's cutest kitten (every time we see his little face we crack up) and mysterious secrets revealed in a woodland cabin. It's all good!
"Lumberjanes" by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters and Brooke A. Allen is out now with a collected first volume released on 31st July 2015. A live-action movie has been optioned by 20th Century Fox, scheduled for release in 2018.