kiracanread
Written on Feb 13, 2020
Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together...and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! Not only is it the second title launching in our new BOOM! Box imprint but LUMBERJANES is one of those punk rock, love-everything-about-it stories that appeals to fans of basically all excellent things. It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake. And with the talent of acclaimed cartoonist Noelle Stevenson, talented newcomer Grace Ellis writing, and Brooke Allen on art, this is going to be a spectacular series that you won’t want to miss. Collects Lumberjanes #1-#4.
- ISBN10 1608866874
- ISBN13 9781608866878
- Publish Date 7 April 2015 (first published 2014)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Boom! Studios
- Imprint BOOM! Box
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 128
- Language English
Reviews
leahrosereads
Written on Jan 22, 2019
This volume was a fun, magically adventurous ride filled with friendships that I wish I had growing up. And I really enjoyed every moment. These characters are quirky and rebellious and just fun to follow.
The adventures that they go on are exciting and mysterious, and I cannot wait to read more. Absolutely kicking myself for not getting the second volume, but I'm trying to be more careful with what I buy this year and not buying entire series before I know if I like them or not.
I don't think I'll have a problem here because I can't see this going somewhere boring and lame and blah.
nannah
Written on Mar 9, 2018
This was entertaining, but not much more? The humor was sometimes cringy and mostly bland (but this is definitely subjective!). I wish there was more room for characterization, because with a cast this large, it's pretty difficult to really get to know each of them. They all seem pretty similar here, with the exception of a character who was very, very annoying (it was a very strange experience reading, because I realized this annoying character was ... in fact, a lot like me. Ooops).
The art is pretty, though, and creates a nice atmosphere. It's very fitting for what goes on in the graphic novel.
I rented the other three volumes from the library, so I'll probably read on, but I'm not super invested in this series (yet?).
nitzan_schwarz
Written on Jan 17, 2018
When I decided I wanted to read more graphic novels, I knew I had to pick up Lumberjanes. For one, I adore the art style. It's so fun! For another, I really liked the premise, and I heard a lot of great things about it.
Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. My official rating of it is somewhere between 2.5 to 3 stars, and this is probably as far as I'll get with this particular series.
Now, I'm going to warn you. You're going to hear a lot of complaints here and not a lot of good things. That being said, this is not a horrible graphic novel or something like that. There's a ton of hijinks, characters to ship, cool designs, quirky atmosphere and setting. Those are all good things. So don't go thinking I hated this. But I guess my disappointment kind of colors everything, and I do want to say all I have to say. So... take that into consideration.
You see, the main problem I had with this one is that I kept feeling like I opened the tv on an episode from season 2 of the show. This general sense of "I've missed something that happened in the previous episodes" lingered throughout the entire read. I didn't know who these people were and what their relationships were like and where we were, and yet I felt like I was supposed to.
I kept waiting for this feeling to dissipate, but it never did. Part of it, I think, is due to their reaction to all the monsters around them. They... well, they weren't freaked enough. Have they seen monsters in the past? Are they just a bunch of crazy girls? What is going on??
Another thing that kept bothering me is that this felt kind of like a Gravity Falls ripoff. And... well... Gravity Falls does the whole area with crazy monsters and schemes hiding in plain sight a lot better. Although I should probably clarify that I love Gravity Falls to death.
And then, I felt like there wasn't much struggle in the story. Every setback our heroines encounters got solved almost immediately by one of the Janes. It was... too clean. As a rule, I don't like clean problem-solving in stories. It doesn't feel authentic. And so... neither did Lumberjanes.
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Okay, so, unfortunately, this is somewhere between a 2.5 star to a 3 star for me. I don't think I'll be continuing with this one, simply because reading graphic novels is pretty new to me (I'm a manga gal) and I'd rather invest my time with the ones that speak to me.
The main problem I had with Lumberjanes is that it feels like starting a show in the second season instead of the first, and that feeling doesn't really disappear throughout this whole novel. Like, I kept feeling like I've missed a volume or two somewhere in there.
Second, I love Gravity Falls. This kind of felt like a less compelling version of it, relying more on quirky hijinks than a story or buildup.
Third, I felt like there really wasn't much struggle in here. Like, a problem would occur, one of the Jane's will figure out the solution in a few panels, repeat. It's just... too clean. And their reactions to being attacked by monsters or things like this is REALLY underwhelming. Which again, made me feel like I've missed something. Or that the characters are not really that well written.
A huge plus for this one is the art style. I wish I loved this because I really dig the way its drawn.
layawaydragon
Written on Mar 5, 2017
Jumps right into the action! Big group of girls to learn but it's easy. Super cute art. Love the mix tape suggestion at the end. Will continue & read the series with my daughter!
inlibrisveritas
Written on Nov 8, 2016
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Lumberjanes is a series that has risen in popularity since it first hit shelves, but I’ve been really hesitant about it for several reasons. One, I have a bad time with popular comics like Saga and Two…the art. I’m a bit of snob when it comes to art-style…if I don’t like it my brain shuts off while reading it and I have to put in double the effort to stay focused. However I did end up enjoying this, but I do see some kinks in it that I’d like to see worked out for future issues.
Lumberjanes focuses on House Roanoke’s group of girls within the Camp, and their growing friendships as well as their really weird encounters in the woods surrounding their summer retreat. It’s a fast paced story with a lot of little bizarre happening, and each girl is really different from each other and shines in their own way. I think the adventure felt a little bit like Gravity Falls, and at times like Gravity Falls if it had been told purely from a sugar crazed Mabel’s point of view. It is only four issues so the pace does feel kind of break neck at times and while I really loved where this was going, I do feel that it sacrificed some of the time it could have used to let us get to know these characters and used it for ultimate weirdness.
That being said it was quite a fun read and I really enjoyed Ripley the most. There were so many moments where I laughed out loud and after a certain point had to promise to let my boyfriend read it because I’m the most stoic reader on the planet. I look forward to seeing where this series is going to go and I really hope it slows down a little to let me really get to know each of the characters more.
ellieroth
Written on Sep 29, 2016
wyvernfriend
Written on Jul 20, 2016
Angie
Written on Apr 23, 2016
Joséphine
Written on Oct 30, 2015
Initial thoughts: When I picked up Lumberjanes I expected the same style of art as on the cover. But nope. That was not the case. The cover illustrator and graphic novel illustrator were two different artists. So that was misleading. I very much prefer the style for the cover. Although, the actual artwork does kinda suit the tone, so I got over my initial disappointment. Story-wise, I'm waiting for Lumberjanes to take off more, though I like that there's always something lurking around the next corner.