For my first article on Girls On Games, I have to admit that I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in front of my computer going crazy while thinking about which comic I was going to review because they are so many great ones this year! After several hours of nail biting and hair pulling, I made a choice that is perfect for a website that has the word “girls” in it: Lumberjanes.
Produced by Boom! Studios, this magnificent comic is brought to you by an amazing feminist and queer (some of them) all-women crew composed of Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Brooke Allen. But what’s it about? Well, it’s about a small group of friends – Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley – spending their summer at Lumberjanes Scout Camp and everything quickly get weird and Indiana Jones-esque. This was originally meant to be an eight issue mini-series, but because of the popularity of it, it became an on-going series and we are all glad for it.
At first, I must admit that I was expecting a pre-teen story but oh, how wrong was I. I immediately connected with the comic and the characters (all female crew, whoo-hoo!) as it’s filled with humor, intelligence, crazy action and female empowerment. The five main characters are completely adorable – especially Ripley and her obsession with cats and dinosaurs – and you can totally identify yourself to at least one of them (I am so Mal).
The only thing I didn’t like at first was that even thought I loved all the crazy adventures and mysteries, I was hoping for more of a plotline, which they delivered in later issues (hooray!).
My verdict is that comic book fan or not, this is a super-fun read and it’s perfect for all ages or genders. It even has one of the cutest romances ever between two of the main characters (yay for young queer characters in comic books!) and it’s refreshing to read a comic book where the women characters doesn’t all have big boobs, hips and long hair.
Go grab the first trade paperback, which is available on the beginning of April or hunt down all the comics from issue 1! You guys won’t regret it.
