Finally got my hands on Lumberjanes because I’m nothing if not a slave to your recommendations.
I get the love: the art is fresh, the girl-power theme is amazing, it’s laugh-out-loud funny at times. It’s all that so it deserved a bit more… depth. It felt really short mostly because its 24 pages are action-oriented and don’t leave much room for character development or exploration of their world.
In stories about a group of people I immediately find a favorite. In Lumberjanes I had some difficulty making that call – there’s just not much that distinguishes them (apart from Ripley being The Crazy One). In the end I went with Jo because she had books and pictures of stars and planets in her bunk:
To be fair, it’s only the first in the series and there’s a hint of background stories to come, like Molly’s fear of her family being informed about their adventures. But I can’t help but compare it to another very short, very popular, first-in-the-series, action-packed, kick-ass girl gang comic that takes the time to tells us (and make us care) about individual characters: Rat Queens.
The world-building in Lumberjanes also left me a bit confused: Magic? Fairy tales? Greek mythology? All? Two weeks after reading it I’m left with a vague sense of The Goonies meets Chamber of Secrets with a bit of Percy Jackson.
All this to say that I really had fun and will definitely pick up the next one in the series. I just wish it went a bit deeper with the story and its people, even if it’s “just” a first volume.
I’m ready for the rotten tomatoes to fly now… *ducks*
The Sleepless Reader 
12 comments
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January 26, 2016 at 12:35 am
Leonela @ MyClassicsOnTheShelf
I was a little bit dissapointed when I read this. Like you, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the story line just felt too weird. Still, I will continue with the series, with the hope it will get better.
January 27, 2016 at 3:43 pm
Alex
*fingers crossed * I think there are strong hints of character development to come!
January 26, 2016 at 2:01 am
Jenny @ Reading the End
Yeah, I think my expectations for Lumberjanes were just a bit off. I’m going to go back when there’s a few more trade paperbacks out and read it in a lump, I think, and with my expectations modified to be more like what the book actually is.
January 27, 2016 at 3:44 pm
Alex
I’m SO RELIEVED to know I’m not just contrary and that there’s people out there that feel the same as me (thank you internet!).
January 26, 2016 at 4:40 am
heidenkind
I felt similarly about Nimona, so I’m not going to throw anything! I haven’t read this one yet but I plan to.
January 27, 2016 at 3:46 pm
Alex
Isn’t Nimona a stand-alone? Then these complains would become more serious 😛 Had it in my hands a couple of times, but decided to wait until I’d read Lumberjanes.
January 26, 2016 at 12:22 pm
Victoria @ Eve's Alexandria
This is on my TBR list too because of All The Recommendations Ever (and my NY resolution to read comics and graphic novels). Everyone I know who loved it raves on and on about the female friendship angle, and I wondered to what extent it got so much love because it pushed a rarely pushed button rather than because of relative quality?
(Also, I just finished Rat Queens Vol 1 and I LOVED it so much.)
January 27, 2016 at 3:51 pm
Alex
I think you’re on to something! Now that I think about it, maybe the problem was that The Gang was prioritized over the individual gang members. This makes me feel a bit better, because in that case it’s very successful. But I still have high expectations about characterization for the next issues.
January 27, 2016 at 3:12 am
Katy
Nice review! I love Noelle but didn’t know she worked on this book. This is something I’m gonna try to pick up this year. 🙂
January 27, 2016 at 3:52 pm
Alex
Join the fun (both in reading and discussing it)!
January 30, 2016 at 10:33 am
Kristen M.
I am kind of with you on this one too. I read the second trade as well and still can’t remember the characters’ names without looking back to the last time names were used. But I love the stories and I’m hoping that the characters eventually stick with me! Nimona, however, was awesome.
June 27, 2016 at 3:55 pm
This year I’m going to read more graphic novels and started with these… – Annabookbel
[…] only problem with the Lumberjanes was the same as Alex at The Sleepless Reader had. The stories are just rather slight. They may be packed with technicolor girl-power and […]