Lumberjanes #4

By Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen & Maarta Laiho

It should be no surprise that after the adventure the girls stumbled into last issue following the canoe accident, that the norm in this series will be that despite all efforts to have a normal day, hijinks will ensue no matter what. In the fourth issue of Lumberjanes, Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis take very little time introducing a new mythical being to set off a new adventure for the cabin mates of the Roanoake house. The girls may have had secretive plans to begin with, but even still, their hike with Jen goes haywire when a bigfoot-like creature appears.

In this fourth chapter, the girls find themselves in a decent bit of trouble, when suddenly a group of boy scouts appear. A few of the girls are instantly suspicious of the perfect timing, yet they still decide to seek the help of these boys as they have just fallen into some poison ivy. Stevenson and Ellis definitely have a great sense of humor and a few of the interactions between the camp groups as well as the interactions with the yetis (yes, plural!) are played for some solid comedy. While the moments are entertaining, at times it feels as though lines are delivered more for those purposes than with much thought given to who is speaking.

The fourth issue, much like those before it, hits a point where the moment of the story takes hold and readers will find themselves caught up and racing towards the final pages. Things certainly take a few turns, and overall this chapter in the series is mostly fun. Brooke Allen and Maarta Laiho continue to put a good bit of energy into the panel layouts and imagery throughout these issues. There are some great moments of movement as the girls tumble through the woods are race away from danger. As much as the art team handle the action well, there is some inconsistency at other times, even once making it appear as through a character is bald, with her had detached and floating behind her.

The series as a whole has a lot going for it. The creative team continues to put some great moments into each chapter and tease out the truly bizarre features of the woods surrounding the camp grounds. This issue does dive a bit more into a seemingly ongoing mystery about the grounds and readers have some more villains about which to be worried. There are a few rough moments in this issue with the art and a bit of dialogue. Additionally, while played for comedy, a new group of characters are written in a way that utilizes some stereotypes that work against the story. Lumberjanes continues to be an entertaining series, and despite some problems this time, should stay on readers’ pull lists.