Whether he will be a regular or recurring character in the future, it’s clear that the girls consider him one of their own. In Issue #17, Jo makes friends with a Scouting Lad who seems more comfortable with The Lumberjanes than with the Scouting Lads. Molly and Mal, so cute I can hardly stand it. Jo has two dads and is transgender, a fact which she seems to be open about and which doesn’t faze her fellow campers in the slightest. They might tease a little about Mal and Molly being on a date, but it’s clear that the teasing is friendly teasing about a romance in their midst, not homophobic teasing or bullying. What’s great about their relationship is that the other girls take it completely for granted. It’s my favorite romance ever, but totally age-appropriate. They are both very young teens/tweens, the age of a first really huge crush, so their relationship is very sweet. Mal and Molly are a more-or-less official item and they are adorable. One of the great joys of Lumberjanes is its casual yet prominent inclusion of LGBT characters. Molly is a shy, yet badass, archer with a very special hat. Jo is great at solving puzzles, and Mal is great at concocting elaborate plans. Delicate little April is actually very physically strong, as she demonstrates in a memorable arm-wrestling situation. Ripley loves animals, is high energy and literally throws herself into danger, with mixed results. The comic has short arcs and some stand-alone stories.

One particular cabin group seems to encounter all kinds of strange things to the horror and bewilderment of their camp counselor, who wants to keep them safe, and the delight of the girls themselves, who thrive on adventure. It’s basically the Girl Scout camp we all wish we went to – there are uniforms and badges and a pledge and also there are monsters and Greek Gods with family problems and magic caves and an old woman who turns into a bear (or possibly vice versa). Lumberjanes is about a group of girls who attend Lumberjanes summer camp. Well, I got my hands on Volume One, and then I bought every other issue I could snag at the time (I made it through Issue #17) and I can officially say that all those people are right – you should read Lumberjanes, not because it is feminist and LGBT positive (although that’s awesome), but because it is so much fun.

Lumberjanes is one of those comics that everyone says I should read. Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1 by N.D. Stevenson