Lumberjanes Vol. 4: Out of Time by Noelle Stevenson and Shannon Watters

Lumberjanes, Vol. 4: Out of Time written by Noelle Stevenson and Shannon Watters, and illustrated by Brooke Allen is, obviously, the fourth volume of collected Lumberjanes comics. Unlike some comic series, this one has rather gotten away from me with it's rapid release dates. This volume apparently came out in 2016 and volume ten is set to come out at the end of this year (according to Goodreads), which wow. Much comic.

Jen just wants a normal lesson with her cabin, teaching Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley the basic survival skills needed without any supernatural intervention. But when a blizzard hits camp, Jen finds herself separated from the girls and in more trouble than ever... until a mysterious taxidermist swoops in to save the day. Who is she and what is her relationship to Rosie? Join Jen as she finds a way back to her girls, and a way to save the day!

As you might have gathered from my intro, it's been a surprisingly long while since I read Lumberjanes Vol 3. That said, I'm glad I did read it because this volume builds a little bit on some of the events of that story. Not in a super crucial way, but I think readers coming into the story at this point might find themselves a little bit confused, especially about cats. And the forest.

In any case, like the volumes that went before it, Out of Time is a fun continuation of the Lumberjanes' story. For the first time we get a nice spotlight on Jen, the camp counsellor as she has her own adventure. We also get a bit of backstory about the history of the camp, which adds to the story. Oh, and a new character joins the team (temporarily?).

I enjoyed this volume and am looking forward to the many more volumes that await me (which I still have to go out and buy, alas). For fans of the Lumberjanes series, why wouldn't you keep reading with this volume? For readers new to the series, I suggest starting at Volume 1: Beware The Kitten Holly. They are quite quick to read, even for comic books, so you can get caught up (to, er, my level of behind-ness) in no time.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2016, Boom! Studios
Series: Lumberjanes volume 4 of ongoing series
Format read: PDF (but I also own the paperback)
Source: Humble Book Bundle: Summer Reading List by BOOM! Studios for the PDF and local comic book shop for the paperback

Lumberjanes Vol 3: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis

Lumberjanes Vol 3: A Terrible Plan written by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis is, obviously, the third collected volume of Lumberjanes comics. It continues documenting the summer camp adventures of the core group of girls in a similar style to the earlier comics.

This New York Times Bestselling series continues with Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley as they take on everything that goes bump in the night. From scary stories to magical portals that lead to a land untouched by time, it's definitely not your average summer.

This volume opens with the Lumberjanes telling scary stories around a campfire, illustrated by various guests. After that anthology-like issue, the rest of the issues in the volume form a single story arc. Two of the girls go off for a picnic date, while the rest try to make productive use of their free day by earning "easy" badges. The two groups have their own separate adventures.

I actually enjoyed seeing the two separated girls, XXX, on their own because we got to know them better as individuals. In a large ensemble cast such as this, it's often hard to get a feel for individual characters, even if the creators have firm ideas about them, just because they get so little individual page-time to talk about themselves. So I quite enjoyed that aspect of the story.

I have realised the one thing I don't really like about Lumberjanes, though: the "field guide" excerpts at the start of each issue. They're kind of boring (why not try to make them funny?) and often in need of a bit more copy-editing. Once I came to that realisation (well, I'd noticed the copy-editing before), I started just skimming them with no adverse affect on my enjoyment of the actual comic parts of the comic. So there's that.

If you've read and enjoyed the earlier Lumberjanes comics, then definitely pick this one up. Because it's a self-contained story, I think it would mostly work as a standalone, but is still probably better read after the first two volumes. If nothing else, there are quite a few references to earlier events that might get confusing without that context. So if you haven't read any Lumberjanes before, I highly recommend it but suggest starting at the start.

4 / 5 stars

First published: April, Boom!
Series: Yes, Lumberjanes vol 3 of ongoing series, containing issues #9–12
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: My local(ish) comic book shop

Runaways: Battleworld by Noelle Stevenson and Sanford Greene

Runaways: Battleworld written by Noelle Stevenson and illustrated by Sanford Greene is another one of those one-off Secret Wars stories. It's pretty good, aside from the whole Secret Wars, Doomworld, etc aspects. I think I reached a zen state of accepting that I'm never going to understand the worldbuilding and taking the story as it came. The volume collects all of the Secret Wars Runaways run (issues #1–4) and Secret Wars: Secret Love #1, which is a one-off comic containing five short stories. It was weird but also pretty great.

The best and brightest teens from all corners of Battleworld are chosen to attend a prestigious school on the planet's capital! But what does the new class do when they discover the school's beloved headmaster is actually a diabolical super villain? RUN AWAY! A SECRET WARS story like none other from the remarkable minds of Noelle Stevenson (Lumberjanes) and Sanford Greene (UNCANNY AVENGERS)!

The premise here is: there's a school in Doomworld/Battleworld/whatever, run by Doom's daughter (who's like 10?) that teaches gifted kids to be doom soldiers. The school is obviously evil, which the main kids work out early on in the story. No points for guessing what they do about it (hint: look at the title).

The main thing to like here are the characters. They were all pretty great. The only cross-over from the original Runaways is Molly, the rest are newish as far as I can tell. I liked the new, younger, Cloak and Dagger siblings, power-flipped so that the girl is Cloak (and OMG wears actual clothes!) and the boy is Dagger. I also liked Amadeus Cho, who I know from other sources goes on to become the Totally Awesome Hulk, but in this is just the super-smart kid. Teenage Bucky Barnes (complete with metal arm) also features in this story, though quite why remains a mystery. There was also a reprogrammed Doom-bot head that named itself Emily, which I couldn't help but adore.

The story is a pretty standard "school is evil, we should probably do something about that" kind of spiel, but works because of the character interactions. I would, in general, be interested in reading more about pretty much all of these characters (other than the more evilish ones), but I'm not sure where that may happen (other than for Cho). If you know more, please tell me in the comments!

I also want to talk specifically about each story in the bonus Secret Wars: Secret Love issue, because they are deserving of individual comment:

• "Guilty Pleasure" was about Daredevil, told from the point of view of his wife, Karen. It wasn't terrible, but I didn't love it, mainly because the premise was Karen being jealous/paranoid that Matt was cheating on her with an ex. I especially didn't like the art style, which was kind of retro. 
• "Fan of a Fan" was short and sweet, about Ms Marvel/Kamala fan-girling over some guy I'd never heard of, and also rescuing him. Can't not like Kamala. (Except maybe in the hilariously dramatic retro cover of this issue, which, um.)
• "Misty and Danny Forever" was about Misty Knight and Iron Fist (OMG I hope Misty Knight is in the Netflix show!) working through relationship issues of the we-have-kids-now variety. Also featuring Jessica Jones and Nick Cage. And a dinosaur. Not a bad read.
• "Squirrel Girl Wins a Date With Thor" was so the best of these stories. The art was awesome, Squirrel Girl is always awesome, I loved the cameos on the dance floor of basically all the cool superheroes and lol when she tore the front of Odinson's shirt off to put out a fire and then poked his abs. Also! Carriage drawn by giant squirrels. Such awesome in this short.
• "Happy Ant-iversary" was pretty weird. It was several of the Marvel characters re-imagined as insects in Bug-World while Ant-Man (?) sends the Wasp (?) on a scavenger hunt. It was cute and had some terrible/hilarious jokes and did make me laugh... but was also too weird for me to want to read more of the same (unlike the previous three stories). On the other hand, Black-Widow, Moth-Eye and Pizza Bug were gold.

I kind of liked the bonus issue more than the comic I set out to buy... Oh well.

I kind of recommend this volume. If you are OK with all the Secret Wars stuff and/or are willing to ignore the confusion of the worldbuilding, then this isn't a bad read. I would go so far as to say the worldbuilding was less relevant and confusing than, say, in Captain Marvel and Carol Corps. It's also not that similar to the original Runaways, except thematically. Do not go into this story expecting a sequel. It's probably best to think of it as a once off thing in a parallel universe of something?

4 / 5 stars

First published: 2015, Marvel
Series: Kind of? This volume is quite self-contained and bears little relation to the larger earlier Runaways stories. Like, they only have one character in common.
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: A non-Amazon online book shop

Lumberjanes Vol 2: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis

Lumberjanes Vol 2: Friendship to the Max written by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis is the second collected volume of Lumberjanes comics, about a summer camp for girls and one particular cabin of friends. I previously reviewed Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy.

Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are not your average campers and Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types is not your average summer camp. Between the river monsters, magic, and the art of friendship bracelets, this summer is only just beginning. Join the Lumberjanes as they take on raptors and a sibling rivalry that only myths are made of.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the first one too, but Friendship to the Max just seemed that little bit more awesome. Possibly because by this second volume I'm familiar with the setting and characters, and I was able to relax and enjoy the story instead of focussing on who's who.

As with the first volume, only four issues are included, so it's a fairly quick read. The first volume had what felt like a complete story arc, and this second volume also contains a full arc. It does, however, directly build on the story from the first volume, even as new elements and characters are introduced. I'm a fan of continuity, so I enjoyed that.

I highly recommend Lumberjanes to fans of comics and female characters. Especially if you're looking for non-superhero comics, for whatever reason. I recommend starting with the first volume for better continuity, but I think this second volume could still be enjoyed by itself (but may not make as much sense). The art is bright and colourful, and there's action, magic and a smidge of romance. What's not to like?

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: October 2015, Boom!
Series: Lumberjanes vol 2 of ongoing series, containing issues #5–8
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: A comic book shop while travelling

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson is a collected webcomic which tells a single story over the rather lengthy volume. It's a fantasy story set in a world that also has futuristic/magical technology/science.

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

At about 260 pages, it's much heftier than the comics I'm used to reading. But on the other hand, it was nice to read a fully fleshed-out and complete story in one volume. Nimona is a shapeshifter who decides that she wants to be sidekick to a arch villain. She's the sort of person that just does what she wants, so Ballister, the villain, is powerless to stop her. Well, there's also the part where she's actually insanely powerful as far as shapeshifters go.

The story is mostly about Nimona egging Ballister on and helping him make nefarious plans (and pushing his plans too far). The world it's set in sort of initially seems like a fairly traditional fantasy world, with knights and jousts, but then we see that they have technology as well as magic, with TV, computers and magic-related technology. I also really loved the character of Nimona. It was kind of empowering seeing a female character be powerful and allowed to do whatever she wants (mostly). (Of course there were complications because otherwise there wouldn't be a plot.)

Nimona was a fun read. It's not quite the kind of comic I usually read but it's definitely the kind I would read again. And as I said at the start, it was satisfying to have a complete and somewhat lengthy comic story all in one volume.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: May 2015, Harper Teen
Series: No. Self-contained.
Format read: Paperback
Source: Non-Amazon-owned online book shop

Lumberjanes Vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holly by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis

Lumberjanes Vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holly written by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis and illustrated by Brooke Allen is the first volume of collected issues in a new ongoing comic series.

At Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's camp for hard-core lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together... And they're not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! The mystery keeps getting bigger, and it all begins here. 

I had heard a lot of good things about Lumberjanes before I finally got around to buying it. I dawdled on buying this because I didn't think I'd like the art. Turns out, it works really well for this story, especially with the way it's coloured in and laid out and stuff. It was a visually appealing read.

Part of what did finally convince me to buy it was the promise of a kickarse lady-centred story. And that it had. Lumberjanes is about five lumberjane scouts (and sort of their camp leader), at the lumberjane camp in the wilderness somewhere. They have some surreal and fantastical adventures which make use of their unexpected skills... as well as some of the skills they learn during the camp. If anything, the hype I was exposed to had me expecting a bit more from the comics — more depth, more character development. But in the end it's a short fun yarn, and anything more wouldn't have really fit in the pages available.

Lumberjanes is fun and a bit weird and I will definitely be reading the next one. I recommend Lumberjanes to readers who enjoy stories about women, especially with almost entirely female casts (one issue had an encounter with some boy scouts, but the rest were all ladies all the time). Whoo!

4 / 5 stars

First published: May 2015, Boom! Box
Series: Lumberjanes ongoing series
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: Online non-Amzon bookshop