It’s been nearly three years since I discovered (and subsequently reviewed) the Lumberjanes comic. It’s an amazing title, and I had nothing but great things to say about it. Unfortunately, I missed out on the opportunity to review the subsequent volumes and fell hopelessly behind on the story which is why I was so excited about this volume: a new, standalone Lumberjanes adventure.

For those of you unfamiliar with the premise, the Lumberjanes are a group of girls at a summer camp for “hardcore lady types.” Our heroes are the girls from Roanoke Cabin: five teens from all walks of life, with very different personalities and skillsets, with a habit of wandering off on their own and exploring. Of course, at this camp, that kind of innate curiosity and desire for adventure is encouraged, rather than shunned, and it’s led them to a number of supernatural hijinks in the past.

As we begin this adventure, Mal and Molly, two members of Roanoke cabin, have begun a relationship, and while everyone is thrilled for them, Molly clearly has some trepidation. Meanwhile, Jen, their long-suffering camp counselor, has arranged an orienteering activity for them, involving navigating the forest using only a map and compass. It’s meant to be a very safe and straightforward camp activity, but things quickly go off the rails when, one by one, the girls are led astray by a group of overly polite robot butlers.

This comic is a lot of fun from beginning to end. It’s got comedy, adventure, romance, and much more. If you’re a fan of the Lumberjanes comic, you’ll definitely want to check this one out. And if you haven’t read the comic yet, this volume is a great introduction to them. In fact, I suspect that it was at least partly intended as such. Not only is it a standalone adventure, as I mentioned, it also reprints the very first Lumberjanes issue at the end to entice new fans to start from the beginning – which I wholeheartedly recommend you do.

If you know any teen or pre-teen girls and want to encourage them, inspire them, or give them some cool fictional heroes to identify with, this is a great comic to help with that; however, this is a great comic to be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of age or gender. It’s an amazing adventure and one worth reading, no matter who you are.

Creative Team: Lilah Sturgess (writer), Polterink (illustrator), Jim Campbell (lettering), Alexa Sharpe (cover design)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Click here to purchase.