Review: Lumberjanes #61

There’s something about titles that are slightly cartoony in the way they’re written that takes me back to the days of early morning cartoons as I patiently waited to either leave for school or wasted away lazy Saturdays; an easier, simpler time that, upon reflection, I miss dearly for all its subtle nuances and easier times. It took everything going on in the world and shrunk it down to a size that made everything more manageable. No matter what sort of thing was going on in the outside world, somehow these little bits of writing that border that sort of nostalgia make me remember that my needs for escapism don’t have to always be tinged with grim themes perpetually.

There’s something about Lumberjanes, written by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh that reminds me of these days. I mean, that might just be because a lot of this title, illustrated by AnnaMarie Rogers, is whimsical enough to recall the things I’ve mentioned with little to no effort in easy ways, one of which – for example, is panels like the one where April hefts Jo over her head with little to no effort at all despite being chased down by some big bad.

The vibrant colors by Maarta Laiho mirror this; fun and bright. Vibrant even in the darker bits. Somehow lighthearted in its choice of hues without ever over saturating. All of this works for the slightly simpler art style that fills the pages. There’s a sweet little nod to themes of friendship and working past trauma that sneakily works its way into the title itself. It’s subtle enough that if you blink, you might miss it. I think oftentimes with titles like Lumberjanes, we get tugged into a place where it’s easy to forget that there are deeper things at play, which to me might be the most genius part of this writing.

The ideas of progression and working through trauma is the underlying message through this issue. Something that, as a person, I can appreciate. I think in light of where I believe the target demographic is for this title, it’s a safe way of approaching subjects that might be harder to casually breach with younger readers. I think that the optimistic and easy way that everything is worded here lends itself to deeper discussions and is a perfect way to segue into conversations that matter. Especially for younger people who may not be all too comfortable with trying to ask first.

Either way, this sweet little 4 out of 5 title is worth the read, in my opinion. Do you agree?

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh (A) AnneMarie Rogers (CA) Chan Chau