The double storylines both reach their action-packed and hot glue-filled conclusions in this issue of Lumberjanes. Is it good?
Lumberjanes #12 (Image Comics)
As the issue opens, we rejoin Mal and Molly as they take matters into their own hands to retrieve the Bear Woman’s glasses. They rig a trap, and as they wait for it to be sprung, Molly reveals to Mal her insecurities and fears about life outside of camp, and how much she envies Mal.
Meanwhile, back in the regular camp world, Jo, April, and Ripley are lamenting their inability to earn a single merit badge (except for Ripley) as the day ends. But just as they are about to give up, April finds the perfect final one to try: Competitive Scrapbooking.
Both story lines go into high action as the girls race towards their goals and SPOILERS:
Jo and April learn a valuable lesson about what competitiveness really gets you over the joy of experiencing the moment. Plus, Ripley makes them some sweet badges of their very own.
Mal’s dino trap works perfectly, though a mess of fellow dinos springs on them unexpectedly. The Bear Woman successfully gets her glasses and they escape back into the regular world unscathed, though with an unexpected passenger.
Is It Good?
Strangely, the things that bothered me in the last issue are still present here, but somehow I enjoyed this issue a lot more. Maybe because the pace picked up with the storylines’ conclusions, I’m not sure, but I really got into this issue.
I finally warmed to April, Jo, and Ripley’s badge adventures. I think that would have worked better in a single issue rather than spread over several, but it did serve to show how time was passing differently in the two worlds.
This story showcased how great these characters are, especially in this issue. I love April’s determination to CONQUER, even at scrapbooking, Jo’s support and level-headedness, and Ripley’s delight and enthusiasm no matter what the task.
This whole issue had some lovely character moments. Molly’s confession to Mal about how much she envies her was incredibly touching and something so many people can relate to. I got a kick out of grumpy old Bear Woman and her hint at new mysteries we’ll see in future storylines.
I was also very happy at the return of the Cool Women Exclamations – we got two in this issue!
From a visual standpoint, I got a huge kick out of several scenes in this issue. I have a weird fear of velociraptors (I blame seeing Jurassic Park too young), but I loved all the sequences with the dinosaurs, particularly the little ones. Nowak gave them so much personality, it made those scenes even more fun to read.
I also loved the shifts in perspective, like the girls looking down onto their dino-trap, and the angled panels gave extra visual interest. There were also some great little visual character moments, like Ripley getting distracted during the scrapbooking competition by an interesting moth fluttering by.
The only weakness to me in this issue is that occasionally, I find the characters’ facial expressions hard to read. I’m not a fan of the extra lines that Nowak adds – I find them distracting, and it doesn’t help with the ambiguity. I saw this particularly in the moment after Molly confessed to Mal about them choosing each other. It’s difficult to tell how Mal is reacting to this because her facial expression is so hard to read.
So where does the story go from here? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out! Things have picked up steam and I know it should be something good.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
