Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters

Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together...and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! Not only is it the second title launching in our new BOOM! Box imprint but LUMBERJANES is one of those punk rock, love-everything-about-it stories that appeals to fans of basically all excellent things. It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake. And with the talent of acclaimed cartoonist Noelle Stevenson, talented newcomer Grace Ellis writing, and Brooke Allen on art, this is going to be a spectacular series that you won’t want to miss. Collects Lumberjanes #1-#4.

This was fun! I was a little hesitant at first, but the art style grew on me and the humor and quirk made it an entertaining read. :)

Aw, it's over?! As I read books for the PopSugar challenge, I usually feel happy and satisfied at the end of a book because I get to tick off another prompt, but this one just made me feel sad that there wasn't more book! (Luckily Vols 2-6 are also available on ComiXology Unlimited - squee!)

So what makes this so great? Well, it takes all the best parts of Girl Scouts, weaves in equal parts weird fiction and whimsy, and effortlessly sprinkles representation throughout, with scouts of different ethnicities, body types, and gender expressions, girls and women out in the world kicking butt, and a possible same-sex couple (I ship it). Most fun though, is a genius take on profanity substitutes - instead of actual swear words, the girls swear by the names of notable women, mostly POC.

Here's the list from Vol. 1:

Oh my Bessie Coleman
Holy Mae Jemison!
Where the Phillis Wheatley were you?
What the Anahareo is that?
Good Juliette Gordon Low

Totally charming and fun. Noelle Stevenson continues to create hits! Loved the strong female characters, normative budding lady romance, and the hilariously feminist “swears.” The fantasy elements were a little scattershot, but unlike Vol II, followed at least some through-line of sense.