Written by Noelle Stevenson & Shannon Walters
Illustrated by Carolyn Nowak
Colours by Maarta Laiho
Letters by Aubery Aiese
Cover Art by Carolyn Nowak
Variant Cover by Kat Leyh
Edited by Dafna Pleban
Published by Boom! Studios
It’s Free Day at Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types and the Lumberjanes are spending their day NOT battling deities or three-eyed mystical foxes or chasing chupacabras (Where’s the fun in that?!). Alas not all is for naught, with a special picnic featuring two of our favourite Lumberjanes leading to some exciting possibilities and the three left behind cooking (baking?) up something good, Lumberjanes #10 does not lose the momentum left over from the last arc.
Noelle Stevenson and Shannon Walters are once again killing it with their array of characters and fun plot developments. Most of the Lumberjanes have a moment in this issue, though some moments are bigger than others, each one provides playful, meaningful and organic movements throughout the story. Molly worries about life outside of the camp, Mal misses home just a little bit, and Jo, April, and Ripley , concerned about their lack of badges, spend their do-nothing day doing nice normal things to earn normal badges for a change. This issue continues to be the light-hearted adventure it was in the first arc but there’s character exploration that delves deeper than superficial wackiness. These characters kick butt but they’re also still teenaged girls and it’s nice to see them be multi-dimensional and “real” even if this is a light-hearted, all-ages book.
Regular interior artist, Brooke Allen, is taking a break this arc but Carolyn Nowak doesn’t drop the ball. Her style is similar enough that it doesn’t throw you off but still distinct enough that you can tell there’s a difference. Nowak’s interpretations are a bit more detailed in certain aspects that set it apart from the art we’re used to. April, Jo, and Ripley look and act much the same because Nowak animates them similarly. The differences are more pronounced in the more intimate scenes.
Verdict: BUY. People who have loved this series can be rest assured that the new arc is on it’s way towards more amazing Lumberjanes shenanigans. Just when you think this will be just another filler issue, this free day of nothing-doing turns into a fun, ongoing adventure. This has been a favourite series of mine this past year and I’m excited to see it go on and develop with action, baking, and dinosaurs (WAIT, WHAT?!?).
