Still fresh off of its Eisner sweep, BOOM Studios' Lumberjanes is facing an exhilarating but bittersweet new era. While co-creators Shannon Watters, Noelle Stevenson and Brooke A. Allen have their Eisner accolades and an in-the-works Lumberjanes live-action movie to celebrate, the latest issue in the series is Stevenson's last. She's departing the Lumberjanes team to work on other projects (most notably a YA graphic novel titled 4 Wizards, a collaboration with writer Todd Casey).
Which brings us to Lumberjanes #17, Stevenson's swan song — as deviously entertaining and gripping as it is emotionally powerful. While these qualifiers could more or less be applied to any of the Lumberjanes issues, almost as expected, with a creative new female hero-inspired catchphrase (spoiler alert: #17's is "What the Tippi Hedren?"), they're especially honest and raw in this case: we finally get a genuine and compelling audience reveal that confirms Jo's identity as a trans girl.
But first, a quick recap: when we last saw our Lumberjanes, the mysterious Abigail turned out to be a monomaniacal Ahab, while the Grootslang – a half-elephant, half-snake mythical ancient beast – ended up as her Great White Whale.
We also got some more backstory on her relationship with camp director Rosie (also continued in this issue), and learned that Jen, the cabin counselor of Mal, Jo, Ripley, Molly and April, has no idea how to drive — just as they find themselves in the middle of a Grootslang-induced avalanche.
And to make it worse, Jo's jealously over her best friend April's full-throttle crush (either of the "friend" or "more than a friend" variety) on Barney – a genial Scouting Lad, whose primary desire is to help out the Lumberjanes (which, as we find out later, is a found sense of true belonging with the group) – is starting to tear April and Jo apart.
Lumberjanes #17 opens with the girls from Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types (plus Barney), fully intact and unharmed from the Grootslang-valanche, despite Jen's lack of driving creds or snow tires. With a determination to save Rosie, Abigail and the camp no matter the cost (or a random antlered rabbit or two), the team quickly figures out the Grootslang's weakness, thanks to Ripley's penchant for being a human metal detector.
Barney figures out, much to Jo's chagrin, that the Grootslang's weakness is the same as Carol Channing's: a love for diamonds. From there, the gang gathers up all the jewels they can find in Abigail's tricked-out cabin, and climb up the mountain once again to confront him.
While Watters and Stevenson usually shine the spotlight equally on their ensemble cast, they made the wiser choice in this issue to focus on two couplings: Rosie and Abigail, and Jo and Barney — positing them as complex psychological and emotional mirrors.
Whether it's wanting what you can't have (Abigail and Rosie) or the sometimes harmful predicament of being reminded of what you didn't want in the first place (Jo and Barney), the pain and promise of it all not only translates, but transcends. And even though fan-favorites Mal and Molly don't get a lot of screen time in this issue, the characters who are highlighted keep the reader enthralled.
The art in Lumberjanes continues to impress. Allen's freneticism in her action panels – from Ripley's blast-through-the-walls energy to the Grootslang's mountain-pummeling wrath – is perfectly balanced by subtlety and a propensity for small moments, like Abigail and Rosie's tender, subdued and sometimes mournful interactions that, while more minute than avalanches, pack the same gravitas. Colorist Maarta Laiho continues to achieve equilibrium between flashbacks steeped in nostalgic sepias, and a wildly lush and rich present.
Finally, we see Jo's deep-seated animosity toward Barney – predicated upon Barney's presence as an uncomfortable, even aching reminder of the person she used to be – come to an end in a liberating peace offering.
Jo's coming out is a metafictive, genuine interaction that paves the way for trans representation in comics. And why is this important? As co-writer Noelle Stevenson told Autostraddle, Jo's identity as a trans girl is vital for the reification of self worth for all people, cisgender or trans, and "to know that this is just one more way to be normal, and that you can be the protagonist and you can be loved while being yourself." Duly, the panels below speak for themselves.
When you get right to the heart of the matter (or in the case of the Grootslang, the heart gem), this conversation and issue are what Lumberjanes is all about: not just accepting each other, or respecting each other – though those are imperative, too – but loving each other, for who you truly, madly and deeply are. "Friendship to the max," indeed.
As expected with Stevenson's leave, the storyline wraps up neatly – albeit with an eerie twist – and propels the girls of Roanoke Cabin to the next (possibly greater) adventure, masterminded by ominous forces that are seemingly manipulating time and space itself.
Until next time, fellow campers!
