Lumberjanes #1
Written by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis (series created by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters)
Illustrated by Brooke Allen, Maarta Laiho and Aubrey Aiese
BOOM! Box
Lumberjanes is a terrifically fun, spooky and good-natured book which nicely captures the excitement and danger that is an essential part of growing up. I hesitate to use the term "all-ages" because for some reason that term seems to scare people off. However, this is a book that should appeal to kids, grown ups, vampires, werewolves, and anyone else.

This is an enjoyable, accessible first issue. Each of the girls has a distinct personality and we can see immediately that they're strong, brave and resourceful, and the creators effectively demonstrate their friendship. They're also illustrated to show a diversity of age, ethnicity and body types, so a kid (or grownup, for that matter) could easily find a character with whom they could identify. The art here is somewhat "cartoony" while still conveying emotional reality along with the fantastical. The story is written to be accessible for kids, but not in a condescending way. There are some very funny moments, and the dialogue has wit and feels modern. There's enough silliness, mystery, action and humor here to keep readers of all ages engaged and wanting to know more (and joining the Lumberjanes because it seems awesome). A strong debut.