Lumberjanes: To the Max Edition, Vol. 2

Lumberjanes #3-4

by N.D. Stevenson (Creator), Shannon Watters, Brooke A. Allen (Illustrator)

The Hardcore Lady-Types Return in another deluxe hardcover collection!

Together, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley take on everything that goes bump in the night. From scary stories to magical portals that lead to a land untouched by time, it's definitely not your average summer! Later, camp counselor Jen just wants to have a normal lesson with her cabin, teaching the girls the basic survival skills needed without any supernatural intervention when a blizzard hits camp. Written by National Book Award-nominee Noelle Stevenson (Nimona, Adventure Time) with co-creators Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters, and illustrated by the tremendously talented Brooke Allen (A Home for Mr. Easter) and Carolyn Nowak, Lumberjanes is a treat for all ages! This hardcover edition collects Volumes 3 and 4 of the New York Times bestselling series along with a wealth of behind-the-scenes content.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

ND Stevenson is the award-winning, bestselling author and illustrator of Nimona and The Fire Never Goes Out, the co-creator of Lumberjanes, and was the showrunner for the award-winning Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[María · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hace unos meses os comenté que Noelle Stevenson era mi droga. A día de hoy, lo sigue siendo. Esta mujer es pura dinamita.

Tras leer el primer volumen de Leñadoras, quedé encantada. Cinco amigas en un campamento de verano: Jo, April, Mal, Molly y Ripley. Cada una con su personalidad única y pisoteando clichés a cada viñeta. Misterios, gatetes, insignias, aventuras... Y de nuevo, lo que más me gusta: visibilidad femenina. Con personajes que en su mayoría son mujeres, los masculinos aparecen pero de fondo y siendo secundarios.

Las protagonistas son entrañables, adorables, inteligentes, divertidas. LAS AMO a todas y cada una de ellas. Los cuerpos siguen siendo distintos: altas, bajas, algunas con poco pecho, otras con más caderas, la propia directora tiene un cuerpo muy musculoso, lleno de tatuajes y es pelirroja. Noelle Stevenson le da una patada a los estereotipos y muestra por fin todos los tipos de cuerpo. No solo eso, sino que da toda la visibilidad posible: etnia, orientación sexual, etc. Esto último, por cierto, con naturalidad y nunca metido con calzador.

El tema más importante, posiblemente en cualquier volumen de Leñadoras, sea la amistad. AY, MIS SENTIMIENTOS, MI CORAZÓN. Fresquísima, sarcástica, divertida, adorable, buen rollera. ¿Qué más se puede pedir? Que sigas haciendo lo que haces, Noelle Stevenson. No pares nunca.

¡AMISTAD A TOPE!
Y gatetes, claro, tope de gatetes también.

[Hayley DeRoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

SAMWISE brand PO-TAY-TO chips omg

(Yes this is my whole review. Read other reviews for how lovely and lady-positive this series is, because it IS, but everyone is entitled to gush about what they love in a series, and the little aside nods to everything good in this world are mine.)

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second To The Max volume of Lumberjanes is just as pretty as the first, with a lovely hardback cover and gorgeous internal artwork. The story continues to be engaging and fun as well. The first issue within this volume is a standalone story of the various Lumberjanes telling each other ghost stories. After that, we move into a longer story of Molly and Mal getting trapped Somewhere Else (with dinosaurs!) after following the Bear Woman, and then something which fleshes out Rosie's backstory, gives the Bear Woman a name and introduces a new character with a dangerous obsession.

It took me a wee bit to get back into this; the standalone and somewhat disjointed first story didn't really help, but once it got going, I very much enjoyed it. The tension between Jo and Barney was interesting and had a lovely payoff at the end. It was also nice to see Rosie's character fleshed out a bit more, and more beats between the Roanoke gang (especially Mal and Molly and also the friendship between Jo and April).

There's obviously something going on at the Lumberjanes camp and I look forward to finding out more about what it is, not to mention spending more time with the Lumberjanes themselves.

[Stefania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is getting better and better! So engaging! It’s what I wanted from Paper Girls: mystery, fun, adventures… The concept is the same: a bunch of hardcore lady-types having to deal with weird and supernatural events, written by a group of artists (not just one person). Paper Girls was chaos. I feel every author wanted to give their input and wrote different storylines mashed up in one. In Lumberjanes, the authors lift each other up creating an irresistible story.
I’m years late to the party but I’m devouring every number!

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun and wacky adventure with this charming troop of kick-ass girls. I enjoyed this volume even more than the first collection.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun!

[Emily Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series always makes me want to work as a camp counselor again.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great volume! More crazy adventures but you got to get to know the characters more. It makes me want to be in their group even more.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stayed up too late to read this all in one go. Zero regrets.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lumberjanes is still one of my favourite comics out there and these editions are so well made and beautiful, that they're definitely worth the wait. There's a bit of a different vibe to this volume for some reason, which may come from the different artists involved, but the quality doesn't dip and you get plenty of secrets and back story revealed. The opening story with the guest artists representing the different girls stories was really well done, served as a great showcase for their works, and matched each character perfectly. I was less keen on the artwork for issues 10-12 but that may just be because Brooke Allen's regular artwork is so spot on and captures the mood and energy so well that any change is hard to deal with. The storytelling and character work is as engaging as ever and there's a beautifully and delicately handled revelation about one character, as well as the increasingly adorable relationship between Mal and Molly, particularly in the little short at the end. On top of that there's the usual plethora of covers, scripts and process to get lost in after you've finished. This comic still fills me with joy in the work it's doing to normalise and represent things that are, and should be seen as, normal including diversity in gender, ethnicity, body shape, and relationships. Not only that but it manages to do so in the most fun, warm and positive way with the coolest characters and enjoyable adventures. It has such a strong moral core and a love of our diversity and similarities that I really appreciate. I love the thought of kids growing up reading these and feeling less alone in the world, better about themselves and others, and feeling like they can achieve anything. If these books are good enough to fill my gnarly old heart with hope then you know they're doing something right.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series makes my heart so happy and full.

In a world that teaches us from the time we are babes that there are only a handful of acceptable ways To Girl, Lumberjanes is a breath of fresh air and so empowering. The variety of characters in this series—and not just surface design like so many are wont to do, even romances are stifling and like to recycle the same heroine with slightly different veneer—is mind blowing. There are as many different "types" of girls as there are characters.

I wish this had been available to me as a girl growing up, and I'm so happy to be able to share it with my own 11 year old daughter.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great series. Technically I’ve been reading this in 15 minute chunks with one of my 1st grade students the past 2 weeks. This particular student since coming back from break had been reading the “To the Max” volume 1 over and over so I told her I’d buy the next volume, but she’d have to read it with me during “buddy reading”.

This series is so well written for its intended age range while still appealing to an older reader, such as myself. It’s also a fun book to read especially the way I did. It was interesting hearing a 7 year old’s thoughts on the LJ’s actions.

The first issue in this trade is amazing! It’s the ghost stories being told around the campfire issue! Having different artists illustrate each story was a very clever decision.

Speaking of artists, I LOVE that Carolyn Nowak illustrates a couple issues.

LGBT+ representation! There’s a very heartwarming scene between two characters in the last story.

Definitely will be acquiring the 3rd “To the Max” volume.

[Arnela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The change from the original art style in the first story arc of the book was a little jarring. I think more so since I just read 400 pages of the same exact art style and became more easily accustomed to it, instead of going chapter by chapter month by month [which is a long enough time that a change like that won't feel weird as much as it did this way]. I do really like the small mysteries being solved as we all try to unravel what this summer camp is all about; I have my theories and I'm eager to science them out.

The way these kids are handling hardships and problems and just growing closer to each other is beautiful and I can't imagine a world where this story stops.

[razzmataz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic has continued to surprise me by actually having a coherent through plot as well as pretty in depth characters! I really enjoyed reading this one as I felt more connected with the characters and the story is developing nicely, I can’t wait to see where it goes :) I loved that they let other artists create some of the chapters, it was cool and offered a different take on the world in the book. The best bit about this book by far actually has to be representation! I’d love to get this for a child as it has so many positive messages and role models for every type of girl, with the adorable couple of molly and mal... you can’t resist !

[Rickie Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic is obviously aimed at a younger audience but I can't help but love it. I think it's because I would have loved it so much if I picked it up when I was a kid. Obviously, it wasn't around then, but I am so glad it is now for young comic fans, especially LGBTQ+ comic fans.

I loved the way they handled the trans storyline for Jo.

Can't wait for the nex 'To The Max Edition'.

[Ellen Mellor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was as good as it was when reading it in singles. This has the issue where Jo came out as trans and it's still one of the best ways of doing this that I've ever seen. And really, I want to be Molly.
The writing is superb - clever and funny and the artwork (despite the multiple artists in this volume) is pretty much perfect for the story. All in all, I heartily recommend it.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing my read of this graphic novel series. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this volume as much as the first one. While this volume had most of the same characters as the first volume it seemed like a completely different story. I wish that it was more connected to the story line of the first volume.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this, better than the first collection. The storyline was much more cohesive, we're finally getting the real info on the forest and residents, and actual on screen <333 from Molly and Mal. The new antagonist made a lot more sense than the deity from the first year.

[Magen - Inquiring Professional Dog Trainer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging storyline. There were grammatical errors, nearly all of which were in the intro/ title page of each individual comic (which lists the badge and describes it), but still, it was a bit disconcerting and made me wonder if these were rushed.

[Tommie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am I entranced with Lumberjanes? Not really. I think I keep picking it up because I like the art. But the story is kind of give or take for me. I'll probably finish the series just to finish it. It's very cute and I like Noelle Stevenson! I don't know why I don't vibe with it more.

[Fel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the stories in the Volume, I did find the changing art styles a little distracting but they were all enjoyable.

I found the transition between scenes a bit sharp sometimes, feeling like I’d missed a page or two.

Certainly looking forward to reading Volume 3 in the future!

[Vail Chester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid FUN!
You enjoy these rambunctious band of weirdos? Good!
Now for some somewhat sad backstories!
Still a good time, with relationships blossoming and learning how & why some splits happened.
Also, much MUCH cute things and witty badges.

[Jdetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these comics. They are, first and foremost, fun and exciting. The fact that they also are incredibly LGBTQ+ friendly and empower women is simply icing on the cake. They should be required reading in schools for anyone between the ages of 10-18.

[Lucía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es imposible aburrirse con las Lumberjanes 💜

[Dena Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is very special.
Must-read comics.

[Ame · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no comic series that brings me more joy and leaves me with such warmth than my precious Lumberjanes.

[Heather Culley · Rating 5 out of 5]

All caught up. That bear woman sure shrunk with age.

[Amanda Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much depth to this awesome comic. I love that readers can get different things from it.

[ReadWithE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably more like 4.5? Great, but the first was hard to live up to.