Apparently the side series for the Lumberjanes comics are a trilogy; I found number three at the library so I figured I’d finish the trilogy. The thing is that all three seem to be more or less stand-alones all set in the same world with the same characters; although I might have a theory about the possible connections which has to do with the art; I’ll come back to this in a minute.
The general plot scenario is pretty basic: one Lumberjane, Riley this time, faces a bit of an identity crisis (is it ok to be myself even if that’s not even close to everyone else?), the other members of Roanoke Cabin learn a little friendship lesson (maybe be a little kinder or less dismissive of friends’ concerns), and some kind of supernatural something or other potentially threatens the camp.
One Riley has run off with hurt feelings, she meets zebracorn Zee who agree to help her by magically making Riley “normal” to the point where she becomes so unmemorable everyone forgets her. Two supernatural threats intertwine, first an attack of giant clams that need to be rounded up, and second an out of control dragon, who the ‘Janes know in human form to be highly allergic to, wait for it … shellfish.
The art is the most interesting thing here; the first volume in the side series The Infernal Compass was done in shades of greenish and greyish, volume two The Color of Friendship is done in shades of reddish and greyish, and here at volume three, it’s done in shades of blueish and greyish. It seems like it’s most noticeable in volumes one and three, but the use of color is actually really interesting. It’s used to highlight things in the background mostly, mostly the sky and magic, and that can really draw the eye. Given the mostly grey, the one full rainbow bit also standout out, but this isn’t exactly at a serious moment; it involves the line “Zebracorn Love Beam!”
This plus the almost epilogue bit about that last clam escapee are probably the most interesting bits of the whole book. It’s kind of entertaining, makes you think a little (just not really about the main plot or characters), and the whole thing is generally sort of cute and light-hearted.
