Lumberjanes, Vol. 17: Smitten in the Stars by Shannon Watters

Lumberjanes, Vol. 17: Smitten in the Stars Reviews

• 
  Devann

  [muffled chanting] ACE ARTEMIS! ACE ARTEMIS!
  
  So funny that I was just recently thinking 'wouldn't it be cool if Artemis was ace in Lumberjanes' since a lot of ace people view her that way AND THEN!! Very cute, hope they do more with that. Overall just a really fun volume and I liked the introduction of some Norse mythology as well.
• 
  Alyssa Black

  I feel like this is the lumberjanes I’ve been missing for a few volumes. Loved it.
• 
  Chris Lemmerman

  Okay, quick review of the actual story - splitting the 'Janes into two groups and getting some new characters involved is something I'd have thought we'd have got a LONG time ago, but it works really well. The is-it-aliens-is-it-not plot is silly, but the goddess stuff counterbalances it well. I love how oblivious everyone is to everyone else. And the artwork takes a little getting used to, but it's a fun change by the end of the volume.
  
  But now, to what I really want to say.
  
  Asexuality representation in media is few and far between. I can count on one FINGER when I personally have seen a character say that they're not into sex, and I can't recall a single time that I've heard the word asexual spoken/written down.
  
  I personally identify as a homoromantic asexual, which is probably even rarer in real life than it is in media. I'd all but given up on seeing someone fall into that category in any of the media I consume.
  
  And yet this volume does it. Granted, we still don't get the A word. But then again, Lumberjanes has never said that Jo is trans, or that Barney is non-binary either. They just are. So it fits the way that the book tells its stories, and I can't have everything. But I digress.
  
  One of the characters here has the conversation with someone crushing on them, and just tells them outright that they aren't into kissing and that side of relationships. But they're happy to hold hands, and still return their romantic feelings. And their prospective partner just smiles and accepts it, and then they're together. It's just...wonderful to see myself reflected on a page. Okay, I'm a dude, and the two people in this book are female, but it's still there. It's still a homoromantic asexual character, on paper, in front of me.
  
  So yeah, all the stars.
• 
  Marc *Dark Reader of the Woods*

  Excellent story; great friendship, great action, great fun, and a touching depth to the ‘Janes mutual support, even between characters who constantly butt heads.
  
  The artwork, by “talented newcomer” Kanesha C. Bryat, grew on me. It’s still jarring to jump into a brand new art style every other volume, and I will repeat my comparison from a prior review: It’s like if your favourite show was completely recast every season, with actors who embody the characters perfectly, but they’re still new faces each time. The figures are more cartoonish than they’ve been for a long time and it works, and there are manga-inspired stylized reaction shots. So, great character art.
  
  The environments, though, leave something to be desired, and that’s for the environments to consistently exist. About half of the panels have blank backgrounds, mere smears of colour with absolutely zero objects or detail, like the characters are standing in front of a green screen and the director forgot to have the special effects crew add in the setting. Are the colours in these blankgrounds nice colours? They are, and props to the colourist overall. But when there’s a two-page spread in which there’s no indication if they’re even indoors or outdoors, it strikes me as lazy and rushed; characters acting in the ether.
  
  Three volumes to go.
• 
  Paula Phillips

  
  Volume #17 of the Lumberjanes has the camp split in half as half of the camp is going off Alien Hunting whereas the other half are on their journey to see the Meteor shower that is supposed to be happening tonight. While the group led by Emily and Jo is off alien-hunting as we learn that Emily's parents love everything Alien-related and even own a UFO-styled diner. Hes decides that this is his chance to ask Mal about love advice as she and Molly are the "perfect camp couple" as Hes has feelings for Diane - our Goddess. Meanwhile, in the other group, Barney is walking with Molly and Diane when all of a sudden his cat is kidnapped by a Norse Goddess who believes the cat belongs to the Goddess Freja and it is her job to bring it back to her. However, can Barney convince her that she has things mixed up and we see Diane getting angry as she is no longer the only Goddess at the camp and this is her territory? I have to admit I wasn't as impressed with this particular volume of Lumberjanes as the storyline fell a bit flat for my liking compared to the other adventures that the girls and Barney have experienced before in previous volumes. Like I felt that the Alien storyline could have been played on a bit more as this felt like a fantastical adventure that the girls could fit right into.
  
• 
  Alex Nonymous

  Gahhhhhh okay fine. This one was really cute, okay? A lot less substance than the first few editions but I literally do not care at all because this made my heart extremely happy.
• 
  Samantha

  I liked the art work in this one a lot.
• 
  Megan

  Wow. This book.
  
  This book is, undoubtedly, one of the very best "Lumberjanes" books I've ever read in this entire series. The fact that it comes after literally one of the worst ones that I've ever read (or at least, lowest rated so far on my Goodreads) is really just something. It is because of these AMAZING "Lumberjanes" that come every couple of books in the series that I continue to still read it.
  
  What can I say about this book? Well, I think I have to give some context as to why I enjoyed this book so much...
  
  Throughout the past ten years, I've really struggled with my sexuality and still do. I don't know what I am, to put it frankly. For a long time, I didn't have the word, but, even with the word I know, it doesn't exactly describe the feelings and thoughts I experience fully.
  
  I may be asexual. Or I might be aromantic. Or I might be aromantic with graysexuality.
  I don't know.
  I can't figure it out, really, for the life of me and when I start to look too internally in, I get very depressed because, to be honest, I am not comfortable being whatever I am and I crave to be... I don't know. Like everyone else, I guess. Plus, to me, it just feels like another "problem" in my life even if it's not meant to be one and I already have enough of those with my mental illnesses, family dysfunction, don't - know - what - I'm - doing - with - my - life career wise and just generally. When I tact on the problems with my sexuality and the big ? around it... I don't know, I just can't handle it. I would rather shove it somewhere and not further examine it anymore even though I know I'm not like my friends around me.
  And I never have.
  And I doubt I ever really will.
  I have always been off or different in this area of my life compared to everyone else.
  
  That said, I have never read a book about an asexual character before and I especially was not expecting to tonight when I opened this book in the "Lumberjanes" series. Although it makes sense with how inclusive the book series has ALWAYS been, but still. I was surprised. And I loved it!! Not only that, but even if I might be aromantic in my life with people - I love romance in books, movies, and TV shows. So not only was the typical Mal and Molly romance just A+ in this, but I also adored watching Hes and Diane bloom with each other... And then, for Diane to be an asexual character in a relationship... Wow, I am just BLOWN AWAY.
  
  Furthermore, besides the stories of romance in this book, I very much enjoyed the other things happening as well in this one like Norse mythology being introduced with Greek mythology (sort of made me go to Toon Town for a bit, to be honest) and the searching for a cat and all the fun alien hunting with the Zodiacs and getting to know their characters better.
  
  I don't know - I just found this "Lumberjanes" book being ENTHRALLING. And then, amazing. And fun. There were no problems in this one that I experienced in the last one (no fighting, no unnecessary repetition, bad writing, et cetera) and then... I don't know. I found my heart soaring when I saw that Diane was asexual. Even though I am still figuring out my own bullshit and whatever I might be, I just really appreciated the representation in this book, the normalization, and the fact that it gave me some type of like... Hope? Making me feel like I am okay, to a certain extent??? Diane being happy and asexual was just something I needed because to me, at this point in my life, I find it something so heavy and negative and painful.
  
  I hope one day that I can be as accepting and happy with myself as Diane is in this book. This is what I aspire to be... A Greek mythical goddess that's asexual in a comic about crazy shit at camp, lol. Also, I should like totally read more books about asexual people, I guess? Or the realms of asexuality that people might be experiencing and navigating in that? I don't know. It was really helpful in this moment, but I know, in other times, it's really difficult for me (as, like I said, it can be sort of painful and it feels like the end of all my romantic dreams/notions that I've grown up with for the past 26 years [although it doesn't have to be necessarily like that and this book really helped me with that as Diane is asexual and she is still romantic/in a relationship]). Also, I hope my review doesn't offend anyone? It's Pride month currently and this post is sort of like... I don't know... How I struggle to figure myself out and have pride for myself? I don't mean it to be offensive, I'm just going through shit and trying to figure it out and I wanted to be honest about this book and my feelings with it.
  
  So yeah, this was my review. It probably reveals way too much of myself to a group of people that don't need to know, but I've still done it anyway. I VERY much recommend this "Lumberjanes" book. I would even be willing to give it like six out of five stars because I truly find it one of the best ones out of the entire series... Maybe even more than the first two (that I originally adored)? Wow. Just crazy times. Who expected this turn of events.
  
  EXTRA FINAL NOTE: Also, loved the art in this book. It was very unique and I loved the style along with the choices the artist made like that one page where it was a montage of what both girl groups were doing... Beautiful and amazing!
• 
  sallanvaara

  I give all the Lumberjane comics basically the same 3.5 and then just round it up and down here based on vibes, but this is a true mix. I really didn't like the art style compared to most other issues, but I enjoyed the story more than on average so WHO KNOWS!
  
  Also yes I'm getting all of my quick reads out of the way today to pad my September reading tally before I start my annual LotR re-read tomorrow WHAT OF IT xD
• 
  Amanda

  Stargazing, Norse goddesses, crop circles? This one was so fun!
• 
  J.L. Neyhart

  This made me smile a lot. I still miss the art style of the early books but this story was super fun.
• 
  Brooke

  This is getting a four stars just because of the asexual representation and the lesbian relationship!
• 
  Kat

  4.5
• 
  rachel, x

  #1)
  Lumberjanes, Vol 1: Beware the Holy Kitten ★★★☆☆
  #2)
  Lumberjanes, Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max ★★☆☆☆
  #3)
  Lumberjanes, Vol. 3: A Terrible Plan ★★★★☆
  #4)
  Lumberjanes, Vol. 4: Out of Time ★★★★☆
  #5)
  Lumberjanes, Vol. 5: Band Together ★★★★☆
  #6)
  Lumberjanes, Vol. 6: Sink or Swim ★★★☆☆
  #7)
  Lumberjanes, Vol. 7: A Bird-Eye's View ★★★★☆
  #8)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 8: Stone Cold ★★★★☆
  #10
  Lumberjanes, Vol. 10: Parents' Day ★★★★☆
  #11)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 11: Time After Crime ★★★★☆
  #12)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 12: Jackalope Springs Festival ★★★★★
  #13)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 13: Indoor Recess ★★★★☆
  #14)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 14: X Marks the Spot ★★★☆☆
  #15)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 15: Birthday Smarty ★★★☆☆
  #16)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 16: Mind Over Mettle ★★★★☆
  #18)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 18: Horticultural Horizons ★★★☆☆
  #19)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 19: A Summer to Remember ★★★☆☆
  #20)
  Lumberjanes Vol. 20: End of Summer ★★★★★

  
  
  ➸ Trigger warnings for minor magical violence, and attempted 'catnapping'.
  
  ▷ Representation: BIPOC, queer & nonbinary mcs and scs.
  
  
  Blog •
  Trigger Warning Database •
  Twitter •
  Instagram
• 
  Alissa

  I keep saying I'm done with this series, and yet...
  
  and yet... it keeps tempting me back.
  
  WITH KITTENS!!!!
  
  While this issue was better than #16, it still wasn't as good as the Early 'Janes. You know, back when the series was fresh and new and plotlines didn't feel as recycled as old Disney animations. But this volume was cute and friendship-focused (per usual) to the max. And it gave the Roanokes (Barney, Diane, and Co) time to shine a bit more than usual. And it had magical kittens. Marigold 💞 and some new sparkly feline friends✨...which are, somehow, even better than regular magical kitters. Don't ask how. They just are.
  
  Artwork had a bit of a Muppet Babies feel, which was better than the lumpish-ness that it sometimes has (you know, where the characters look kind of like potatoes). Still distracting, though, and I can't really say I like it.
  
  But the story was so freaking CUTE!!
  
  And KITTENS!!
  
  All the things combines... Three star average
• 
  Amber Scaife

  (very slight spoilers ahead)
  
  The 'janes are at it again, this time half of them follow along and support a fellow camper who's looking for proof of alien life, while the other half have a close encounter with a Norse goddess.
  
  This series continues to be one of my very favorite things for its insanely clever wit and its all-encompassing acceptance. (In particular this time around for its revealing of the goddess Diane as a grey ace in loving, NBD style. Just...so wonderful.)
  
• 
  mykittyquest17

  5 stars
  
  A fantastic graphic novel. I enjoyed returning to the lumberjanes camp and getting to adventure with the Roanoaks and the Zodiaks.
  
  This adventure also had a full on goddess fight and magic cats so, all in all, this was amazing and Beautiful.
• 
  Holly

  Definitely one of my favorite volumes.
• 
  Jasmine

  I love when other cabins are involved. Plus more goddesses and cats. Seeing an ace character was also great. Done in such a nice way too.
• 
  angelofmine1974

  3 1/2 stars
  
  My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:
  
  
  https://youtu.be/7g2absHW6YQ
  
  Enjoy!
• 
  Alicia

  This was one of the best lumberjanes that I've read in a while. I really enjoyed it. The character Freya was adorable, the whole thing was excellent.
• 
  Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind)

  The lumberjanes are chasing meteors and Aliens in this fun adventure.
• 
  Mackenzie

  The art in this volume is SO GOOD. I definitely prefer this to the art style the last few volumes have had. I feel like the characters have their recognizability back! Ripley looks like she’s younger than everyone and Mal has her body shape back. The faces are a lot more expressive.
  
  I liked Roanoke cabin teaming up with the Zodiacs I don’t love when the girls are separated, but I do like that they kinda just mixed and mashed the cabins together. Diane is so interesting and I always love seeing more of her. The Zodiacs are really cool too! I love their character designs.
  
  The two stories really came together in a way I never expected! I really enjoyed this volume. It feels like we’re getting back to form with the Lumberjanes!
• 
  Bill Coffin

  This is a collective review for the entire Lumberjanes series.
  
  I’ve been wanting to do a complete Lumberjanes read-through ever since I bought the first TPB at the New York ComiCon, back when the series first started. My son and I had just finished reading Namona together, and I was a big Noelle Stevenson fan on the back of that, so Lumberjanes was an obvious choice for what to read next. I read the first few volumes, and then let it sit for a few years as the series ran its course. Now, I have the chance to go back and take it all in as a single, extended reading. So what’s the verdict?
  
  Lumberjanes is a magnificent comic property. Even if it doesn’t speak to you directly (and it doesn’t always speak that strongly to me), the truth is that a book with this much heart, accessibility, respect for each others’ differences, love for a good yarn, and investment in its own characters is a book worth everyone’s notice.
  
  The story involves a very long and unusual summer for a gang of young women at a summer camp where mythical beasts roams and time works at its own pace. It is full of both epic danger and mundane camp stuff, where we might see our heroines fighting a creature from Greek myth one volume, and play a board game of their own making in another. For them, this time-warping summer camp experience is an extended exercise in facing the many challenges of burgeoning adulthood, where growing together matters more than growing up.
  
  Throughout the Lumberjanes is a strong commitment to representation, and this book really delivers there. Just about every reader can easily see themselves in Lumberjanes, which is a feature, not a bug. Even though the stories themselves can hit a kind of rut without any real stakes or advancement of characters or meta-plot (this was especially the case once Stevenson moved off the book), the fact remains that this is a story that provides a much-needed presence in the world of graphic storytelling. You’re not going to find many books this overwhelmingly positive, especially to any dimension of diversity within the audience, and in a comics scene that so often meets diversity kicking and screaming, Lumberjane's steadfast embrace of our differences really matters. There are more than a few books that feel cut from the Lumberjanes cloth nowadays, but one imagines they wouldn’t be around if not for Lumberjanes themselves. And you know what? We’re all better for it. Whether you like this book or not, you must respect it, and that is no small thing.
• 
  Freddie

  Ever since Time After Crime’s story focused approach, I felt the series was lacking. I wanted more engaging fantasy elements or a return to character growth. This one delivered and is probably my favorite volume now. The fantasy element is so fun and the Zodiacs are back. I’m found myself finally able to enjoy reading a lumberjanes volume again.
  
  Art: The style is very simple but grew on me over time. However the panels are very lively, so the art ends up being pretty good. There’s always something going on in the art. It made me want to stop and appreciate it so I could see everything. The visual comedy was also really good in this. Which I think is key to a good comic. While the style does look a little fugly sometimes the composition is just really fun and embraces being a comic.
  
  Character: This volume was more focused on the Zodiacs, even though the lumberjanes were present the whole time. I love seeing the Zodiacs, and seeing some character development from almost all of them was a nice surprise. I love Hes’s side plot as well. The way it ended made me smile a lot. Emily I thought would just be there to move the plot along and make jokes, but genuinely had a good little arc too. And now the lumberjanes. I like April a lot more in this volume. She’s not just there for comedy. While I still don’t like her very much, they at least gave her something to do, and didn’t make me annoyed like in Birthday Smarty. I also like how they expanded on character moments between Mal and Molly, whose relationship kinda just seemed to be in the background sometimes. Finally I also love Freyas character she’s really fun. I like how the comic has been trying to use its characters. Giving them more arcs and moments instead of just being there to move the plot. They seem way more like a team now.
  
  Story: It’s not the most complicated or plot based adventure like Time After Crime, but what it does have is some nice little arcs and a fun adventure. I really enjoyed all the arcs here, which I think is crucial to having a good adventure story. This volume made me really happy, it was just so cute. I also love the mythology elements and I was glad to see them return. The comedy in this was better than usual too. It’s just a fun adventure with some great characters.
• 
  Cale

  This is another strong volume that revisits some of the ideas used in Volume 14 but uses them to much better effect, namely by expanding the cast to several of the other cabins and allowing Diane, Emily and the other Zodiacs to take shared billing. Hunting for aliens leads to some more fantastical encounters, and two storylines that merge satisfyingly in the end. Kanesha Bryant's art style is simpler and more angular than AnneMarie Rogers' but it really nails the character designs for both familiar and relatively new faces. The dialog is notably good, and the story moves very satisfyingly. While our main campers are definitely present throughout, this is Diane's (and to a lesser extent, Emily's) book. And I really appreciated some of the more unique relationships between characters that are highlighted here. If you're a Jo/April/Ripley kind of reader, this might be a little bit disappointing as a volume, but in the overall world of Lumberjanes, I was very impressed.
• 
  Liberty

  Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
  
  Continuing on my Lumberjanes read through, I finished Vol. 17: Smitten in the Stars this afternoon. In the Lumberjanes comics we follow the girls of the Roanoke cabin at Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for Hard-Core Lady-Types. Each volume has the girls dealing with some new Fantastical creature, god or goddess, or supernatural event. In this volume, we meet the goddess Freya and possibly hunt down some aliens with the girls from the Zodiac cabin. I still love these girls and still love seeing everything they go through. I was hoping to get to the bottom of some of the weirdness at camp, especially the stuff between Rosie and another character, but as we continue through the series I just doubt that’s ever going to happen. I have three volumes left before the series is over so I guess it is possible. We’ll have to wait and see.
• 
  Satrina T

  The Lumberjanes go hiking to watch the Perseids when Jo, Mal and Ripley go into the woods with Hes, Wren and Emily while April and Molly get together with Barney, Mackenzie, and Diane.
  
  A goddess appears but Diane is annoyed by her, as opposed to being the one to annoy the Roanokes.
  
  Favorite character: April and Barney are top spot followed closely by Ripley and Mal.
  Least favorite character: Whenever Diane is around, I’m sure she’s getting this spot but this time she improved… a little… it’s not like she’s suddenly my favorite.
  Favorite part: Apart from the illustration style (which I have said I won’t mention anymore) which was a nice change, I really liked to see the friendship between cabins.
  
  I liked this arc.
• 
  Lianne (The Towering Pile) Lavoie

  I've had my ups and downs with the constantly changing artists in this series, but oh my god, this volume is SO CUTE. Like I don't know how much of it was the art and how much of it was the story (it's for sure both) but I kept actually SQUEALING from how cute it was. Everyone constantly blushing?? But in the most endearing possible way?? Actual heart eyes!! Ripley being drawn properly tiny again! By far the cutest and sweetest volume in the series so far.
  
  And it's nice to get a chance to get to know the Zodiac campers a little better! Sometimes I forget their names because they don't show up too often.