Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy #1

by John White on June 09, 2016

Written by: Chynna Clugston Flores
Pencil by: Rosemary Vakero-O’Connekk
Colored by: Whitney Cogar
Lettered by: Warren Montgomery
           
           Two missing persons cases, two teams of intrepid teens who will to stop at nothing to find them, and no adult supervision. This is the scenario of the Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy crossover event.  Written by Chynna Clugston Flores, this six-part story sets itself up to be fun and exciting, if not a bit familiar. Harkening back to the classic Scooby Doo episodes where the gang would team up with the likes of the Harlem Globe Trotters or another group of celebrities that one just casually finds hanging out in a swamp or haunted mansion, this issue’s purpose is to set the scene and bring our two groups together. Although initially working on separate problems, which I’m sure the story will reveal are not as disconnected as our heroes initially believe, circumstance and lack of forethought thrust the teams together. No doubt, hi-jinks will be had.
           
            Fans of both Gotham Academy and Lumberjanes will certainly flock to this team up book, but perhaps the best thing about this issue is its accessibility to new readers. Clugston Flores does an outstanding job of introducing the characters and their personalities in a way that is organic but does not detract from the pacing or plot of the story. In only one page she is able to introduce Olive and the rest of the gang from GA, their dynamics with one another, and make the reader not only believe that these are the types of teens who would steal a car and drive into the woods because they found one slightly dated postcard, but to also agree that those are the only logical moves they could possible make.
           
             From the first panel it is clear that this series will not skimp on the action or thrills.  The two aforementioned missing person cases happen within the first four pages of the issue and hang over the rest of the book like a sword of Damocles of excitement.  It is thoroughly enjoyable to enter into world where the best detectives are teenagers with an impressively detailed map of a preparatory schools ventilation system and the opening villain is a creature who looks like he would be more at home on the wall of a an Arizona desert bar than guarding a section of forest from trespassing campers and perhaps even an especially bold squirrel. If this style and tone remain constant throughout to the end of the limited series will take, then it is one you are not going to want to miss out. If you are looking for a book that is different than your normal superhero or moody fare, then you should definitely consider picking up Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy #1. 

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside