HOLY JENNY HOLZER have we got a heck of a Pull Wisely for you this week! We’re spotlighting Lumberjanes #20, which features some incredibly rad punk merperson bands and their ability to use music to mend even the most fractured of friendships.
What you’ll find below is a transcript of the video, plus my top 5 list of comics you should check out this week. I think I’m becoming something of a big BOOM! fangirl, so sorry about that (not really).
Hey everyone! Welcome to this week’s edition of Pull Wisely! I’m Jessica Lachenal, and I may love Lumberjanes too much. Not really. This week we’re spotlighting Lumberjanes #20, written by Shannon Watters & Kat Leyh, illustrated by Carolyn Nowak, with colors by Maarta Laiho. Lumberjanes is, of course, published by BOOM! Studios. So let’s get right into it, shall we?
This week is the conclusion of the Merfolk arc, which saw April trying to save a Merperson punk band (I can’t believe I got to say that outloud) while at the same time trying to save a friendship. This issue, like so many Lumberjanes issues, is packed full of tiny bits of detail–the amazing buttons and patches on Harlow’s vest, April beating up the sea serpent in the background while Harlow and April have a heart to heart, and things like that. Mostly, the Merwomyn (with a y, mind you) callout (“You keep using Merwomyn, which is a super harmful movement”) really sang to me.
This issue felt like what I wanted Jem to be: an amazing friendship made even better by righteous music. I mean, the ending really sells that point, doesn’t it? With the stage coming up from the water and all the people just having a rad time… I can’t wait to see if any Lumberjanes fans pull off a Married with Sea Monsters/Mary Janes thing and make their own song. Hinthint.
The art, as per usual, is top notch. I wanted to specially call out the creative decision to forego whitespace by placing the panels above a greater background, which plays into one or two of the panels on page. It’s an immersive technique, one that really gets across this idea of all-encompassing story and happenings, and it’s stupendous. The colors really bring it all together, too, and my favorite panel has to be Ripley showing up in her fully-glittered out dress.
Shining, shimmering splendor? Anyone else have “A Whole New World” stuck in their head? No? Just me? Yeah, okay, sure.
Lumberjanes #20 wraps up an arc (I think…) and is another superb Lumberjanes issue, one that you should definitely pick up.
That does it for me this week! I’ll be putting my top 5 recommendations below. Don’t forget to hit us up in the comments so we can geek out over comics together, and don’t forget to tweet your recommendations to us at hashtag Pull Wisely on Twitter! I’ll see y’all around!
Now, it’s time for… *drumroll*… this week’s top 5!
1.) Ms. Marvel #1, written by G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa and Adrian Alphona, and published by Marvel Comics. This is a re-launch of one of our favorite superheroes, Ms. Marvel, still featuring the incredible Kamala Khan. She’s totally an Avenger now, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s everything she’s ever wanted… isn’t it? You can bet we’ll be tagging along with this series for a long, long time.
(image via Marvel Comics)
2.) Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #4, written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Jamie McKelvie, published by Image Comics. Phonogram‘s got a bit of a special place in my music-geek heart, and as an unabashed Kieron Gillen fan, you know this one’s making the list. This issue’s also a bit of a tribute to a crowd favorite comic about a certain pilgrim dating a high schooler…
(image via Image Comics)
3.) Pretty Deadly #8, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, illustrated by Emma Rios, published by Image Comics. What can I say about Pretty Deadly without sounding like I’m absolutely gushing over it… hm. Oh, nothing? Okay. Well, Pretty Deadly‘s one of those comics that comes along once in a while with the perfect combination of story and art that at once redefines and reminds you why you love reading comics in the first place. Back from a hiatus, this issue’s one I’ve been dying to get my hands on, so you best bet I’ll be diving in headfirst, pardner. If you dig supernatural stories and/or the Old West, you best be gettin’ along and gettin’ this comic too, now, you hear?
(image via Previews World)
4.) Giant Days #8, written by John Allison, illustrated by Lisa Treiman, published by BOOM! Studios. Giant Days has long been a favorite comic of mine, because it features a well-written, simple (and yet all too complicated) slice-of-life story. The characters are absolutely endearing, and one can’t help but be invested in each of them with each passing issue.
(image via Comic Vine)
5.) Welcome Back #3, written by Christopher Sebela, illustrated by Jonathan Brandon Sawyer, published by BOOM! Studios. Welcome Back centers around a group of immortals who are waged in an eternal war wherein they reincarnate into different bodies but always end up fighting each other in over-the-top action scenes and sequences. If that premise doesn’t sound exciting to you, I don’t know what will.
(image via BOOM! Studios)
That should do it for this week’s Pull Wisely. As we keep saying, don’t forget to hit us up in the comments or tweet at us using #PullWisely.
See you next time!
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