Love Liberates in Lumberjanes

by Vince Brusio

Working on an independent comic series over a period of years is no small feat. It means dedication on your part. It also means there’s a considerable audience that remains faithful to your title. In the case of Lumberjanes #50 (MAR181255), it’s a reason for Editor Dafna Pleban to celebrate, and she explains her appreciation and renewed zeal to keep the Janes on track in this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview. Get the comic now at your local comic shop!

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Vince Brusio: A long-awaited anniversary issue! Congratulations! Now do us a favor: stop. Take a breath. You’ve earned it. Now, look over your shoulder. See those 49 issues behind you? What do you take away from all of that work? What sticks with you?

Dafna Pleban: Working in independent comics, it's rare for any series to go beyond a year or two, so having been part of this series for over 4 years has been both an incredible gift and a wonderful opportunity to grow as both a person and an editor. Working alongside co-creator Shannon Watters, we always joked that our narratives tastes were tonal opposites of each other — Shannon loved uplifting stories about friendship and optimism, and I was drawn to the more of the morally-grey, woefully depressing self-serious stuff. Working on Lumberjanes has helped me discover new approaches to narrative, of finding dramatically interesting approaches to story that doesn't hinge on violence or one side beating the other. Most of the problems the 'Janes face can be solved by coming to an understanding. Narratively, there may be antagonists, but we don't really have any true villains beyond our characters' own self-doubt. And that's both really refreshing as a reader and challenging as an editor. It's surprisingly easy to resolve conflict in visually interesting ways with violence, and Lumberjanes forces you to discover other, less trod paths to both resolve narrative conflict AND create a fun, visually engaging story.

Vince Brusio: Which characters in your cast have grown on you the most, and which characters have yet to reach their fullest potential?

Dafna Pleban: I think Molly has grown a ton, in subtle but also deeply significant ways. I think she's learning to love herself and acknowledge she has a right to be her own person, and that path is long and imperfect, but having the room to explore that in Lumberjanes has been a gift. Jen has also grown in more tangible ways — she's learned to be less afraid of the unknown and more willing to let the 'Janes take risks for the right reasons. Barney is also someone who has come a long way in discovering their true selves, and the arc of Barney joining the Lumberjanes remains one of my favorite.

Vince Brusio: One of the pull-quotes listed with issue #50 is from LA Weekly. They describe the series as “feminism and fun intertwine.” How would you back that up? For the sake of new readers who may not yet have picked up this book, how does Lumberjanes measure up to what LA Weekly asserts?

Dafna Pleban: Ahahaha, we aren't too subtle about our agenda, are we? A big part of the feminism of the work comes from the fact that this is a story that isn't centered on heteronormative ideas of violence or romance as drivers of the story. What's at stake at the core of Lumberjanes isn't someone's life or romantic future, but whether or not the Lumberjanes reach their fullest, awesome-est potential. A large part of the feminism inescapably comes from that in the process. The other, more direct answer is, we want the kids picking up this book to have opportunities to discover other feminist folks in our history — the exclamations ("Holy bell hooks!" is a favorite) are designed so people who are unfamiliar with the names or terms used could google later and fall down a Wikipedia well of all sorts of interesting history. So that's definitely something that's tied into the fabric of the comic!

Vince Brusio: How does issue #50 act as an anniversary issue? Can you give us a preview of the festivities?

Dafna Pleban: I always love when we get a chance to explore the camp itself — we often have our adventures outside of camp or in the nearby environment. LJ #50, our 'Janes are stuck in the cafeteria on a rainy day and Jen would think there's no way the 'Janes could get into trouble, but, as always, they're certainly resourceful in that regard. Getting to see all the cabins interact is a lot of fun. Barney and Diana are a surprisingly fun team and I really can't wait for fans to see how they get along. And the new artist, dozerdraws, does an amazing job at tackling both all the different Lumberjanes and the new beasties that come into the story!

Vince Brusio: So now that you’ve reached the top of a mountain, what’s next? How do you see Lumberjanes playing out in the near future? Do you already have a few issues in the can past issue #50?

Dafna Pleban: We've got the next arc planned after issue #50 and there's a lot of both fun adventure, and some more potent emotions coming fans' way. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of the world for this long, and I'm looking forward to exploring the world even more!

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.