Lumberjanes, the highly anticipated new mini series from Boom! Studios, made its debut this past 
Wednesday. Co-writer Noelle Stevenson stopped by Challengers Comics + Conversation in Chicago, IL for a flannel filled signing.
On our way to Challengers for the Noelle Stevenson signing, I began to suspiciously eye each person on the bus wearing flannel. Were they heading to the Lumberjanes signing? Some of them were; in my mind, the others were still unknowingly supporting the new comic book series. Once I arrived at the store there was no doubt who the fans were. The staff on hand were all wearing flannel, though co-owner Pat Brower sheepishly admitted his plaid tie was the closest thing he had to match. It’s hard to imagine co-owner Dal Bush ever wearing flannel, and he in fact wore his signature suit and tie for the event. Noelle herself could have stepped out of the pages of Lumberjanes, sporting a red flannel and denim vest. We spoke briefly with the Lumberjanes co-writer before the start of the signing. It’s been a busy month launching the new series, with Stevenson making con appearances nearly every weekend for the past month and attending several signings to promote the book. We were happy to hear that the series was being enthusiastically embraced by fans and retailers alike. The online fan base the series has already built is impressive in their enthusiasm as evidenced by the number of fans that snapped photos wearing flannel with their purchases this past Wednesday. Pat Brower confirmed that the first issue has already sold out from the publisher within the first week, a good sign that BOOM! Studios has a hit on their hands with this all-ages friendly title.
Challengers was one of several retailers to commission an exclusive retailer cover. Kali Ciesemier illustrated the naked variant featuring the main characters in a canoe, embarking on adventures with “friendship to the max” as the new series has promised to deliver. The back cover of the variant also includes a Challengers’ exclusive merit badge design. These details made the retailer incentive truly enticing, and many attending the signing chose to pick up extra copies for friends. The cover for Lumberjanes wasn’t the only thing that stood out upon entering the store. The music was notable as well, skipping from Taylor Swift to Spice Girls to Stevie Nicks. This was clearly no random shuffle. According to co-owner Pat, Noelle specifically requested the music for the signing. Included in the final pages of the first issue you will find a playlist for a mixed CD created by Lumberjane April, and we were all getting a sampling of its contents. We’re hoping future issues will include playlists from the rest of the characters.
Check out the rest of the photos from this event, including fans holding their own copies of the book and quite possibly the youngest Lumberjanes fan to request a signed copy of the first issue. You can also read a review of the debut issue here.
