Over the past couple of years the comics industry has gone through a huge shift to become more diverse and inclusive in it's mainstream publications and in the process has started to attract a new wave of readers... tweens. There have been many successes (not least of all Raina Telgemeier) but two of the most popular with an ardent and loyal fanbase are Boom! Studios’ award-winning Lumberjanes and DC Comic's Gotham Academy. Both series are about groups of girls investigating supernatural mysteries, with one group of girls being at a camp and the other at a boarding school in Gotham City. It seems logical and likely that their worlds would meet through some incident or nefarious means and so it is that when Isla MacPherson, a teacher at Gotham Academy goes missing along with Lumberjane Camp Director, Rosie, the characters of Olive, Maps, Colton, Pom, and Kyle meet with April, Jo, Mal, Molly, Ripley and Jen to figure out what is happening with only an outdated birthday invitation as the clue. The clues lead them to a house in the middle of the woods and this is when the escapades begin.

I won't spoil the story here but over the course of 100 or so pages the characters from both series are given time to shine, with my particular highlight being the two kawaii (cute) characters, Maps and Ripley) meeting and bonding and committed to writing in snail mail (letters) to each other.

BOOM! Studios and DC Comics have teamed up to bring Lumberjanes and Gotham Academy together and in the process created an exiting and interesting mystery which still contains the heart and messages of friendship that their original series do. This is a wonderful comic and a great addition to any book corner of a classroom.

LINK- Females and Diversity in Mainstream Comics

LINK- A Shout Out to Comics Creator Raina Telgemeier