The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
Words by Ryan North
Art by Erica Henderson
While Squirrel Girl may be a D-list superhero, her brand new comic The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is far from being a second string title. For those readers unfamiliar, Squirrel Girl is a Marvel character going back to the grand days of the Great Lakes Avengers. Yes, that was totally a thing. Some of Doreen Green’s blood is squirrel blood, which gives her the proportional strength and speed of a squirrel, as well as a large bushy tail and the ability to talk to squirrels. As a fourth string hero, Squirrel Girl lives in the attic of Avengers Mansion—at least until she begins her new life as a college student at the premiere Marvel Universe institute for higher learning, Empire State University. Of course, as a student she must balance her education with the vigors of saving the world.
Much like DC’s new approach to Batgirl, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is aimed at a slightly younger, female audience. Having said that, however, I think there is plenty that will appeal to most readers. Writer Ryan North does a great job keeping the book light and full of action. Squirrel Girl is accompanied on her adventures by a female squirrel named Tippy-Toes. One of the best gags in the book is Doreen’s constant back and forth with Tippy-Toes. While often in English, the best arguments are those in which everything Tippy-Toes says is in untranslated squirrel chitter. The reader knows that Doreen isn’t having a one sided conversation, but it still looks and feels like she’s a crazy person arguing with a squirrel. It provides a good laugh while taking advantage of the character’s unique abilities.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl also has some great art, provided by Erica Henderson. One of the first things I noticed is that Squirrel Girl doesn’t look like a stereotypical female superhero, which is a good thing. While the typical female hero may appeal to those guys who are traditionally thought of as comic readers, the reality is that there are far few of them than one might think, and it’s about time that companies stop pandering to a small subset of their fan base.
This book also works well because the art matches the feel of the story. Given how light hearted the story is, the colorful and cartoon style gives the reader a sense of fun that wouldn’t be nearly as present with a more serious art style. I’m not a huge fan of many of the facial expressions that Henderson puts on Doreen, but I figure that either they will improve, or I’ll get use to them.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is a book that I would highly recommend to anyone looking to get into comics, especially those of the teenage girl persuasion. It’s a fun, smart, and well-illustrated comic that’s great for new and old readers alike. 4.5/5 Death Stars.
Therefore I Geek 