Hello Enthusiasts,
There are some characters in comics that are made for laughs. You have Deadpool, Harley Quinn, etc. Of course these characters are more than just a punchline, each having their own history and goals. But when you look at a lot of their source material, it's made with humor in mind. Today's comic book review focuses in on another character like that, Marvel's Squirrel Girl. Today I will be looking into the first volume in the "Marvel Now!" series, titled The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Power. As always, there will be some Spoilers Below.
So for anyone who is unfamiliar with this character, I'll give you a quick breakdown. Squirrel Girl has the proportionate strength, speed, and agility of a squirrel. She can also communicate with squirrels, who are happy to attack foes for her. Somehow, through her powers, intellect, charm, and luck, she has earns the title of "unbeatable", as she has not been beaten before. Squirrel Girl is a member of the Great Lake Avengers and, as we see in this comic, has been living in the attic of the Avenger's Mansion.
This comic shows us Squirrel Girl as she moves out of the attic to attend college, pursuing a degree in Computer Sciences. She gets to school, starts to make some friends, and is feeling good about the change. She is signing up for clubs and is getting settled into her dorm when her old life comes back to haunt her. Well, not really to haunt HER, it all just so happens that Kraven the Hunter is searching the NYU campus for Spider-man. Squirrel Girl handles the situation, to soon find that Galactus is headed to Earth. She also has a bank robbery to stop and she needs to fight off Whiplash (who is actually after her because she is wearing an Iron Man suit, which I won't explain here). She, of course, handles these threats without too much of an issue, and decides to continue pursuing her education while being Squirrel Girl.
So, this comic does a lot of things well. It's funny for sure, but also very creative in its approach to threats (except for taking down Galactus, that process wasn't as creative). The writing all feels as natural as possible with a humor-based comic book, it does feel like it's laying down the groundwork for a good series with enjoyable side characters. And again, the humor generally lands, and there are some very funny concepts throughout. For example, Squirrel Girl gets her knowledge about her foes from a series of collectible Deadpool information cards, which of course have jokes about each character as well. It's things like this that make the volume all the more enjoyable.
As fun as the volume is, it isn't perfect. For one thing, I was not a huge fan of the artwork. It's not bad, and it fits the more cartoon approach, but I think after seeing Squirrel Girl show up in other comics and look better, it feels like a steps down in appearance. Also, like I had hinted at earlier, the takedown of Galactus left something to be desired, as it was just her finding a different planet for Galactus to eat. It's been done before, and it felt like the least creative thing in the book (though it does fit the character).
Overall, despite a few complaints, this is not a bad volume at all. Sure, it may not be for everyone, but if you are looking for some laughs in your comics rather than the traditional action and suspense that Marvel usually delivers, this is likely going to be well worth your time and money.
I give The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Power a 7.5 out of 10.
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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