Number Ones - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 Review

Powers of both squirrel and girl.

With her partially squirrel blood and great disdain for injustice, Squirrel Girl is now set to kick the butts of bad guys everywhere in her own monthly comic. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 is a fun look at the titular character's attempt to balance the life of a superhero and fitting in as a regular college student. Author Ryan North sets an upbeat mood right out of the gate with our star bellowing a whimsical theme song as she beats down muggers.

This goes on for two pages. It's possibly the most toe-tapping opening to any Marvel comic ever.

The humorous tone never loses its stride. From silly introductory captions to inner-monologue quips along the lower margins, every opportunity to throw in a joke is taken. This never supersedes the storytelling however. The mood is kept just light enough without being distracting.

Lower caption: "Also, my name rhymes. Yes, that too is but one of the several ways in which I am totally regular."

Of course, the artwork of Erica Henderson also plays a great part in how well the book flows. The action is staged wonderfully, and even dialogue or exposition-heavy pages have plenty of liveliness. Rico Renzi brings it all together with colors that are extremely easy on the eye. The cartoony style might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of comic book illustration, but it feels right at home here.

Suddenly: Kraven the Hunter!

Squirrel Girl's college move is interrupted by a skirmish between Tippy-Toe (her squirrel sidekick, of sorts) and Kraven the Hunter. It's an unexpected but wonderfully entertaining turn. I won't spoil any of it with images, but the writing and illustration really shine during the encounter that follows. The boastful villain-of-the-week portrayal of Kraven was right up my alley. He even points dramatically while calling our hero a "fool" at one point. It's just way too fun.

Honestly, that sums up the entire issue. I had a great time with The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1. It can be wonderful when comic books aim for hard-hitting stories where each installment is a huge event, but it's nice to take a breather once in a while with something that just makes you smile. This is a series I'm definitely going to be keeping up with.

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