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“The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” #25

By | October 13th, 2017
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

“The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” can now call itself “The Eisner Award-Winning Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.” In fact, it does, right on the cover, as it was awarded the title of “Best Comic For Teens.” That said, it’s still an enjoyable comic no matter your age, and with the Savage Land story arc coming to an end, let’s take a look and see how well this issue wraps everything up.

Written by Ryan North
Illustrated by Erica Henderson
Colored by Rico Renzi
Lettered by Travis Lanham

This is it! The climactic showdown between SQUIRREL GIRL, a woman who can talk to squirrels, and ULTRON HIMSELF, a killer robot who has ruthlessly defeated the Avengers on multiple occasions! And you may be thinking, “Holy crap I’M SOLD,” but let me tell you more: This entire battle takes place in the Savage Land, an area FILLED with dinosaurs! And NOW you may be thinking, “I’m so sold, good grief just let me read this comic already,” but hold on some more, because there’s one more thing we need to tell you: ULTRON IS A TYRANNOSAURUS REX NOW. It’s Doreen Green versus DINOSAUR ROBOT ULTRON, and Kraven the Hunter is there too! Kraven is not a dinosaur though. Man, we really should’ve made Kraven a dinosaur too! Lessons learned for next time, I guess!

Throughout its run, Ryan North’s take on Squirrel Girl has provided one of the most consistently entertaining comics Marvel has given us. It has a very unique style in both writing and art, and I’ve often praised the synergy between everyone in the creative team.

This past arc has been no exception, and has taken great pleasure in utilizing all the amazing, out of this world aspects that Marvel comics provides. A land filled with dinosaurs? Check. Killer robots? Check. And then they decided to go one step beyond that and give us a killer robot dinosaur, because why not?

Yet at the same time, “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” manages to provide a decent amount of drama. Yes, we know Squirrel Girl will win in the end, because that’s the kind of character she is, but Ryan North has still built the story up in a way that provides actual stakes. Can they save the dinosaurs? Will Kraven survive? What about Nancy’s blooming relationship with Stefan from Latveria? And even if Doreen will eventually prevail, the comic still makes her work for it, and the characters have to really think and work hard to succeed.

As mentioned earlier, the artwork by Erica Henderson complements the tone and style set forth by the action and dialogue perfectly. The designs are distinct, while still being simple in form; they don’t need to rely on excessive details, when just a few specific features per character will do the job nicely. And she’s clearly having a blast drawing a wide array of dinosaurs, not to mention Dino-Ultron.

That said, it does sometimes fall into overly-simplistic territory, particularly when it comes to expressions that aren’t the focus of the scene. That’s typically reserved for wider shots, where the faces aren’t the focus, but it can be distracting. Aside from that, though, the illustrations match the mood and tone wonderfully.

Erica’s artwork for the action scenes may not be as “big” or impactful as artists for more combat-heavy comics, but it still serves its purpose. Even on one of the first pages, we get a moment hilariously averting the usual “hero jumps in the way of an attack that would hit his or her friends” cliche, where the first panel is set up to look like it’s about to happen, then the next one has the jump continue with Doreen continuing her dialogue throughout the jump.

However, the artwork in “Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” wouldn’t be what it is without the color work from Rico Renzi. The colorful shades make each image pop, and even when things get grim, the darker colors match the illustrations very nicely. Erica and Rico make great use of the glowing red of Ultron’s eyes and mouth by casting them in darkness, even while maintaining the shape of the dinosaur form.

While most of the issue involves the fight against Dino-Ultron, it’s not all just combat. This run of “Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” has put a lot of focus on programming, of all things, as that’s Doreen’s major. As such, it’s a group of programmers, working together that provide Squirrel Girl with the tools she needs to defeat Ultron. Well, programmers and dinosaurs, because they’re using the Savage Lands for every single bit it’s worth. It shows that brute strength may be fun, but brains are also essential for saving the day (and probably a lesson about teamwork in there somewhere as well).

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Most of all, though, the comic is clever. It even acknowledges Squirrel Girl’s often-forgotten “knuckle spikes” power, and explains why she rarely ever uses them (along with a “snuck” sound effect). When the characters make a plan, the narration gives more than a little wink to the audience while it intentionally obscures what they’re saying.

And then there’s the absolutely hilarious moment where Nancy repeats the “world of cardboard” speech from the Justice League cartoon to Squirrel Girl, almost word-for-word, while Doreen explains how it’s really not like that for her at all.

There’s also a very distinct style of dialogue throughout “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl,” a comic style of characters over-narrating, or being very specific about their situations, to illustrate the ridiculousness of it all. We get little gems like “And now you gotta pay for the damage to that very expensive airplane that was also our last way off this island!” and “It seems crazy to even have to say this, but killing all life on the planet is never cool!” along with the occasional dramatic speech. Personally, I find it amusing, and adds a certain flavor to the comic that others don’t always provide.

That said, for all my praise, I must acknowledge that “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” isn’t for everybody. Not everyone will enjoy that style of dialogue, or how the comic constantly winks at the readers. It has a very comedic tone throughout, and doesn’t stop to take itself seriously, so anyone who thinks comic books should be serious might want to look elsewhere.

And while the artwork does complement the tone and style, it can be overly simplistic in certain moments, such as Nancy’s slow-motion throw scene, where her face contains nothing but dots for eyes and a nose. While there may be beauty in its simplicity, it could also be argued that it makes the comic look flat.

Those seeking more serious dialogue and realistic art might want to search elsewhere, and they can still get their Squirrel Girl fix in “U.S.Avengers.” The comic is also aimed at a more teenage audience, but is clever and entertaining enough to be read by audiences of all ages.

If, however, those don’t turn you away, then “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” is a hilarious ode to all that makes comics great. It relishes in how over-the-top comics can be, and strikes just the right balance of story and humor. The characters are easy to connect with and like, the gags go over well (I’m quite fond of the little narration jokes at the bottoms of most pages), and the story arc comes to a satisfying conclusion.

I absolutely adore “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.” I can say that and still acknowledge that it’s not for everyone, but it is 100% a comic for me. There’s a reason this series has always had a place in my “Soliciting Multiversity” lists for Marvel, and as long as it keeps up this level of humor, heart, and art-story synergy, it always will.

Final Verdict: 8.5 – A great end to one of the most entertaining arcs in this series yet. Ryan North, Erica Henderson, and Rico Renzi make a perfect team for this series, and in today’s uncertain times, it’s nice to have something that’s pure and just plain unbeatable.


Robbie Pleasant

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