The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
| The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date | January 2015 |
| Number of issues | 4 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Ryan North |
| Artist(s) | Erica Henderson |
| Creator(s) |
Ryan North Erica Henderson |
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is an ongoing American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The current series is written by Ryan North with art by Erica Henderson, based on the Squirrel Girl character created by Will Murray and Steve Ditko. Critics have praised its comedy as well as the empowering portrayal of Squirrel Girl.
Plot
Doreen Green, known as Squirrel Girl, is a human mutant superhero with the proportional strength and speed of a squirrel, as well as the ability to speak with squirrels, like her sidekick, Tippy-Toe. She can also command an army of squirrels, which she typically uses to overwhelm her foes. As The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl begins, Squirrel Girl has left her home in the Avengers mansion to major in computer science at Empire State University. While moving in to her dormitory, she fights the villain Kraven the Hunter and convinces him to go after more dangerous prey. Entertainment Weekly has said that Squirrel Girl will soon be "defending Earth from threats most cosmic".[1] Later issues had Squirrel Girl facing Whiplash and Galactus.[2]
History
Squirrel Girl was originally created by writer Will Murray and artist Steve Ditko as a light-hearted, fun character typical of early comic books. She first appeared in the January 1992 issue of Marvel Super-Heroes, where she defeated Doctor Doom with her army of squirrels.[3][4] The character appeared intermittently for the next decade, earning a reputation for being unbeatable after having bested Deadpool, Wolverine, and even Thanos.[1] In 2005, Squirrel Girl became a member of the comic relief Great Lakes Avengers in her longest-running string of appearances. She is best known, however, as the mutant nanny for the daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones in New Avengers.[1] As these were all guest roles, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is the first series starring the character.
Development
Marvel registered a trademark for Squirrel Girl in July 2014, leading to speculation that the character would appear in a future film or television series, such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or the upcoming A.K.A. Jessica Jones.[3][5] In October, Entertainment Weekly revealed that Squirrel Girl would star in a solo series by writer Ryan North and artist Erica Henderson.[1] Entertainment Weekly called it a "quietly bold move for Marvel", publishing a "a female-centric comic that’s intended to appeal equally to canon-heads and newcomers".[1]
Reception
Issue #1 was published on January 7, 2015 to positive reviews. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl was praised for its comedy, and the character of Squirrel Girl was seen as empowering for being likable, smart, and having an average appearance unlike that of typical superheroes.[6][7] The Guardian in particular applauded the cartoon-like artwork by Erica Henderson as unique in Marvel's publications.[8] IGN regarded the series as "one of the best new debuts of recent memory".[6] Reviews of issue #2 were positive, with PopMatters calling it "breath of fresh air: funny, charming, quirky, strong, brave, unbeatable".[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Franich, Darren (6 October 2014). "Student becomes superhero: See images from Marvel's 'Unbeatable Squirrel Girl'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Reece, Gregory L. (10 February 2015). "I'm Nuts for Squirrel Girl: "The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #2"". PopMatters. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Barsanti, Sam (31 July 2014). "Marvel might be doing something with Squirrel Girl, proving that no superhero is too small". AV Club. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ "Marvel Super-Heroes #8". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Johnston, Rich (30 July 2014). "Marvel Trademarks Squirrel Girl – Cartoon, TV Or Film Appearance On The Way?". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lake, Jeff (7 January 2015). "The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 Review: This Squirrel is Nuts". IGN. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Diaz, Eric (8 January 2015). "Review: Marvel Comics' The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1". Nerdist. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Virtue, Graeme (10 January 2015). "Lady Killer, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, COPRA: the month in comics". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2015.