Erica Henderson and Ryan North are quite possibly delivering the funniest series on shelves every month. From the hilarious situations and characters to the clever and funny footnotes, this series has a ton of charm and humor to enjoy.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #14 (Marvel Comics)
So what’s it about? The full summary reads:
SOMEONE is taking over the continental United States, but Squirrel Girl is stuck in boring ol’ Canada! UH-OH. Canada’s not actually that boring, though: Did you know we have the world’s longest covered bridge, in Hartland, New Brunswick? It’s true! I’ve seen it! It’s pretty long, I GUESS. Anyway enough about Canada, we’re here to find out why you should buy this comic! REASONS INCLUDE: fights, teamwork, continental USA domination and a special guest star who you’ll find a TINY bit familiar? Everyone is at least a LITTLE bit into this guy and I cAN’T imagine you not being excited to discover who it is! Anyway, yeah, it’s Ant-Man.
Why does this book matter?
This issue offers up plenty of laughs as well as the origin of Enigmo! From beginning to end there’s a satisfying story complete with a “Where are they now” extra ending. Could you ask for more?
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
On top of it all they deliver an origin story too.
This is one of those comics I don’t always read because there’s too much content. You simply can’t sit down and read this is two to five minutes like 90% of the other comics on the stands. That’s because there’s a battle of ideas and jokes to be had via dialogue and footnotes which lengthens a single page’s entertainment value. Add to it the weirdness of the characters (how can you not love the nihilism of Brain Drain) and there’s plenty of character dynamics to enjoy too. This issue delivers plenty of laughs sure, but also plenty of pop culture references. There’s a fantastic heist sequence for instance, that has the characters arguing over what makes a good heist sequence!
It’s not all jokes either as North explores the real physics of getting large. Though Pym Particles allow for incredible growth with no side effects, the characters realize it may be Enigmo’s greatest weakness. Speaking of Enigmo, he gets a solid origin story in this issue that involves wrestling (what is the deal with wrestling showing up so much in comics these days?!) and he’s a good sympathetic character.
The art by Henderson continues to be funny and endearing. From the cute and heroic Squirrel Girl carrying Enigmo to safety to the action figures of Canada, there’s plenty of visual laughs to enjoy.
It can’t be perfect can it?
Comedy is a subjective experience and I doubt everyone will understand and laugh at this. That said, if you like goofy and outlandish comedy you should be right at home with this one.
Love these footnotes.
Is It Good?
The trick of Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is how much entertainment it packs into every single issue. There’s surprises, social commentary, fourth wall comedy, and plenty to character work to enjoy. If you like your comics to take themselves less seriously you need this in your life.
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