The End Of An Era As Squirrel Girl.. errr, Ends

Comics are amazing as they can open our minds to a whole world of imagination. There are many comics and graphic novels which are based on real life and tell us about a wide variety of historical and biographical events but I have also enjoyed comics which talk about the human condition and humanity but may not be based on real life.

I had a comic area in my book corner and Squirrel Girl comics were available for students to enjoy.

I had a comic area in my book corner and Squirrel Girl comics were available for students to enjoy.

I've been reading comics since I was 7 and I'm always open to reading new stuff and supporting new creative teams and one collection that I've loved with all my heart has been ‘The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl’ by Ryan North and Erica Henderson.

Squirrel Girl was a bit-part Easter egg character from an old Iron Man comic but North and Henderson turned her into a truly awesome heroine and a role model, something seemingly impossible to achieve when your hero has the power of squirrels and likes to 'Eat nuts and kick butts'. However, amongst the gritty and dark comics this series (alongside Ms. Marvel, Howard the Duck and Dan Slott's run on Silver Surfer) has really stood out due to the excellent humour peppered throughout but also the positivity, compassion and heart of protagonist Doreen Green aka Squirrel Girl. Doreen is a Computer Science student who has to deal with the usual nonsense from super villains but she does so in a fresh way, usually without violence but through talking and befriending said foes.

By surrounding her with a lovable cast of characters such as Koi Boi, Chipmunk Hunk, Nancy and Brain/ Brian Drain we get to see the social dynamic between this motley crew as they grow and evolve. Appearances by Iron Man, Spiderman, She-Hulk and also pretty much every big bad in the Marvel Universe always kept the series on its toes and made it pivot from Savage Land adventures to escape room escapades but it avoided all the crossover event nonsense that blight and derail a lot of comics from time to time.

A particular highlight for me was the redemptive arc of Kraven the Hunter. Doreen and Kraven met in the very first episode and became fast friends over the course of the run but the 'Last Hunt For Kraven' arc actually had me tear up as Doreen made Kraven a better man; she saw his insecurities and the ugliness of his past yet demanded more of him and made him a better human. Very few comics build that kind of relationship so organically and affectionately. The evolution and chemistry between Kraven and Doreen grows in the 58 comic (and 2 original graphic novels) arc as Kraven turns from the perpetual hunter into a superhero and it feels true to the character.

There is a deep understanding of Marvel lore in Squirrel Girl but it is given a fun unpretentious twist which is welcoming to new and younger readers as well as the slightly older guard like me. I only hope that this character progression is kept up in the following Marvel comics where Kraven shows up as the ‘Untamable Kraven’ has a nice ring to it.

Squirrel Girl truly stood alone as a heroine, she was the heroine that sat and talked about Galactus’s ennui and eating problem (in that he consumes entire planets), used computer programming logic to defeat dino-Ultron and took a nihilistic Russian philosophy quoting brain in a jar and made him a BFF.

Over the past few years I have eagerly awaited each graphic novel collection and have not been disappointed. There have been no dips in quality and even when Henderson left, when it could have gone all Pete Tong, the series kept up the fun and clever jokes, the intriguing storyline and great artwork whilst remaining true.I'm sad to see the series finish but we have been lucky to have Squirrel Girl in our lives for so long, she is a gift and she should be cherished.