It’s amazing how full the life of Doreen Green – better known as the unbeatable Squirrel Girl – is sometimes. For instance, aside from her usual superhero antics, she’s still got her computer science classes to attend. Those computer science classes are usually enough to brighten her day anyway, but today she’s given a special treat: a lecture on how with great power comes, um, great culpability. We review The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl V2 #17.
Impressing her guest lecturer with her knowledge of computer programming and knowledge of Canadian bridge disasters brings about an impromptu meeting over high tea. She also receives the gift of flight, and battles the classic Spider-Man foe the Rhino when he decides it’s his right to have freely-available comfortable footwear…
Regular readers will be fully aware of how this series manages to expertly balance absurd comedy with intelligent drama, and gleefully turns many traditional superhero standards on their head. This issue once again pulls that off, and manages to make Squirrel Girl’s geekiness a continuing source of nerd pride. After all, who else could make the Rhino consider rebranding himself as a unicorn, or give us lectures on the importance of responsible bridge engineering?
Fans of Brain Drain can rejoice too, as the brain-in-a-jar has a few classic lines about how doomsday weapons can be a thing of beauty. Not to be outdone, Nancy gives us an amusing glimpse in to a world where Thor isn’t a woman and the Hulk isn’t Amadeus Cho, but rather they’re a cat and a dog. Plus, of course, there are the usual sneaky additional comments at the bottom of the pages just to let us know that we shouldn’t take any of this too seriously.
However, in a move of sheer brilliance, there’s also one of the darkest turns for a comic book story that you could imagine. It may be small, and somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it’s a stark reminder that things can be disturbingly evil even in the lighter side of the Marvel U. In fact, not since the death of Monkey Joe has there been such a moment.
It goes without saying that both the writing and art are up to their usual high standard. It’s almost embarrassing how this series manages to pull off great issue after great issue with such apparent ease, and make Squirrel Girl such a likeable character.
In a world of so many comic books, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl towers above the rest, flying its freak flag proudly, and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl V2 #17 is proof that it deserves to.
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