The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1679: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #5, July 2015

As we wind down the first story arc, today's issue gives us an idea of how well known our unbeatable heroine actually is in the Marvel U.

The short answer: not very. While trapped in the head of the Statue of Liberty, Nancy, who by this time has figured out that she's living with a superhero, listens to obviously fabricated tales of her new roomie. The stories are excellent, completely inaccurate to Doreen's style and adventures, and touch on some older eras of comics. There's the obligatory Dark Knight nod, some Golden-Age stuff, a nod to the crazy narratives of the 90s, all while Nancy is trying to explain that this is simply not how Squirrel Girl rolls.

Erica Henderson put so much awesomeness into this series. When I first picked it up, I wasn't sure about her far more stylized representation of the Marvel U, but now I can't imagine the series with any other art. SG has definitely been depicted as a typical superhero, prominently in the Bendis/Deodato era of the series. And while she translates well into that world, I much prefer seeing other Marvel heroes translated to hers. The cartoony style does nothing to diminish the excitement that we associate with the Marvel U. What it does do is shine a sunnier light on that world. Squirrel Girl's world is still filled with planetary invasions and interdimensional gods, but that doesn't necessarily make it a grim world. In fact, that might be one of Doreen's most important powers: her sense of optimism. She never lets a situation get the best of her, and that's just one of the lessons that I think we can all take away from this series.

Have I mentioned that, at all? That this series actually does some really important work in teaching us, specifically in teaching us how to be nice to one another.? Well it does, and that's yet another reason that you should be reading it. All of it.

"Anyway, one time a crazy professor secretly stole her blood and used it to make a clone of her!"

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1678: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #4, June 2015

Finally, Galactus.

All I will say is that this comic does not play out the way you think it's going to, it sets the tone for the entire series that follows it, and features one of my favourite pages of a Marvel comic ever (it's the 8th page of actual comics).

 A cool feature of Squirrel Girl is the bottom of the page commentary, sometimes from Doreen herself, sometimes from writer Ryan North, and sometimes from a narrator voice that is somewhere between the two. In the very first issue, the font is so dim that it's a bit hard to read. But the colour is corrected in the rest of the series and offers a hilarious counterpoint to the action on each page. It's simply another of the features of this series that makes it stand out from the rest of the spandex comics on the shelves.

I've been trying to think of another comic that has a similar aesthetic to USG, but there really aren't that many. Perhaps Keith Giffen's criminally cut short Vext comes closest, a tale that is firmly attached to the shared narrative construct within which it happens, but not to the traditional ways of telling stories in that construct. Squirrel Girl acknowledges that it's surrounded by the Marvel U, but refuses to tell the usual kinds of stories we might expect from that fictional milieu.

"I like you, Squirrel Girl. You don't fear me. In all my travels, you are the first to approach me...as a peer."

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1677: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #3, May 2015

You know how sometimes you're on your way to stop Galactus from devouring your planet and they you get knocked back down to Earth by a villain who mistakes you for his arch-nemesis?

No?

Man, this is not a relatable comic for a lot of you.

That is what happens in this issue, but, honestly, I would love to have seen the "Squirrel Girl, Warlady of Mars" story that appears to be what the cover of this issue is advertising. Perhaps, now that the series is ending at issue #50, I'll pick up the reigns and get Doreen to Mars for some green ape action.

"Doreen, I'm sorry, but we just don't have the time. If we stop that robbery, then Galactus makes it to Earth and everybody dies anyway."

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1676: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #2, April 2015

You know how sometimes you're the only one who knows that Galactus is coming to devour the Earth, so you have to "borrow" some armour from your good friend Tony Stark so you can fly to the moon to keep the Eater of Worlds from, y'know, eating your world?

That's never happened to you?

Well, it happens to Squirrel Girl.

But we also get to see the beginnings of one of the great friendships of modern comics, Doreen Green and her roommate Nancy Whitehead. It's almost as impossible to imagine this series without Nancy as it would be to imagine it without squirrels. Right from the start, Nancy is established as an important character not only to Doreen's narrative, but in her own right too. That's one of the really lovely things about this series: the supporting cast are every bit as interesting and fleshed-out (to the extent that they can be as supporting characters) as our focal heroine. Over the course of the last four years the book has in many ways moved from a single-character focussed narrative to an ensemble cast. And Nancy was there right from the beginning. (As was Chipmunk Hunk - we just didn't know it.)

"Dude, you literally just got lost staring at his cheekbones."

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1675: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1, March 2015

I couldn't do it.

Reading Lovecraftian horror first thing in the morning was just too much. So, though I will finish reading the stuff I pulled out, I'm taking a break and am instead going to read the much happier, more optimistic, first series of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.

I don't know what more I can say about this comic that I haven't said before. It's easily the best thing Marvel has put out in the last decade or so. While I loved Secret Wars, and Hickman's Fantastic Four, and Bendis' Avengers, Squirrel Girl blows them all away. It's funny, poignant, exciting, kind....really, all of the things that we want in a superhero comic but perhaps didn't know we wanted in a superhero comic. Doreen is an amazing character, full of hope and charity, and her relationships with her friends (both squirrel and human), coupled with some superheroics, make her one of the, strangely, most relatable heroes to have emerged from the House of Ideas.

I'm going to read the truncated (by Secret Wars) first volume, and then perhaps jump back into the Cthulhu stuff with a fresh, and fortified, mind.

"You have learned too late not to jump in the face of the great Kraven, but know this: your body will serve as a warning to future generations."

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1057: GLA #4, September 2005

Now, this is what I was hoping for from this comic. It's silly, it's superhero-y, it's a bit sad, but ultimately a happy(ish) ending. Rather than simply be cruel to the characters, they're put into a situation in which they handle themselves with their own particular brand of aplomb.

And one panel, 4 pages from the end, makes the entire series worth the read: the first meeting of Squirrel Girl and Tippy-Toe. Regular readers of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl will recognize the sassy chum of SG, and it was a really lovely moment when I realized I was witnessing the beginning of their friendship. Lovely enough that I almost blocked out the panel of SG crying over Monkey Joe, her former squirrel BFF.

This was a problematic series. I think it hit its stride way too late in the game, and didn't really evince the affectionate stance on its characters that a superhero comic book should. Even comics that focus on villains tend to offer a sympathetic perspective. This comic is not sympathetic to its characters, and in the kind of superhero writing that this comic demonstrates, that sympathy is important.

Not sure where we're going tomorrow. I have two things I want to do - either a week of adult comics from Eros, or starting on the first 25 issues in my run of Supreme, which will be monumentally bad. Guess you'll have to tune in tomorrow.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1056: GLA #3, August 2005

Now, you all know I love Squirrel Girl, and as far as I'm concerned everything starring her is glorious.

Well, not this series. It's just cruel and unfunny. The first page is a disclaimer page, a trait shared by each issue, that decries the casual way violence against women is portrayed in comics. And then it goes on to reveal that the way that Big Bertha reduces her mass is to vomit everything up. Seriously. It's a bulimia joke.

Which the comic seems to be aware of, and seems to understand is inappropriate, but then goes ahead and does it anyway. I just do not understand what's going on here. If there was even the inkling of the comic presenting its violence as ironic, rather than slapstick, I think the series might be redeemable. And perhaps it is trying to do that and I'm just missing stuff, but it really doesn't seem like it. For example, on the aforementioned bulimia page, Squirrel Girl's sidekick Monkey Joe facepalms, and offers Marvel's address for complaint mail. But then the story goes on as if nothing bad has been said, and the ironic moment that might have saved the story disappears. And it seems to do this with each issue.

I'll admit, I'm a bit annoyed I paid so much for the final issue. Which we'll get to tomorrow.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1055: GLA #2, July 2005

Just about 22 pages of different ways that superheroes can say no to the Great Lakes Avengers. There's literally a couple of pages that are head shots of various characters, most of them Z-list or lower, just saying "No." Until the team runs into Squirrel Girl, who says "Yes," but them regrets it? The GLA are not the most stable of teams, and Squirrel Girl is wise to be picking up on that.

I think that this is simply not my kind of humour. When Doorman has a knife thrown at his head, and he lets it pass through him, like a door, it flies straight into the head of the Grasshopper, who has just joined the team. And then someone makes a joke about a new record for shortest membership in the team. I think the vibe I'm getting is what if you wrote an Inferior Five story but treated the rest of the world seriously. How would characters like that actually fit into the DCU? How does the GLA actually fit into the Marvel U?

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1054: GLA #1, June 2005

Did the Great Lakes Avengers really need a grim'n'gritty reboot? Probably not, which is why it's good that this isn't one. Sort of.

I suppose any comic that begins with the lead character blowing his brains out is at least a little bit grim. And is ample reason for the PSA at the beginning of the comic, Squirrel Girl's only appearance in this issue, jokingly, but seriously, asking kids not to emulate what they see in this comic. It's not often that a superhero suicide is depicted quite so graphically.

So is it grim'n'gritty? Kind of? It's definitely taking place in a dark period for the Marvel U. Brian Bendis's first run on New Avengers set a dark tone for the Marvel U of the time, so why not see what happens to one of the comedic teams when this darkness overtakes them? I think the problem is that it's hard to laugh at the misfortune Mr. Immortal suffers over the course of his life, even though it's occasionally played for some laughs. It's almost as if the comic is telling you it's a comedy, so you laugh, then it makes you feel bad for laughing because what you thought was funny was actually awful.

Hopefully this is not a trend that will continue throughout the series.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1034: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl v.2 #27, February 2018

I was going to read DC's Christmas with the Superheroes today, but instead of a Christmas comic, I'm going to read a comic I got for Christmas.

Have I mentioned how much I love Squirrel Girl? Hands down one of the greatest superhero comics ever. So I was super-stoked to have this be the first thing I opened up this morning, while waiting for my son to get up (19-year old's aren't quite as enthusiastic about Christmas as their parents are!). It put a smile on my face and warmth in my heart. It truly is a great comic.

And much as I love it, I can't really find a lot to say about it. Though it's not a Christmas comic, it embodies so much about how I feel about Christmas. And not just this issue, but the series as a whole. Squirrel Girl wants to help people. She forgives, she befriends. She hopes. And isn't that what it's all about?

To be continued.

Giant Box of Comics Tumbls..Tumb'ls...Tumbls'r...something....

Most everything I post on this blog gets linked to my Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter accounts. The reverse, however, is not necessarily true. So here's a culling, today of the Tumblr page, of things that might not have made it to any of the other GBoC feeds:

I will never get tired of the abundance of Squirrel Girl art on Tumblr. Glorious!

The amazing comic "Lady Tilda and the Dragon."

I think this is one of my favourite Harleys that I've seen.

A really amazing deconstruction of the art styles on a single page of Squirrel Girl - gives a wonderful perspective on just how much work goes into the art of comics.

Probably one of, if not the greatest Lara Croft cosplay.

A series of really, truly wonderful visionary artwork.


And, lastly, a very important PSA from XKCD on what Freedom of Speech is all about:

I'll hit up the Facebook feed next time.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 375: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl(s) v.2 #5, April 2016

Apologies - this is going to be a short one. I'm presenting at a conference tomorrow morning, and need to hit the hay.

But, really, what more can I say about The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl that I haven't already gushed all over the Internet? This comic is what superhero comics are all about. It's smart, it's funny, it's got heart, and it's beautiful to look at. And the letters page is full of people dressed as Squirrel Girl, and most of them are adorable little girls who LOVE THIS COMIC! Please think about how important that is - we've been whining in the industry (that's right, I consider myself a part of the industry) about bringing in new readers f or years and USG is doing it, right now, before our very eyes. Not only that, but it's bringing in female readers. That's phenomenal on so many levels.

Just go and read this comic. Please? It's so good.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 287: The New Avengers v.4 #1, December 2015

I wasn't planning on getting any of the Avengers titles after Hickman left. I really couldn't see the point. Of course, I said the same thing after Bendis left, and what a mistake that would have been. But I've seen the preview of the Mark Waid Avengers, and though I love Waid's work, I wasn't particularly impressed.

And then there was Squirrel Girl.

See her, up there, right in the center of the cover? I am thoroughly excited for the fact that she is going to be the beating heart of this Avengers team, and she's going to be weird and quirky and amazing, and the first issue bears that out, by the way. This comic reads like a cross between the Bendis-era New Avengers and Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, and it's really very good. I've never read anything by Al Ewing (as far as I know), but he's given each of the characters a very distinct and wonderful personality, there's already a really fantastic dynamic to the team, and the weird, jewel-headed creatures taking over Paris are just weird enough to bring me back for more next month.

And, of course, Squirrel Girl.

I mentioned a few days ago, in reference to the new Moon-Girl and Devil Dinosaur series, that Marvel is creating this very interesting, quirky, and really cool little corner of their universe. New Avengers is the team book for that little corner. This is a bit of an oddball team, especially to have the name "Avengers," but things in the Marvel U have been pretty epic of late. Perhaps oddball is just what we need.

Artists to Check Out

I so wish I could see entire comics of some of these people. Some I'm sure I can, but unfortunately not all.

Vanessa Del Rey: the variety of styles is pretty stunning, just as much for how different they are as for how subtly similar.

Bruno Bellamy: The ladies Mr. Bellamy creates are cute and wonderful. I would gladly put these up on the wall. So lovely.

Erica Henderson: If you're not reading Ms. Henderson's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, you're missing out on one of the best superhero comics I've read in ages. Also. Etta. Goddamn. Candy.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 90: Moon Knight #15, July 2015

I know I said that every 30 days I'd do a special comic, but two things occur to me: first, I'm super-busy right now and completely lost track of what day I was on. Second, I don't have that many special comics to write about, so perhaps I'll save the next one for a big anniversary, like my 100th comic (in just 10 short days' time!). So instead today I present Moon Knight #15.

I was going to stop reading Moon Knight after Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey left the title (I'm getting a strange feeling of deja vu as I write this), but then I gave their successors a try. And it was soooo worth it. Brian Wood and Greg Smallwood continued the Ellis/Shalvey aesthetic perfectly, added some flourishes of their own, and left after 6 issues. Along comes Cullen Bunn (with both Ron Ackins and German Peralta), and the transition was once again smooth, and there's new and interesting developments in the series. For a while there I thought it was going to be a "monster of the week" sort of set up, with MK fighting something and then moving on to the next thing, but Bunn has added an interesting undercurrent that, if I'm honest, has been building since this beginning of this relaunch. Moon Knight might be the fist of Khonshu, but he doesn't always have to agree with Khonshu. And vice versa, for that matter.

My enjoyment of the title aside, I'm not quite sure how it's fitting into the "Secret Wars" event, unless this is Moon Knight in the amalgamated Manhattan that exists on Battleworld. Or it could be that the series will just ignore the crossover and get on with telling some great stories about a completely underused, and misunderstood, I think, character.

Long story short, the Moon Knight relaunch, along with The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, is one of two real surprises I've had from Marvel over the last year. Not big splashes like the introduction of the female Thor, just solid and thoroughly entertaining comics.

See you tomorrow.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 78: Miracleman #1, March 2014

(I know I'm waffling about, not sticking to any particular order, but that's the nature of the beast at the moment, I guess.)

What can I say about Miracleman that hasn't been said already? I remember hearing about the title, having vague impressions of what it was about, what the main character looked like, but it was published by Eclipse in 1985, which was before I'd discovered comic stores and anything that wasn't published by Marvel.

And then it went out of print.

And then it became a contested property, and the reprints became prohibitively expensive, and I figured one day it would all get resolved and I'd be able to read it. But maybe not.

And then a year and a bit ago, Marvel got the rights sorted out and started reprinting what has been touted as one of the seminal superhero stories of all time, one of Alan Moore's earliest deconstructions of the genre, one of Neil Gaiman's earliest forays into comics, one of Alan Davis' earliest works. It's legendary.

So why did I buy the first three issues of the series and then lose interest?

I think that, perhaps, the deconstruction of the superhero is just too overdone for even this early version of it to be intriguing. It's one of the reasons I avoid most of Mark Millar's superhero stuff. He seems intent on reproducing the grittiness of the 80s superhero revision, a revision that's come and gone and been replaced by something more fundamental to the genre, I think. The deconstructed superhero has been folded in as a trope now, having been an under (and over) current in the genre for almost 40 years now. Instead we have heroes who are aware of the problems of their status and writers who demonstrate how such characters deal with deconstructedness, rather than simply heroes that fall apart under the strain. And so Miracleman looks just slightly dated in comparison to the very sophisticated parsings of the superhero in even the most mainstream of comics these days. By way of example, look at the way The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl deconstructs the genre, the medium, includes metafictional commentary on virtually every page, yet manages to do so under the guise of a friendly, exciting, and funny comic. We don't need to be so grim in order to understand the problematics of the genre.

(So, I'm handing my major field exam essays in today, and I think my analytical brain is overheated, because that last paragraph just wandered all over the place. I'm going to leave it as a testament to what an exhausted academic brain produces, for the sake of posterity.)

That said, I did pick up a couple of the later issues in a dollar bin yesterday, and I discovered that one of the few issues of the original run that I have actually has the stories in it that I'm missing (I don't have #4 yet), so I'm going to read it because I feel like, as someone who studies this genre, that it would be negligent for me to not have it under my belt. So, perhaps, more Miracleman tomorrow.

See you then.