Lucas Blogs About The Unbeatable Squirrel Vol. 10

You maniacs!

So What's this book's deal?

Well, Life is Too Short, Squirrel is the tenth volume in Ryan North and Derek Charm's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl monthly superhero comic book. We open with the funeral of Squirrel Girl!

That's a dramatic shift in the status quo!

Well, it would be if this weren't a superhero comic.

Oh, right, so she's alive?

Well, a woman with a fish head and in indomitable spirit shows up to the funeral calling herself Bass Lass, and insisting that she be allowed to see video evidence of Squirrel Girl's demise.

So, then Count Olaf isn't the only character on this blog who wears transparent disguises?

No. Anyway, after the funeral, Squirrel Girl and her best friend Nancy visit her old pal Tony Stark (fun fact, the first Squirrel Girl comic was about her rescuing Iron Man from Doctor Doom), to try and figure out just who (or what) was in the coffin at Squirrel Girl's funeral. Eventually, it's revealed that Squirrel Girl (and then Tony) was replaced by a Skrull (they're those shape-shifting aliens who tried to invade earth all those years ago). But this Skrull says she doesn't want to help her species invade Earth, she just wants to make a new life for herself.

This sound suspiciously like the set-up for another "Squirrel Girl uses her words to solve a problem and learns that her enemy isn't actually all that dissimilar from herself" kind of story.

I see that I've taught you what to expect from Squirrel Girl comics. In any case, this blog is probably gonna be pretty short, since I am actually starting to run out of things to say about Squirrel Girl comics. Ryan North continues to pepper in fun character details like Koi Boi's love of puns, Brain Drain's penchant for existentialist and nihilist philosophy (and transparent disguises), the fact that Mary might just be an evil genius, and Derek Charm continues to prove to be a worthy successor to the original artist Erica Henderson by creating new character designs that feel of a piece with the comic's aesthetic (though I do miss the way that Henderson would frequently create new costumes for the title character). Oh, I should mention that the last issue in this collection is a standalone story about Squirrel Girl's best friend and roommate, Nancy Whitehead being held captive alongside Peter Parker, (yes, that Peter Parker, but he and Spider-man have apparently split into two separate bodies, because comic books) by a supervillain named Ms Quizzler who forces Squirrel Girl, She-Hulk, and Thor to solve a series of puzzles and trivia questions in order to rescue them. This issue is drawn by guest artist Naomi Franquiz. It's good.

Anything else to add?

Nah. Look, if you already like USG, you'll enjoy this volume. If not, I doubt this will convert you. Still, fun read.

So, are we really just ending it here?

My blog, my rules.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 10 – Life is Too Short, Squirrel (collecting issues 37-41) written by Ryan North, drawn by Derek Charm and Naomi Franquiz, with colors by Rico Renzi, Marvel trade paperback edition, March 2019, 120 pages, pairs well with summer afternoons and phoning in blog posts

Links:

Here's an interview with Squirrel Girl's creative team that ran on the AV Club. North, Charm, Renzi, and editor Wil Moss talk about their runs on the series and the decision to end it after issue 50 (which will actually be the 58th issue of the run, again because comics). So, I guess if you don't like the comic but for some reason insist on reading it, you'll be happy to hear it's ending soon, weirdo.