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The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (Collected Editions) #2-4
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 2
With her unique combination of wit, empathy and squirrel powers, computer science student Doreen Green is all that stands between the Earth and total destruction. Well, Doreen plus her friends Tippy-Toe (a squirrel) and Nancy (a regular human). So, mainly Squirrel Girl. Then: what hope does Earth have if she gets hurled back in time and erased from history? Some hope, hopefully, as Howard the Duck is waiting impatiently for a crossover!
COLLECTING: THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL (2015B) 1-11, HOWARD THE DUCK 6
COLLECTING: THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL (2015B) 1-11, HOWARD THE DUCK 6
296 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2017
15 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
Ryan North
533 books1,595 followersHi, I'm Ryan! I was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1980 and since then have written several books. You can read my Wikipedia page for more, or check out my author site at RyanNorth.ca!
I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.
I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good
I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.
I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 24, 2022
Unusually for my comic book consumption, I think these stories would have read better as individual floppies rather than in a double-sized collection like this... which is concerning as I already have four more trade paperbacks waiting for me. I love the scrappiness of these stories and the unflappable confidence of our heroine, but smooched together like this and she becomes a little insufferable.
Some of the jokes are funny the first couple of times, but then they are just stretched out and repeated several times too many. Even Koi Boy should have been a throwaway gag and there are only so many times you can put a squirrel inside an Iron Man helmet and still make me laugh.
Some of the jokes are funny the first couple of times, but then they are just stretched out and repeated several times too many. Even Koi Boy should have been a throwaway gag and there are only so many times you can put a squirrel inside an Iron Man helmet and still make me laugh.
June 28, 2020
If all of the comics were as good as the last few, this would definitely have 5 stars! It just takes a little too long to get good, if you know what I mean.
January 1, 2022
In this second collection of Squirrel Girl comics, you'll once again find Doreen Green trying to balance her life as Squirrel Girl and as a computer science student at Empire State University. This can be quite the balancing act, especially when you have a huge fluffy tail that you have to hide when you're in your civilian persona. While other superheroes have origin stories that explain their tremendous powers, Squirrel Girl is...Squirrel Girl.
Doreen's "unbeatable" title continues to be tested as she uses both her skills as a squirrel person who can communicate with and control squirrels and as a computer science major to defeat villains who terrorize New York City. The fact that she's a superhero who can talk to and control squirrels is just amusing enough that fans of the first collection will likely enjoy this one. However, I wasn't prepared to read a Howard the Duck crossover in this collection, so know that it's not necessarily a volume completely dedicated to Squirrel Girl.
Once again, I enjoyed Ryan North's writing (there's a lot since Dorreen rarely resorts to violence to solve her problems). I haven't read many comic books, so I'm still getting used to the art styles, especially since they are distinctly different between the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl issues and the Howard the Duck issues. And while this volume was entertaining, there is a certain limitation that comes with a superhero whose only abilities revolve around squirrels. Doreen can use only so many iterations of these powers before they become repetitive.
More Squirrel Girl action with a Howard the Duck crossover, I give The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Big Squirrels Don't Cry 3.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
May 17, 2022
I have liked Squirrel Girl as a character ever since her Great Lakes Avengers days, and I have to say that I very much enjoyed most of the stories in this volume. I had read some of them in comics form when they came out, but wasn't enjoying them as much then, and now realize why.
The "footnotes" in these stories very much interrupt the stories and draw the reader away from the often-complicated humor and craziness of these stories. While they do add things once in a while, it's not often enough to make up for this drawback.
So, if you read these stories, I suggest not interrupting the flow with the footnotes. Read them later, if you want. I did it that way this time, and enjoyed the stories a lot more than when I read the footnotes page by page.
That said, this version of Squirrel Girl is delightfully weird, especially the run of battles against Fantastic Four villains, although the Spider-Man villain stories were also pretty good. Also, the computer science jokes and plot twists were really cool, especially the ones where she's out-sciencing Doctor Octopus, sort of.
Also, yes, the cover involves her wrapping Doctor Doom in a huge mass of squirrels. In this, their second battle, she did sort of do that, on a philosophical level, but the reality of it was even funnier.
The "footnotes" in these stories very much interrupt the stories and draw the reader away from the often-complicated humor and craziness of these stories. While they do add things once in a while, it's not often enough to make up for this drawback.
So, if you read these stories, I suggest not interrupting the flow with the footnotes. Read them later, if you want. I did it that way this time, and enjoyed the stories a lot more than when I read the footnotes page by page.
That said, this version of Squirrel Girl is delightfully weird, especially the run of battles against Fantastic Four villains, although the Spider-Man villain stories were also pretty good. Also, the computer science jokes and plot twists were really cool, especially the ones where she's out-sciencing Doctor Octopus, sort of.
Also, yes, the cover involves her wrapping Doctor Doom in a huge mass of squirrels. In this, their second battle, she did sort of do that, on a philosophical level, but the reality of it was even funnier.
January 27, 2023
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Big Squirrels Don’t Cry is a comic about Doreen Green, a wisecracking, confident computer science student at Empire State University, who lives with her knitting-savvy, cat lover roommate, Nancy, and her best squirrel friend, the pink-bow-bearing Tippy-Toe. But secretly, she fights crime as the superhuman Squirrel Girl! With admirable agility, the ability to talk to squirrels, and a taste for nuts, she fights off threats like Doctor Doom, Mole Man, Swarm, and… a cosplay hunter maniac…? And accompanying her in her superheroing escapades are Tomas Lara-Perez, also known as Chipmunk Hunk, Ken Shiga, also known as the Unsinkable Koi Boi, and Howard the Duck, also known as… Howard the Duck! I really enjoyed this book. The drawings are colorful and expressive, the dialogue is witty, silly, and perfectly self-aware, and the stories are outlandish but not outlandish to the point where it’s confusing. The only weakness, I’d say, are the occasional parts where there’s just an overwhelming amount of dialogue filling up the text boxes, making some pages a little tougher to read, like the introduction of Doctor Doom in the time-travel saga. Overall, this book does really well as a humorous comic! I’d give it 4.3 stars.
January 30, 2025
Finished this one after bouncing and returning a lot over several years. I think i checked out the original a decade ago now and just didnt keep up with it.
Love ryan north, from way back. This has a lot of his particular voice, which is awesome that it wasnt distilled for marvel. I know it's low drama but it is nice to see it come through rather than be watered down with marvel slime.
I also love the mix of the traditional fighting but also the attempts to steven universe the villains into friendship. Also squirrels are friggin cute. All the guest stars remind me that i like marvel's characters broadly but the mainstream Big marvel shit has just gotten in the way of them.
The art is a little lopsided at times but for most of it i love the look of it.
The computer science jokes get a little old. The puns? Never
Love ryan north, from way back. This has a lot of his particular voice, which is awesome that it wasnt distilled for marvel. I know it's low drama but it is nice to see it come through rather than be watered down with marvel slime.
I also love the mix of the traditional fighting but also the attempts to steven universe the villains into friendship. Also squirrels are friggin cute. All the guest stars remind me that i like marvel's characters broadly but the mainstream Big marvel shit has just gotten in the way of them.
The art is a little lopsided at times but for most of it i love the look of it.
The computer science jokes get a little old. The puns? Never
May 5, 2022
I definitely enjoyed way more of this than I didn't enjoy....
but, there were definitely some pieces that felt unnecessary. Like the 'choose your own adventure' was a cute idea, but when reading it online, it was not accessible- so I just skipped that whole section.
But, again, there's so much that brings me genuine joy in these comics. The snark, the body positivity, the squirrels, how SG tries to "defeat" villains by actually understanding why they're doing what they're doing, the twitter exchanges with people like Iron Man and Kraven and Howard the Duck are brilliant.
So, very fun escapism...with squirrels.
but, there were definitely some pieces that felt unnecessary. Like the 'choose your own adventure' was a cute idea, but when reading it online, it was not accessible- so I just skipped that whole section.
But, again, there's so much that brings me genuine joy in these comics. The snark, the body positivity, the squirrels, how SG tries to "defeat" villains by actually understanding why they're doing what they're doing, the twitter exchanges with people like Iron Man and Kraven and Howard the Duck are brilliant.
So, very fun escapism...with squirrels.
October 11, 2022
Very fun! I didn't realize this was volume 2, but it felt very complete and easy to jump into. Squirrel Girl is hands down one of my favorite superheroes.
There's a LOT of dialogue, which sometimes became a bit much. But only because I was under a library due date time crunch and so it felt like a project I had to get done instead of a leisurely reading experience. Not the fault of the comic at all. You can tell the author super freaking loves Doreen and writing all about her. It's nice that the author enjoys their character that dang much!
There's a LOT of dialogue, which sometimes became a bit much. But only because I was under a library due date time crunch and so it felt like a project I had to get done instead of a leisurely reading experience. Not the fault of the comic at all. You can tell the author super freaking loves Doreen and writing all about her. It's nice that the author enjoys their character that dang much!
February 6, 2020
Really enjoyed this! If you're picking up this book, it's probably because you already read Volume 1. Volume 2 doesn't disappoint. The awesome art, the smart writing, and that relentless optimism continue. Plus Squirrel Girl and pals take on time travel, dating apps, and oh yeah, some super villains too. Definitely worth a read!
March 10, 2021
Shocked at how good this series is. It's not up its own butt with cleverness; the cleverness serves the story and the character. Going on a date with a Sentinel? It makes sense and is ALSO a joke. Time travel loop to defeat Dr. Doom? Sure!
I'm all in.
I'm all in.
December 19, 2021
Hi freaking larious. I am looking forward to reading more of these! I did skip the “choose your own adventure” ch. because I’m reading this volume digitally and for me that just doesn’t work on a kindle but everything else is great.😊🙃
September 22, 2017
Everything about every Squirrel Girl book is perfect. Period.
June 3, 2018
I definitely know who I'll be for Halloween!
March 4, 2019
The storyline where Squirrel Girl creates an online dating site profile and goes on a series of awful dates is the funniest and most real thing I think I've ever read a superhero doing.
June 7, 2019
The. Absolute. Best.
July 9, 2019
A superhero who’s great a listening/being sympathetic + computer science + squirrels + girls = one of the most enjoyable comics out there.
January 31, 2023
She's here to eat nuts and kick butts
December 7, 2023
Hands down the best super hero. The prose is funny & don't even get me started on the hilarious footnotes! Super relatable & adorktable tangents for my squirrel brain ♡♡ Tippy is the best sidekick! & I unexpectedly thoroughly enjoyed yhe Howard the Duck crossover.
Will look for more Squirrel Girl comics, as well as other works by Ryan North.
Will look for more Squirrel Girl comics, as well as other works by Ryan North.
December 5, 2019
This is one of my favorite current comics. It manages to subvert prevalent tropes while at the same time reveling in the characters that make establishment comics fun. Everything it does is in the spirit of positivity, friendship and anti-violence. On top of all this, it is wildly funny and fourth wall-breakingly clever with artwork that parses details down to their most simple, effective forms without losing anything. Please read this series.
December 13, 2025
Imagine a super-hero that insists on empathy, conversation, and mutual understanding—even with Galactus.
This series is sneakily brilliant. Under the jokes and hijinks lies a deep interrogation of superhero tropes, authoritarianism, and conflict resolution. Doreen doesn’t just punch problems—she questions why they exist, who benefits, and whether friendship might be a better tool than fists.
It’s an accidental manifesto. Squirrel Girl refuses hierarchies of violence, refuses to dehumanize enemies, and builds networks of mutual aid (her university friends, fellow heroes, even squirrels) to solve problems collectively. She’s a decentralized, cute-fanged force for nonviolent resistance.
Empathy is the cornerstone of Squirrel Girl. She talks to her enemies—actually listens to them. She understands their needs, their insecurities, even their weird alien loneliness. It's not a trick or strategy; it’s a worldview.
She embraces her animal kin, finds joy in nature, adapts to chaos, and remains calm under pressure. She doesn’t seek glory. She acts out of duty and compassion, often at great personal cost. She’s funny, but never cruel. She’s powerful, but never domineering.
Even the way she treats the narrative—breaking the fourth wall—is done with a wink, not a sledgehammer.
This is what happens when empathy gets weaponized in defense of joy and justice.
This series is sneakily brilliant. Under the jokes and hijinks lies a deep interrogation of superhero tropes, authoritarianism, and conflict resolution. Doreen doesn’t just punch problems—she questions why they exist, who benefits, and whether friendship might be a better tool than fists.
It’s an accidental manifesto. Squirrel Girl refuses hierarchies of violence, refuses to dehumanize enemies, and builds networks of mutual aid (her university friends, fellow heroes, even squirrels) to solve problems collectively. She’s a decentralized, cute-fanged force for nonviolent resistance.
Empathy is the cornerstone of Squirrel Girl. She talks to her enemies—actually listens to them. She understands their needs, their insecurities, even their weird alien loneliness. It's not a trick or strategy; it’s a worldview.
She embraces her animal kin, finds joy in nature, adapts to chaos, and remains calm under pressure. She doesn’t seek glory. She acts out of duty and compassion, often at great personal cost. She’s funny, but never cruel. She’s powerful, but never domineering.
Even the way she treats the narrative—breaking the fourth wall—is done with a wink, not a sledgehammer.
This is what happens when empathy gets weaponized in defense of joy and justice.
December 13, 2020
Another fun collection of the (mostly) Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, whose theme tune just happens to sound like the amazing Spider Man's ... but that's another [graphic novel] story ...
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews