Kinda nonplussed by this one? I will NEVER say no to a Kraven arc, especially with an escape room thrown in. That said, Squirrel Girl usually underwhelms me the comic tries to tackle themes of redemption and reconciliation. Doreen, I love ya, but maybe Kraven needs to go to jail? Maybe personal charisma / likeability / good deeds / the world's sweetest van doesn't get you off the hook for past misdeeds?

The art is strong, but I miss the quirkiness of Erica's character and costume designs.

I didn't even really enjoy the librarian comic! As a librarian myself, I usually have a good sense of humor about librarian stereotypes, but c'mon Ryan, give me one normal, contemporary librarian on-screen to counter the shushing bun lady. (That said, there were some excellent Dewey Decimal jokes so he was playing to his base in that respect.) ( )

This is the ninth volume of collected Unbeatable Squirrel Girl comics, and the first one not to feature the original artist, Erica Henderson (although she did still do the cover art). The art changes did take a little getting used to, but Derek Charm's style is very pleasant and works nicely for the comic. I will say, though, that I still do miss Henderson's version of Squirrel Girl, just because she was honestly a little bit goofy-looking, and, geez, how often do you get to see a female superhero that not only isn't a sexpot, but isn't even conventionally cute?

The main story here focuses on the reformed (or at least reforming) villain Kraven, who's been a recurring character since the beginning. It also features Squirrel Girl and friends trying to enjoy a fun afternoon doing an escape room puzzle which, of course, turns deadly thanks to a supervillain. And then after dealing with that, they get arrested and put on trial. I do have to say that part of that storyline worked for me less well than these usually do, as it highlights how nonsensical the whole idea of criminal justice in the Marvel Universe is in a way that broke through my usual cheerful acceptance of the extreme silliness of it all. But just when I was about to be a little bit grumpy about that, Ryan North came through with a couple of self-aware jokes about it that quickly got me smiling again. And overall, the story was still lots of good-hearted fun. (Especially the bits with Brain Drain. I love Brain Drain.)

The collection also includes a short, nearly dialog-free story about a ghost librarian who imposes silence across the entire city. The non-verbal storytelling works very well, and it's an interesting plot concept, too, because Squirrel Girl's favorite strategy of talking things through with the bad guys and turning them into friends is a bit more challenging when she can't do the talking part. Of course, she's hardly going to let that stop her, is she? ( )

Squirrel Girl and friends spend time being positive influences on Kraven the Hunter; also, a ghost silences New York.

3.5/4 (Very good).

The new artist's work isn't bad. It's cheerful and communicates well, which is better than most modern mainstream comic book art. But compared with Erica Henderson, this feels like Squirrel Girl On A Budget.

(Mar. 2022) ( )

Concerned about Kraven the Hunter returning to his supervillain ways, Squirrel Girl invites him to join her and a group of her friends for a hang out doing an escape room. Of course, the mysterious individual running the escape room has darker plots in mind. Plus a "silent" issue of the comic with a library connection.

Another delightfully fun entry in this series, I was as charmed and delighted by the series as expected. I was concerned about the change in artist for the series but Derek Charm's drawings are excellent and he renders these characters I've grown to love just as well as I could hope. ( )

No end of fun! When you start with Borges's library, meet Kraven in an escape room, fight the police AND Spider-Man - how can you not have a blast?? Oh, let's not forget She-Hulk, too! ( )