5 out of 5

Whew, North finally found a comic book that seems like it might be a perfect match.  North’s Dinosaur Comics turned out to be the perfect limiter for his geeky cool humor stylings, forcing him to reign it into a locked format day after day.  When he made the transition to print with Adventure Time (or this was where I first noticed it), I’ll admit it: it was a blast.  I was full-on Adventure Timey at that point, and Ryan’s humor was a good, cheeky fit that gave the comic a unique vibe but also paid tribute to the show.  However… it got repetitive.  As the show does over time, almost a bit too loose-limbed; the book gave Ryan too much leeway, and so there was no real sense of consequence to the antics.  Midas Touch came next, and while it was nice to seem Ryan tone it down a bit to pursue something more serious, unsatisfying 11th hour conclusion and the inability to completely stifle his very particular dialogue pacing sort of hijacked the tale.  A Young Avengers blurb happened, which was amusing, but sort of an odd blend of tossing the humor writer onto a title that needed to slot in, however minorly, to the Marvel Universe.

But now: Squirrel Girl.  Going to college, accompanied by squirrel pal Tippy Toe.  SG is already quirky, and has built-in ridiculousness via the “most powerful figure in the Marvel Universe” lore that’s built up around her over the years.  This puts her in a unique, almost Ambush Bug-esque position to be completely over the top in an otherwise “grounded” world.  And that’s exactly the leash North needs.  So these issues are a blast.  Doreen’s – SG’s alter ego – dorky stumbling through school socializing fit Ryan’s dialogue to a T and the setup is limber enough to encompass the secret text and science references he loves as well.  Congrats are also in order for scribing a thrilling set of build-up cliffhangers – a battle with Galactus of all things! – and a hilarious and, thankfully, satisfying left-field conclusion.  The entertainment effect of this is all tripled and quadrupled by the art of Erica Henderson – who nails the comic timing and captures the essence of all of the characters perfectly with a Marcos Martin simplicity – and colors by Rico Renzi, who teams well with Erica to fill open spaces with Archie Comics-worthy splashes of color (which I consider a compliment).  The open spaces in this case is also not a criticism: Henderson has a great sense of space and motion and details backgrounds and panels as needed, never over-cluttering or leaving anything too bland.  It’s an exciting book to look at.

Of course, I’m still a bit hesitant to go all in, as humor books are tough to sustain.  But regardless of my caution toward the future, this first arc is undeniable pure awesome.  Woop.