The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 12: To All The Squirrels I've Loved Before

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (Collected Editions)

by Ryan North (Text), Derek Charm (Illustrations)

Ryan North brings the sensational saga of Squirrel Girl to a close! Brain Drain is missing! A sinister face from the past returns! And the hitherto unbeatable Doreen Green will have to face certain defeat in order to save her friend! Because it's Ryan's last story ever, he and artist Derek Charm are going all out to make it completely huge and amazing -and it is going to blow your mind! The most nuts Squirrel Girl tale ever sees lives hang in the balance, narrative threads resolved -and shocking reveals, um, revealed!

COLLECTING: THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL 47-50

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Young Adult

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2020

About the author

Hi, 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

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that's it for Ryan North's epic run on Squirrel Girl and, while I've had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the book over the last few years, there's a part of me that's very sorry to see it go.

North has really established SG as a character who looks for solutions other than violence and deserves accolades for that alone. This final volume gives Squirl Grl a final bow she can be proud of and his message to the readers about the end of the book, rather aptly delivered by Galactus no less, was very poignant... if totally out of character for Galactus, but this fast-and-loose approach to continuity and characterisation sums up the entire attitude of the series, so I'll let it go.

I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for Squirrel Girl, a character I've loved since her first appearance, long before North and Co. turned her into what she is today.

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final volume in this series. It's features a heartwarming ending to the series. Squirrel Girl is put into a dire situation, one which she can't defeat with her usual charm and wits. However, she's been kind, caring, and open to others, which is bound to draw defenders to her side. I really like that the writer puts a message at the end about the necessity for change, which will prepare readers of this series to adapt to future creative teams working with this character.

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

(read as single issues)

*cries* Goodbye Squirrel Girl! You were so good from start to finish!!!!

[Anas Abdulhak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading this since issue 1 (the first one) was released. It's been such an amazing ride, getting reintroduced to this character I didn't know much about and learning all about her and her amazing friends and reading her adventures. Ryan, Erica and Derek made this book what it is. And that is a beacon of positvity and love in the Marvel U and *spoiler* like Galactus said, we'll always have this to look back on. It will forever be here. Great, now I'm getting emotional again.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Squirrel Girl goes out with a little more whimper than roar as the final volume is mostly an excuse to make a parade of the major villains and allies of the entire series. Nancy and Doreen have hardly any quality time, which is a major fault, but I'll forgive it due to all the fun and action.

I'll treasure this magical run that Ryan North wrote, and I'll be keeping my eye out for future Squirrel Girl appearances.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as single issues.

As 2019 is drawing to a close I've been on a bit of a comics binge. They make for the perfect just-after-Christmas-but-before-New-Years material when you're not even sure time exists any more and that you're living in one big long endless night. Squirrel Girl popped up in my Goodreads recommendations a few times but I kind of kept brushing it off, thinking it sounded too silly. My friends, there is no such thing as too silly. Embrace the silly.

I binged the comics and fell completely in love with Doreen Green the squirrel queen. Nancy Whitehead is now my new comics waifu. And Rachel! Oh Rachel. Our time was short, but I will always remember you. These issues were an excellent, emotional way to end Ryan North et al's work on these stories. Those pages with Galactus? Man, I teared up big time. Now I want to go back and reread from the very beginning again.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried over this book a normal amount (it was probably not a normal amount). While that ending was definitely Deus Ex Machina, god this was such an incredible conclusion to my favorite superhero and comic book storyline of all time. It was so heartfelt, so funny, so touching, and just so Squirrel Girl in nature. Her oak trees planted from her history in this storyline definitely grew into something gorgeous and fruitful with this conclusion. I cried SO MUCH during the entire second half. I can't wait to revisit this storyline and fall in love with Squirrel Girl all over again.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and fitting end to a long running comic series! I was more into Squirrel Girl in its earlier days I think, but still wanted to see it through its run. Rating is for the series as a whole!

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting end to a great run by North and company. Doreen's unforgettable as she is unbeatable, and remember to eat nuts and kick butts, friends.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's all come down to this - Squirrel Girl and her friends against Melissa Morbeck and all of Doreen's enemies. Four issues to finish it all off.

And boy, are they four issues. There are some tears in here, I won't lie to you. The conversation between Doreen and Galactus in the penultimate issue is like a punch in the fucking face, because it's so well crafted that the double entendre of it all is utterly perfect. God, this was a good book.

If you've been with Doreen this far, then you'll be rewarded. Everything, everyone, and the kitchen sink are back to round everything out, and it all ends in the best three pages of Squirrel Girl comics you'll ever read.

Derek Charm's on top form on art, and Erika Henderson returns for two brilliant pages, as well as two panels that serve as her goodbye to Doreen that will have you sobbing all over again.

Squirrel Girl. Kicks butts, eats nuts, steals hearts. <3 Doreen, see you again soon.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll miss this series. It was unexpectedly a lot of fun, always clever, funny and ridic. Though I was skeptical when they changed artists (and also its “look”) for the last 18 issues, the title still retained its charm and spunk. Cheers to trying something different and pulling it off for 50-60 issues.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a week ago and forgot to log it on Goodreads because, well, it's an interesting time we're living through. The world is bleak and sad and now Squirrel Girl is over, which means it's even more sad.

But you know what? I'm so grateful for this quirky, punny, joyful book, and I look forward to rereading it over and over again.

Until next time, Doreen Green <3

[Enigmaticblue · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a wrap-up to this series, it was perfect. I especially loved the speech at the end from [redacted for spoilers] about change and being able to revisit these moments. I swear, I could read this series over and over for the rest of my life. Happily.

ETA: The end of the series feels especially poignant now. We need more Squirrel Girl!

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how you watch one of those TV shows that has ten seasons or more and you get really invested in all the characters; when it's over you feel like you have been abandoned by all of your friends? That's how I feel after finishing this last volume of Squirrel Girl.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One last big fight and a cute goodbye to Squirrel Girl. Gonna miss this comic, it was such a gem.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

All good things must come to an end and Squirrel Girl is no exception. Unfortunately, I feel like this ending to Squirrel Girl didn't work nearly as well as it should have. It returns one of the lesser enemies of the series and has her assemble Doctor Doom, Dormmamu, the Leader, and a bunch of others while exposing her secret identity. Given Squirrel Girl was a fantastic throwback to the Silver Age, I don't much care that her identity was exposed.

[Tim Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Squirrel Girl in Sandy Cheeks' voice and it works.

[Bell (wicked era &#x1f49a;&#x1fae7;) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ngl, I got a little emotional now that the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is over :')

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful end to a fantastic run. I can't recommend this series enough! Great for adults and kids alike, we can all learn to eat more nuts and kick more butts (with compassion and logic) from Doreen.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the series I can confirm this is the greatest comic book series of all time

[Nate]

Thank you Ryan, Erica, Derek and the rest of the Squirrel Girl team for this amazing comic. For the past few years, this book has been a constant joy in my life. I laughed (a lot), cried (ALSO A LOT), and had so much fun reading about Doreen and her pals’ adventures month after month. I loved everything from the Twitter recap pages to Ryan’s hilarious footnotes to the fan letters. Of course I’m sad to see the series go. But as a certain purple gentleman says, these stories will always be there to revisit. I know I’ll be coming back to eat nuts and kick butts.

[Imogene · Rating 4 out of 5]

*sniff* I've just got something in my eye! What a lovely way to say goodbye to Squirrel Girl, and in a way to say hello to, well, you'll see

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Volume 12 of Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (which is also the last issue written by Ryan North). It is a fun graphic novel that goes back to the roots of Squirrel Girl/Doreen and the core of her character. I had some minor issues with it, but also felt like it was a fun and wonderful end to the series.

Indeed, what I like most about it is how it stays true to the essence of Doreen/Squirrel Girl's character and what makes her endearing. Unlike many other superheroes, she often finds ways beyond violent force/superpowers to win. Yes, she does have some great superpowers, like endurance and strength, but she often finds peaceful (and sometimes fun) ways to succeed and is ingenious, witty, and loving. As a result, she has a positive impact that wins over allies and foes - though, as seen in this book, she still has foes who seek retribution. Nonetheless, we see the core of her character and her integrity throughout, even as she faces some difficult odds.

The other characters were also solid. The story was mostly focused on Squirrel Girl, but we also see Chipmunk Hunk, Koi Boi, Nancy Whitehead, and Mary Mahajan. Their roles aren't as prominent as Squirrel Girl/Doreen, but they each play a key role (I especially like what Mary did in the latter part of the battle) and I love their friendships with Doreen. There are a lot of other characters who show up, like Tony Stark. Some are in more cameo roles, but it made for a lot of fun for the most part.

I felt that the plot was good overall. It kept me interested, especially as things grew more dire for Doreen and her friends and allies. North did a great job in raising the stakes and keeping things intriguing. The humor was good as usual and the pacing was fast, but not too fast. The action was good too.

With that said, I wasn't a big fan of a couple of things. There was the cliche of a huge superhero battle, similar to how the MCU overuses a giant battle to resolve many of its films (to be fair, these battles are fun, but often overused). North does make it fun and interesting, but as much as I like the MCU, I'm getting a bit burnt out from seeing a grand battle. I also thought that the impact of Doreen's identity being leaked could've been explored more.

Still, I love the ending of the story. It was sweet and heartwarming and funny. Again, it goes back to the essence of her character. Was it a bit cheesy? Sure, but it was done well and in perfect Squirrel Girl fashion.

The art was great too. I enjoyed the colors. The character designs were great also.

Altogether, this is a solid sendoff for Squirrel Girl. I don't know if we'll get lengthy solo Squirrel Girl stories in the future (maybe there has been since the Squirrel Girl series by North ended, but I haven't seen any), but I love Ryan North's run and how he ended it. The plot is good and so is the characterization. The art and action is great, and most of all, this was a great final volume for the series.

[Ma'Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knowing this would be the last volume of my favorite Marvel series of the last decade+, I was really not looking forward to finishing this. It was like turning the pages in The Monster at the End of this Book, and the monster was finality.

Though it had much of its usual charm, this was far from the funniest or most interesting USG book. It was still done with much love and the right amount of self-awareness, often setting things up with a 4th-wall-breaking wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Now I'm going to finally name the two biggest things that have bothered me throughout this entire series, which future writers could finally rectify:

1. From the beginning to the end of the entire series, SG maintains a naïve and simplistic view of "criminal justice." Despite having so much nuanced insight into relationships, and making special efforts to listen to "the bad guys" and talk them out of "doing crimes," she never doubts the system of incarceration and the rule of the law in the U.S. Her response to recidivism is actually very conservative, like something from the Reagan administration's infamous (and ongoing) War on Drugs.

2. Her casual use of commonplace ableist language. I cringed probably a hundred times throughout the last five years of USG when she'd uncritically use the words "crazy," "insane," and "lame." It seems implausible that Ryan North has not been exposed to the far-and-wide calls to drop those words from our everyday colloquial usage out of respect for the people who are harmed by that language. So I have to imagine him pondering it briefly, shrugging his shoulders, and saying, "Nah, these SJWs are going too far."

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a fan of Squirrel Girl before this series. That is not typed in a "I liked her before she was cool sense." It's just that from the first point I heard of the existence of Squirrel Girl I was in. I was sold, I was hooked. I got the Great Lakes Avengers comics, and a few other small appearances she made.

Then I found out she was getting her own solo comic, and with Ryan North who I loved from his online Dinosaur comics. I was excited, this would be great! And it WAS. It has consistently been an amazing series that made Squirrel Girl very easy to adore. The creative team fleshed out her character, hipped up her attire, gave her new friends. And then new enemies, who quickly became new friends.

I am a pessimist at heart, but the thing is I don't want to be. Squirrel Girl is who I want to be. There are room for all sorts of heroes in comics, but I feel like deep down fundamentally heroes are there to give us hope. Doreen does that in spades.

So here we are at the end of her comic. Of course in comics there are never really ends. I am hopefully someday she'll be back, maybe as part of a new team (I'd love to see her team up with Nadia Van Dyne some day) or maybe some other creative team will get a chance to put their spin on a new solo comic.

Bottom line is what was done with this comic was incredible. It's hard to see it end but in an era where a lot of Marvel comics struggle to get to a "Volume 2" trade paperback, Squirrel Girl made it to Vol 12. It lasted a long time because it was so good. And this conclusion is a great end to a great series. Things come full circle. It makes me glad there was a comic like this around, and I hope some day, in some fashion, there are more to come.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a good six months to read this volume because I didn't want this series to end. It has been my favorite comic run (probably ever) as well as one of the best series ever written. It has meant so much to me over the past five years and, while I'm sad to see it end, I'm so happy the team behind Squirrel Girl decided to end it their own way on such a high note and with such an exciting and epic arc. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is a series everyone should read because it shows you can be unbeatable through intelligence, friendship, and kindness... and, occasionally, punches. Five years ago I picked up the first volume while helping out at a middle school book fair; I had just started rehabbing my second generation of squirrels and a hero with all the powers of girl and squirrel was just too good to pass up. What I didn't know at that time was that I would keep coming back to this series during a "quarter life crisis" where I threw my entire professional career out the window, went back to school, got a second and third degree, started a new career, and then through more serious things like my mother's illness and slow decline. Through it all Squirrel Girl taught me to always try to keep my chin up, even when things look grim and impossible, trust that your friends will always be there to love and support you no matter what, and if something doesn't work, don't be discouraged to keep trying until something else does. This is how you can truly be unbeatable, and this is Squirrel Girl at its very core. I am forever grateful for this incredible lesson.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Marvel:

When you cancelled "Spider-Man/Deadpool," "The Unstoppable Wasp and the Agents of GIRL," and "Mr. and Mrs. X," I jokingly said that you'd better not cancel "The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl." It was a joke because this seemed like one of your most popular, all-ages series. Literally all ages: An adult could enjoy the innocence as much as a child could enjoy the good-natured adventures. And now... what do you do? You cancel this series. I mean... you're making it easier and easier for this DC girl to keep picking up those titles rather than trying out different Marvel ones. Why get invested if my favorites are going to get kicked to the curb?

Sincerely,
One Very Sad Fan

*sigh*

Oh well, I guess I can hope that Squirrel Girl is just getting a new title. There seemed to be hints of that in this graphic. Still, as far as a farewell book goes, this one hit everything: epic battle, funny moments, and a return of favorite characters. (Except Loki, which was kind of a bummer since he's on the cover...?) Ah well: Obviously if you've stuck with Squirrel Girl all this time, you'll want bid her goodbye in this excellent story. A good read, but a bittersweet read, too.

[Cale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan North ends the series on his own terms, and manages to bring all his talent to bear on it. While perhaps not as funny as some of the other collections, it definitely has some emotional impact. We get some massive facedowns between heroes and villains, although things resolve with a very literal Deus Ex Machina (which is explicitly called out as such, so I'll definitely allow it). The final issue is very metatextual, basically spending half of the issue helping readers accept that this is the end (in a way that also fits the story). It's a sweet series of moments and definitely an appropriate end to the series. Derek Charm's art is definitely up to the task of capturing the various and sundry characters, and some of the bonus items are great (and the letters pages are especially poignant this time).
While it's not the strongest volume of the series, it is doing a lot of work and provides a very appropriate capstone for what has definitely been my favorite Marvel series. This (and every volume in the series) is highly recommended to anyone, whether they think they're comic fans or not - even if they aren't, they might be after reading this. It's not genre-expanding like Sandman or Watchmen, but it is a series that perfectly embodies the first part of "Comic Book" while also providing an optimistic and enticing worldview. With loads of humor, a surprising amount of emotional heft, and a number of successful experimental issues, you can't go wrong with the series.

[Adan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a non-zero chance I cried when I finished this, the last Unbeatable Squirrel Girl trade by Ryan North, Derek Charm, Erica Henderson, Rico Renzi, Travis Lanham, Sarah Brunstad, and Wil Moss. I love Doreen, Tippy-Toe, Nancy, Mew, Tomas, Ken, Brian, and Mary, and I will miss them all terribly.

I have talked at length as to why this wonderful, hilarious, uplifting book in which a person decides it’s better to talk to people and try to make friends before resorting to violence is so great, so instead of rehashing all that, I’ll instead leave you with two of my favorite bits of dialogue from the last issue.

“But I’ve decided not to hate her back. And since I did that, it means it’s possible that one day she might decide not to hate me either. But the only person who can make that decision is her. And she can’t make it if she’s devoured. She’ll never become her best self if she’s dead, Galactus. She deserves a chance to do better. We all do. That’s what I believe.”
—Squirrel Girl

“Change is the defining characteristic of life. Living, growing, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, but never being quite the same—the only things that never change are dead, Squirrel Girl. Remember that.”
—Galactus

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The smartest woman Squirrel Girl has put behind bars has got out and is out for revenge on Doreen and her friends. It's an epic showdown between all the unrepentant bad guys Squirrel Girl has locked away over the years and all the friends she has gathered.

I've had this sitting on my shelf for months, but I kept putting off reading it because I knew this was the last in the series and I didn't want it to be done. I've absolutely loved Ryan North's Squirrel Girl adventures and I'm so sad to see it wrapping up, though I totally applaud wrapping up on a high note before burning out. I am glad that Squirrel Girl is still making new appearances elsewhere, like the new Avengers Assembly series. Doreen Green is my favorite superhero for the way she fights more with love, compassion, empathy, and psychology than her fists. She's a fantastic role model for kids and teens. This adventure was a very fitting wrap up to her comic series with a huge reunion of all her friends and those who really should've taken the option of friendship she offered.

Notes on content: No language issues that I noticed. No sexual content. Violence is threatened, and there are some battles, but Squirrel Girl talks people out of extreme violence and advocates instead for due process.