The Marvel universe is full of great cosmic heroes who have spanned the galaxies and protected and saved various races from unfathomable consequences. The Silver Surfer, Adam Warlock, the Guardians of the Galaxy… Squirrel Girl? That’s probably not one of the first names the comes to mind, but this new book might just change that.
Squirrel Girl: Universe, a new novel from Tristan Palmgren and Aconyte Books, sends the typically Earth-bound hero and sends her out into the cosmos for a completely wild adventure. Buckle up for this one, because it takes everything you would expect from a Squirrel Girl story and tosses it into space.
One thing that does not go away with this new Squirrel Girl story is the character’s sense of humor. Fans of the character know she is always ready to make a joke and that’s no different here. She even breaks the fourth wall a bit, which is also not completely out of the ordinary for the character, though perhaps not as much as Marvel fans have seen in recent days.
While this story is hilarious and fun, it does verge a bit into the territory of downright silly. I know, that’s shocking when we’re talking about a character called “Squirrel Girl,” but this book goes far beyond that. When you break it all down it’s really just a bunch of teenaged superheroes themed to woodland critters enlisting the help of a supervillain and a space whale in order to stop an intergalactic war. Nothing too crazy.
With all of that being said, this book also features a surprising amount of action. It doesn’t take long for villain fights and explosions to work their way into the story. And then there’s the aliens and the robots and the black holes and so much more. It’s really an action-packed story that somehow manages to stay light and happy the whole way through. In that way, I suppose it does kind of follow the path of your typical Squirrel Girl story.
Many Marvel fans will also appreciate the major potential consequences of this story. When there is a big purple alien collecting stones with the power to end all life as we know it, it’s sometimes difficult to get invested in some teenaged hero chasing down a common thief before studying for finals. This story ups the ante while still providing some original stakes and not giving us the same old villains and situation.
Overall, Squirrel Girl: Universe is the perfect Marvel book for those who are just looking for something light-hearted and fun. It’s not your dark, brooding superhero story but it does still manage to provide some big consequences and whole lot of action. More than anything else though, this book just delivers joke after joke and puts these incredibly entertaining characters in hilarious and completely wacky situations. It might be a little too weird for some, but for others, it’s just going to be a good time.
Squirrel Girl: Universe from author Tristan Palmgren and Aconyte Books is available now.