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I’ve seen a lot of speculation about Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North and Erica Henderson being on the edge of the cancellation zone, but the first four issues are getting a reprinting—their third—with connected covers by Henderson and new copy by North. This is sort of interesting to me, without knowing any of the behind the scenes on it, as it seems to speak to a special interest in the book, which features a college age heroine who has fun with pals while beating Galactus. It definitely has an all-ages vibe to it, and a bit of a cult following. It’s certainly one of the most unusual books Marvel is publishing so it’s nice to see it get a boost, even as it suggests the book is more successful than it seems from the charts alone.

With Squirrel Girl, Marvel is proving just how strong the Marvel brand is—so strong that it can do a 180 and it’s still part of the fun. Written by Ryan North (Adventure Time, Dinosaur Comics) and drawn by Erica Henderson (Atomic Robo, Marceline and the Scream Queens) this book is as “indie” and charming as comics can get. It even has lovely flat colors by Rico Renzi. Squirrel Girl is Doreen Green a typical college student except that she also has the proportionate speed and strength of a squirrel….and a big bushy squirrel tail, which she stuffs into her pants to keep her secret identity secret. Squirrel Girl was created in 1992 by writer Will Murray and Steve Ditko (!) and the gimmick is that even with powers that sound less than a-list, she can defeat anyone —and so far she’s defeated Doctor Doom, MODOK, Terrax, and Thanos, all with the help of her squirrel sidekick Tippy-Toe.

In the first issue of her book she (spoiler) defeated Kraven the Hunter while negotiating coed life and singing a theme song that sounded a lot like maybe it was like the Spider-Man theme song…like Kamala Khan, Doreen Green takes the classic Marvel “young adult with a problem” formula and updates it for a world that’s not grim and gritty, but chipper and hopeful.

Perhaps anxious to make sure that Squirrel Girl gets her licks in before Secret Wars, the second issue goes all the way to the top and features none other than Galactus. Here’s a preview of the issue, which takes place at…a comics convention. The main cover is by Henderson and the variant by Joe Quinones.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #2 goes on sale next week, February 4th.

With Squirrel Girl, Marvel is proving just how strong the Marvel brand is—so strong that it can do a 180 and it’s still part of the fun. Written by Ryan North (Adventure Time, Dinosaur Comics) and drawn by Erica Henderson (Atomic Robo, Marceline and the Scream Queens) this book is as “indie” and charming as comics can get. It even has lovely flat colors by Rico Renzi. Squirrel Girl is Doreen Green a typical college student except that she also has the proportionate speed and strength of a squirrel….and a big bushy squirrel tail, which she stuffs into her pants to keep her secret identity secret. Squirrel Girl was created in 1992 by writer Will Murray and Steve Ditko (!) and the gimmick is that even with powers that sound less than a-list, she can defeat anyone —and so far she’s defeated Doctor Doom, MODOK, Terrax, and Thanos, all with the help of her squirrel sidekick Tippy-Toe.

In the first issue of her book she (spoiler) defeated Kraven the Hunter while negotiating coed life and singing a theme song that sounded a lot like maybe it was like the Spider-Man theme song…like Kamala Khan, Doreen Green takes the classic Marvel “young adult with a problem” formula and updates it for a world that’s not grim and gritty, but chipper and hopeful.

Perhaps anxious to make sure that Squirrel Girl gets her licks in before Secret Wars, the second issue goes all the way to the top and features none other than Galactus. Here’s a preview of the issue, which takes place at…a comics convention. The main cover is by Henderson and the variant by Joe Quinones.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #2 goes on sale next week, February 4th.

Marvel has given the green light for The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl comics series. The first book starring Squirrel Girl (a.k.a. Doreen Green) will be released in January 2015.

Here’s more from Entertainment Weekly: “In her first appearance, she defeated Doctor Doom. Since then, she’s taken on Wolverine, Deadpool, and freaking Thanos—and she’s never lost. Not a bad track record for a superhero–especially considering that the superhero in question is Squirrel Girl, a Marvel Comics back-bencher who’s probably best known for being Luke Cage’s nanny.”

Writer Ryan North and artist Erica Henderson will collaborate on this project together. Henderson created a cover for the first issue that includes appearances from The Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and other heroes. Veteran comics creator Art Adams designed a variant cover. Follow this link to read an interview between North and Comic Book Resources.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

A young woman who goes around dressed as a squirrel. And defeats Doctor Doom and Thanos. Yes, it';s the ultimate cosplay Mary Sue, Squirrel Girl, and she’s getting her own ONGOING SERIES.

SQUIRREL GIRL ONGOING SERIES.

Clearly, Marvel has learned the Rocket Raccoon lesson well.

The series will be written by Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics) with art by Erica Henderson (Subatomic Party Girls.) Rico Renzi adds color, and Art Adams ads a variant cover. EW has the scoop:

In Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, writer Ryan North and artist Erica Henderson take on the lighthearted superheroine whose mutant gene gives her an endearing cocktail of squirrel-related superpowers. When the comic book begins, she’s starting college—but in no time at all, Squirrel Girl is defending Earth from threats most cosmic. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is another quietly bold move for Marvel—a female-centric comic that’s intended to appeal equally to canon-heads and newcomers—and EW is excited to share an exclusive first look at the cover, drawn by Henderson.

Oh, it’s on.

Yes, I know. Kickstarter projects are popping up like pimples on a nervous teenager these days, and I know many of us are starting to feel the pinch of constantly being asked to donate to this project or that, particularly while the economy is tanking. Regardless, this one sounds pretty exciting and is very relevant to those of us who draw for a living: 

We’re Dave Kellett & Fred Schroeder, creators of the comics documentary STRIPPED. This film is our love-letter to the art form: Bringing together 60 of the world’s best cartoonists into one extraordinary, feature-length documentary. The film sits down with creators to talk about how cartooning works, why it’s so loved, and how as artists they’re navigating this dicey period between print and digital options…when neither path works perfectly. We want this film to capture the extraordinary people behind the comics you love, to show how they work…and ask the question: “Where does the art form go from here?” 

(via STRIPPED: The Comics Documentary by Small Fish Studios — Kickstarter)