Reading: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vols 1 and 2

I'm not generally a fan of superhero comics, but Ryan North and Erica Henderson's 2015 version of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is great fun. It starts with Squirrel Girl (secret identity: Doreen Green) heading off to college to study computer science, only slightly hampered by the need to see off supervillains and the occasional normal villain, with the support of her roommate Nancy (a knitter who writes Cat Thor fanfic) and fellow on-campus heroes Chipmunk Hunk and Koi Boi (it was only at this stage that I realised that "Squirrel Girl" is supposed to rhyme too, because it very much doesn't in my accent). The guest appearances by other Marvel heroes don't require any more character knowledge than that gleaned from simply living in a world where Marvel is a box-office juggernaut.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is packed with as many jokes as action scenes, and in fact Squirrel Girl tends to try to reason with her opponents rather than fight them (or get her squirrel friends to take them down). I love that she's a female superhero who chooses to be cute rather than sexy, but is still utterly body-positive (her delight at the apparent large and shapely bum that tucking her tail into trousers gives her is a particular joy). If you know small people who like comics, I think this would be a really good present. (Or even if you know older people who want to read something fun and fluffy.)