Sometimes you’re feeling a little down and you need something to cheer you up or distract you for a little bit. So here are a few comics I enjoy that tend to make me feel less blergh about life.
Squirrel Girl
By Ryan North, Erica Henderson, Rico Renzi, Clayton Cowles
Squirrel Girl follows the adventures of Doreen Green, who has the proportional strength and speed of a squirrel. And thanks to this comic, I will never look at squirrels the same way again. Especially after the issue where about a hundred of them formed a Squirrel Suit. (Don’t ask, just read it.) One of the many reasons I love Squirrel Girl is the clever writing. Doreen can usually talk her way out of squirrelly situations without punching any bad guys. I always marvel at how funny and clever the comic is and then I read the alt text at the bottom of the page and I’m somehow laughing even harder than I already was.
Hawkeye (4-issue miniseries originally published in 1983)
By Mark Gruenwald, Brett Breeding, Joe Rosen, Bob Sharen, Christie Scheele, Danny Bulanadi
Did you ever wonder how Hawkeye and Mockingbird met? Or wonder how they wound up getting married? Or which of them would win in a fight? Or if a custom-built rocket-slid really is good for picking up girls? Or do you want to know the story behind Clint going deaf? Well, this 4-issue miniseries answers all these questions and more (Seriously. A LOT happens.) I love this comic dearly and it has the magic ability to cheer me up just by existing.
BONUS: If you get the trade the miniseries is collected in, one of the extra issues it comes with is Tales of Suspense #57- the issue where Clint meets Natasha Romanoff for the first time. You want to read that story too. Trust me.
Secret Avengers
By Ales Kot, Michael Walsh, Matthew Wilson, Clayton Cowles
Secret Avengers had me hooked from the first issue. Anything that starts with Natasha Romanoff and Jessica Drew bonding over massages and target practice and leads to an outer-space rescue adventure in a flying car is A+ in my book. The story line seems simple at first, but it slowly turns out there is much more going on than any of the characters thought. Oh, and one of those characters? A doomsday bomb named Vladimir who Jessica befriends on a mission when she tells him about caramel gelato. Another favorite thing about Secret Avengers is the colors- they are gorgeous and vivid and sometimes feel somewhat psychedelic. That tends to make for a good read when you’re trying to not feel blah. Also, the tags describing the characters are hysterical.
Lumberjanes
By Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aiese, Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Carolyn Nowak
Lumberjanes is an awesome comic about five girls at summer camp who get into tons of supernatural adventures, much to the consternation of their counselor, Jen, who is just trying to keep them safe. You would not believe how many supernatural creatures decided to camp out near the camp. The comic has a huge emphasis on female friendships which is awesome. Plus, it has queer and trans characters! Oh, and all their camp badges are puns. You can’t go wrong with puns. Puns are the best.
