Marvel Comics; $3.99

Squirrel Girl, Koi Boi, Chipmunk Hunk and Brain Drain attempt to take down a live-streaming criminal known as EpicCrimez who not only broadcasts his deeds to an internet audience but also happens to have his hands on some oddball alien technology. And that tech, when shot at Nancy and Doreen, sends the pair into hypertime – where they’re moving extremely quickly, where no one can see them, and it’s as if the world around them has all but totally stopped.

Doreen and Nancy quickly realize that their bodies are still aging while they’re trapped in hypertime, and by the time a weekend in regular time is up, they’ll have lived out their full lives. They resolve to create a time machine to restore them to their youth, a moment before they’re hit by the alien tech, but also manage to save just about everyone around New York City (including some other heroes).

This might be one of the single best issues that Marvel as a company has put out in quite some time. It’s got plenty of hero action, sure, but the core of this story focuses on the relationship that Nancy and Doreen have – a relationship that has long been the emotional center of this series. The climax to this issue will absolutely pull at your heartstrings, regardless of if you’ve been following The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl for the last few years.

On top of all of that, this book acts as a fantastic sendoff to artist Erica Henderson, who has been with the book since its inception a few years ago. She’ll be replaced by the equally-talented Derek Charm (who, incidentally, took over for Henderson on Jughead a while back as well) so I don’t doubt the quality of this book will remain the same – but there’s always been something unique to Henderson’s approach, and it’s something I’m definitely going to miss.

-Carrie Wood