I think something like Heathers really leans into the darkness of being a teenager, and Jennifer’s Body really leans into the catharsis of teen violence, but Squad gathers both up into a reprehensible but still fashionable werewolf suit and lets you feel everything from the righteous fury to the disgust once you’ve gotten your way. Squad doesn’t seem to be interested in handwaving the cruelty away as justice-even though it is often cathartic-which is something I really appreciate.
I love how cruel the girls are-not just Marley, Arianna, and Amanda, but also Becca-and how that cruelty is established early on and carries through to the climax.
I really enjoy all three of those movies, but there’s more I want from each of them that I actually think was answered quite well by the themes in Squad. Melissa Brinks: I think it fits very well! There are so many visual and dialog moments that point to movies like the ones you mentioned in a way that really works for me. The cruelty and cutthroat nature of high school popularity always makes great horror fodder! How do you feel this comic fits into that sub-genre? Rather than being a story of empowerment and justice, Squad explores the repercussions of catharsis taken too far.Īlenka and Melissa decided to put their heads together to review this comic, and here’s their conversation below:Īlenka Figa: I want to talk about influences! There are some clear influences or even references here to films like Heathers, Mean Girls, and Jennifer’s Body. Becca exists in a pressure-cooker of influences-her mother’s desire for her to have an easy life, her friends’ desire to get their hands on whatever power they can and punishing skeevy boys in the process, and Becca’s own secrets-with no easy way out. Tokuda-Hall’s biting dialog and Sterle’s stylish and bold artwork combine to tell a teenage horror story rife with complications. Because these popular girls aren’t just punishing people with gossip and cutting wit-they’re werewolves, and their favorite prey is teenage boys who prey on girls. She is swept up in the whirlwind of new clothes, social climbing, and taking whatever power she can find. Squad Maggie Tokuda-Hall (writer) and Lisa Sterle (artist)Īfter a chance encounter with Marley, Becca finds herself welcomed into a powerful clique. A quote from Megan Abbot’s Dare Me made the rounds on Tumblr a few years ago: “There’s something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls.” Maybe Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle had that quote in mind as they penned Squad, an original young adult graphic novel following Becca as she finds cruelty and violence where she expected to find popularity.
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