Paper Girls 1 & 2

by Brian Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson & Jared Fletcher
collects Paper Girls #1-5 and 6-10
volumes one & two | three | four | five | six

A lot of my favorite shows right now take place in the 80’s – either there’s something in the water and we’re all craving nostalgia, or it’s just a happy circumstance – but between Red Oaks’ final season (sob) last year, Stranger Things, GLOW and The Goldbergs, there’s no shortage of great 80’s themed television on the small screen.

An intriguing opening that still doesn’t make sense.

My love of the 80’s, combined with powerhouse comic book creators Brian Vaughan (Saga, Runaways) and Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman) and a premise involving strong girls and sci fi – I knew this would be right up my alley. But even if you just love a good story, this won’t disappoint.

Our four heroines, Erin, Tiffany, Mackenzie, and KJ, have woken up in the early hours the night after Halloween 1988, to deliver newspapers for their paper route – and things get very weird from there. Mysterious hooded figures, flying dinosaurs, miniature devices with apples on them, and time traveling kind of weird. In both arcs, more questions are raised than are answered, but along the way, you immediately become invested in these girls. (It might be worth mentioning that Brian Vaughan helped write LOST.) Each of them are charming yet immature in their own ways as they are caught in the crosshairs of an intergalactic battle spanning decades, and must choose sides, risk everything to save each other, and decide whether to trust future versions of themselves. This is a unique story in so many ways – which I’m not getting into due to any potential spoilers – and it’s sci-fi enough for traditional fans, but not so much that it will completely turn off those who prefer other genres.

Lest you forget they’re from the 80’s….was it necessary? maybe not. But I’m glad they included an LGBTQ character (and he’s not the last), and a very realistic reaction to it.

I’m a big fan of Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson  (the same art team with Azzarello  on Wonder Woman), and their art is just absolutely gorgeous paired with Vaughan’s writing. Chiang’s quiet suburban Stony Stream, along with the mysterious and at times grotesque characters, looks like they were lifted straight from an 80’s horror film, combined with the charm of our four heroines. It also clearly takes place in the 80’s (well, for part of the story anyway) without being too distracting or overflowing with references. (Though there are some great 80’s references.) I also noticed that the facial lines on the characters’ faces are also skin-toned, rather than black like their outlines, which was very aesthetically pleasing. Speaking of which, Matt Wilson’s colors are gorgeously saturated, dreamy and nostalgic one moment and immediately foreboding and creepy the next.

I really like how Wilson used ‘pops’ of color, like the pink sky against other muted colors.

If you are the kind of person who isn’t content with a mind-bending storyline, this might not be for you – but it’s still worth giving a try. Paper Girls is unlike anything else I’ve read on the shelves and it deserves its place among Image Comics’ most popular titles. I would recommend reading Paper Girls in its deluxe hardcover edition, which combines volumes 1 and 2. The art is gorgeous and it really allows you to be fully immersed in the story.