A review by fifteenthjessica
Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is probably my favorite of the 5 American comic books I picked up at the library to help with my GoodReads Challenge. I haven't finished one, but it's been slow going.

The story starts with four scrappy papergirls in 1988--Erin, Mac, Tiffany, and KJ--sticking together for safety in numbers on the early morning the day after Halloween. Things take a turn for the weird when a walkie talkie is stolen from one of the girls by a trio of hooded figures speaking a strange language. They soon find that their suburban Ohio neighborhood has become
the battleground of a time traveling generational conflict and the rest of the town is missing.
The girls are a nice mix of personalities, and I look forward to seeing them bounce off of each other in future volumes.
Especially now that three of the girls have run into a future version of Erin.


This story is not for the faint of heart and definitely earns its T+ rating. Not only does it not shy away from blood and profanity (Mac spends most of her time swearing and smoking), but one girl goes into shock after a brawl and vomits and at another point
a girl is accidentally shot after another wrestles a gun away from her suicidal stepmother.
It hasn't felt gratuitous yet. But just because the protagonists are eighth graders doesn't mean actual eighth graders are up for this.

Art is good. Expressive, nice inking, eye catching color schemes, and great use of shading.
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