Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang (illustrator), Matthew Wilson (illustrator)
Series: Paper Girls #1-5
Published by Image Comics on April 5, 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Comics
Pages: 144 : e-book edition
Source: Received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (via NetGalley)
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In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.
My first thought when I finished reading this was “WOAH. That went a little fast.” And this can be seen as both a good and a bad thing. I like that the story didn’t drag out and moved along, but it also moved at a pace that was just a bit too fast for me. I wanted it to slow down and show me more of what was going on.
That being said, I think it was an okay set up for what seems like is going to be a really cool series. I anticipate liking the next compilation of variants to be better since they’ll be able to dive more into the nitty gritty of what is going on in and have more world/character building.
I’ll admit, I do have a soft spot for Brian K. Vaughan’s works (especially Saga) so that was what originally pulled me in to this series, but the artwork is also incredible and very 80’s. Radical. I mean look at that cover! Those girls look awesome!
Speaking of the girls, they were all a tad underdeveloped, but again, I think with time they’ll be able to show how awesome they are in their own way. Not to mention that each of them seem to have their own skill set and capabilities/knowledge that disallows them from falling into the tropes of so many comic girls I see. They’re not simpering ladies waiting for someone to save them. They take charge and do what they can (all at 12 years old!).
Overall, I gave it a three out of five stars. The pacing and lack of development in some areas bothered me, but the art and dialogue made up for that. I’m excited to read the next one!