Paper Girls vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

From BRIAN K. VAUGHAN, #1 New York Times bestselling writer of SAGA and THE PRIVATE EYE, and CLIFF CHIANG, legendary artist of Wonder Woman, comes the first volume of an all-new ongoing adventure. In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 2-yearold newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smashhit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood. Collects PAPER GIRLS #1-5.

Why Did I Read Paper Girls vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan?

Sometimes I see really great looking books – especially comic books – available on Netgalley and ratio be damned, I have to download them. I have literally zero resistance built up to graphic novels. I had seen Paper Girls buzzing around twitter and instagram, and so because the hype was there, I had to read it. ALSO! There’s so much hype around Saga which is also by Vaughan, and well, I haven’t read that yet, but I figured this would be a good point of entry to Vaughan’s works. This book is mad short, action packed, and thus the perfect read for the Dewey 24 Hour Readathon.

What’s The Story Here?

Paper Girls vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan illustrated by Cliff Chiang and Matthew Wilson opens with this 12 year old girl named Erin having a weird dream about her sister. She then wakes up and it’s Halloween in the 1980s. Erin finds herself out delivering papers when she is picked on by a teenage boy wearing a Freddy Krueger costume. If only this was the worst of what will come tonight. Anyways, she’s saved by another paper girl named Mac who has two other girls accompanying her. Turns out, the paper girls band together on Halloween night for safety and protection. The four girls then pair off and separate, when it turns out the world decides to end on this night. Yeah, that’s right there are ALIENS among other things. Paper Girls gets real weird real quick. A whole lot of action goes down.

How Did I Like Paper Girls?

I LOVED Paper Girls vol. 1. Brian K. Vaughan delivers a storyline that is confusing at first, but I think it makes it authentic. You see, when the aliens land on Halloween, the girls are confused. Everyone has disappeared and they don’t know why. Some people are speaking a language they have never heard before. Of course, there is a TON of confusion. So, yeah, as a reader, I liked that this book wasn’t info dumping me immediately. I liked the progression of the plot a lot.

Also – these twelve year old girls have a certain swagger and badass feel to them. Mac, the leader of the group smokes and swears and her stepmother is an alcoholic. The other three girls are from ritzy neighborhoods and are also pretty tough when it comes down to it. So, the characterization is legit. And this book really left me excited for the second volume.

How’s The Art?

Paper Girls is illustrated and colorized by Cliff Chiang and Matthew Wilson. I do not understand the whole colorizing thing like Josh does but, anyways. I thought the art was awesome. I liked that it had an 80s retro feel just like the book itself. I loved how well the art went with the dialogue and with the setting of the book. The colorization is good too. I liked the color palette used.

Sum It Up With A GIF:

This GIF only at night and with 80s clothing.

Other reviews of Paper Girls vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan:

Comic Bastards – “visually epic and stunning”

EAT.GEEK.PLAY. – “this series is about to blast off”

Emma’s Bookery – “I thought was fantastic”

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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