by Joe Iconic, Reporter
Paper Girls #1 is a joy ride via time capsule into 1988! The solicitations called it “Stand By Me meets War of the Worlds”, but this series will stand apart and transcend the tropes, as Brian K. Vaughn (Y: The Last Man, Saga, Private Eye) always does. The characterization and the attention to detail are more than masterful in this first double-sized issue. Paper Girls #1 is another book to add to your essential pull list. That’s a strong statement, considering enough strong books came out this week to have to make many comic book readers make hard economic decisions.
In Paper Girls #1, Erin, KJ, Mac, and Tiffany are four 12-year old newspaper delivery girls who band together against the Halloween bullies, and discover so much more. The opening panels are an instant draw. Erin has one of those vivid dreams unique to young teens, with religious overtones, Cold War references, test anxiety, connection to family and current events that summarizes the fears of a 12-year old in 1988 in painfully beautiful detail. All that, and allegorical foreshadowing to what is to come from eating from the tree of knowledge.
Bryan K. Vaughn delves into his own past for the rich background of Paper Girls. It is fitting that both Superman and Bryan K. Vaughn are both from Cleveland, Ohio, as one is the start, and the other is the future of comics. Mr. Vaughn would have been 12 in 1988, in the Rocky River area, instead of Stony River. He went to St. Ignatious, a Catholic private school, so the chatter between the public and private school girls sounds authentic for a reason.
Authenticity is a theme in Paper Girls #1, as the time and its zeitgeist achieves a near Harry Potter level of setting. It is impossible not to recognize the painstakingly attention to details of 1988. It is not only present in the characterization and the dialogue, but in many small details – the use of a Far Side calendar, the can of Barbasol, the shaving cream favored by pranksters of the time, and many, many more. Seriously, it would be a bad idea to make a drinking game out of period references, but a very, very good idea to slow down and soak in all the details.
The theme of nostalgia from childhood is part of Paper Girls #1, and is clearly seen in the vivid dream, the importance of friendship, and those many details of the era. With a story of childhood, a complimentary theme is loss. The Nightmare on Elm Street reference is bittersweet with Wes Craven’s recent passing. The list of That Which Is Lost includes newspapers as the main medium of news, the Challenger, and things much closer to the plot when the story unravels.
Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman) and Matt Wilson nail the pencils and the colors, sticking to a muted yet primal palate until the breath-taking beauty of the big reveal scenes, like the capsule and constellations. Jared K. Fletcher compliments this issue with his choice of lettering, especially in the 1980’s style video game font in the To Be Continued line.
For your musical listening choices while reading Paper Girls #1, go all in. I recommend 1988s hits radio from Pandora. Immerse yourself in this moment. This is great comic book literature, and you might as well go all the way.
If you like your comics to have terrific storytelling, to show what the medium can accomplish by merging art and thoughtful writing, Paper Girls #1 is for you. If you like the occasional break from capes and cowls, go Paper Girls. If you love the strong material that Bryan K. Vaughn produces, stop everything, and get Paper Girls #1 now.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Paper Girls #1 5 New Shinefast Bicycles out of 5 New Shinefast Bicycles.
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