'Paper Girls' by Brian K. Vaughn, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson and Jared K. Fletcher
I recently started reading a new comic book series called 'Paper Girls' by Brian K. Vaughn with art by Cliff Chiang, coloring by Matt Wilson and Jared K. Fletcher. Brian K. Vaughn wrote the series 'Y the Last Man' which is one of the series that got me into trade based comics. Before, I mostly read more graphic novel style comics (Daniel Clowes Ghost World being the book that got me interested in that form of comics.) I loved 'Y the Last Man' so I was excited to read another series by the same inventive author.
Speaking of 'Y the Last Man' there is finally going to be a tv show based on this work. I am super excited and can't wait to watch it! A long time ago, I heard rumors there was going to be movie based on 'Y the Last Man' and I was bummed that they weren't going to make it into a TV show instead of movies. There is just too much to make it into just a movie. Luckily, that never happened and the TV show will have it's chance to shine.
While in Y the Last Man Vaughn grappled with world ending plagues, in Paper Girls he takes on another beloved science fiction trope: time travel! The story centers around four paper girls (newspaper delivery girls that is) working in the eighties. A stolen walkie talkie leads the four precocious youths to sneak into a house where a time machine is discovered that leads to apocalyptic consequences.
From there, the girls time travel, learning their fates, meeting different versions of themselves, traveling to prehistoric times and sprinkled throughout are all the beloved mind melding questions that time travel always inspires. What would happen if you went back in time and changed one thing? Could a future version of yourself be a catalyst for a past version of yourself? How does knowing your fate change your outlook on mortality? Oh, its heavy questions but sprinkled in such an adventurous and fun story! I also like that the story follows girls instead of boys. The men of the world are loosing there spot as gatekeepers of the comic world and we need more girl protagonists in comics to reflect this reality.
I have only read the first three trades, but I am so eager to get my hands on more of this story. I would definitely recommend this series! It is perfect for reading while stretched out on a sun drenched lawn with lemonade by your side. You can pause while reading, look up at the infinity of blue sky above, and wonder about time travel.
Speaking of 'Y the Last Man' there is finally going to be a tv show based on this work. I am super excited and can't wait to watch it! A long time ago, I heard rumors there was going to be movie based on 'Y the Last Man' and I was bummed that they weren't going to make it into a TV show instead of movies. There is just too much to make it into just a movie. Luckily, that never happened and the TV show will have it's chance to shine.
From there, the girls time travel, learning their fates, meeting different versions of themselves, traveling to prehistoric times and sprinkled throughout are all the beloved mind melding questions that time travel always inspires. What would happen if you went back in time and changed one thing? Could a future version of yourself be a catalyst for a past version of yourself? How does knowing your fate change your outlook on mortality? Oh, its heavy questions but sprinkled in such an adventurous and fun story! I also like that the story follows girls instead of boys. The men of the world are loosing there spot as gatekeepers of the comic world and we need more girl protagonists in comics to reflect this reality.
I have only read the first three trades, but I am so eager to get my hands on more of this story. I would definitely recommend this series! It is perfect for reading while stretched out on a sun drenched lawn with lemonade by your side. You can pause while reading, look up at the infinity of blue sky above, and wonder about time travel.