REVIEW: Go back to the ’80s with ‘Paper Girls, Vol. 1′

Brian K. Vaughan is one of the most prolific writers in comics right now. Releasing hit after hit, such as Saga and The Private Eye, it’s only rational to expect his latest outing titled Paper Girls to be fantastic as well. Teaming up with artist Cliff Chiang, Vaughan brings you a coming-of-age story that’s billed as “Stand by Me meets War of the Worlds.”

It is Halloween of 1988 as Erin Tieng wakes up from a strange dream sequence (that’s probably going to be relevant later on) to start her first day as a neighborhood paper girl. As she starts her paper route she gets bullied by teenage boys, and that’s where she gets saved and meets the rest of paper girls in the neighborhood – Mac, KJ and Tiffany.

BKV has a knack for making things a little peculiar. From the dream sequence of Erin in the very first pages, to the appearance of cyborg ninjas, then the mysterious machine in a basement, and the pterodactyl-riding space knights. If you missed the solicitation for the comic, you’ll be taken by surprise to see some seemingly ordinary paper girls encounter all of those. These elements play to Vaughan’s strengths however, and he just knows how to mix them all together and make it work.

BKV pretty much sets up all the surprises and turns in the over-sized first issue. Everything you need to know about Paper Girls is already laid out in the start, which allows the following issues to breathe and focus on developing the characters and plot. Vaughan mostly dedicates each issue a main character to develop.

Cliff Chiang’s art is nothing short of outstanding. Readers of Chiang’s run in Wonder Woman can expect the same quality in his art; his lines are thick, backgrounds are beautiful and most of all the faces of the characters are very expressive. But perhaps the strongest quality of this comic is Matt Wilson‘s colors. Wilson brilliant choices of color palettes in different scenes breathe life into the art, making the ’80s nostalgia feel alive. And the sudden shifts of colors from dream sequences, to flashbacks, and to present time are all seamless. Chiang’s lines and Wilson’s color work shine best during a flashback scene showing Tiffany playing a video game. The paneling and detailed background are complemented perfectly with the neon-like colors, showing the hypnotic-like effect of the video game on Tiffany.

Paper Girls is a great read all throughout, and the book definitely captures the ’80s coming-of-age movies in comic book form with a few surprises. Brian K. Vaughan’s writing combined with Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson’s art show what truly talented creators can produce.