Paper Girls: The Complete Story

Paper Girls #1-6

by Brian K. Vaughan (Writer), Cliff Chiang (Illustrator), Matt Wilson (Colorist)

Finally, the entire Eisner Award-winning epic in one complete volume, featuring a new cover from co-creator CLIFF CHIANG!

Four twelve-year-old newspaper delivery girls from the year 1988 uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this critically acclaimed series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.

Collects PAPER GIRLS #1-30

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Queer, LGBT

759 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 27, 2021

About the author

Brian K. Vaughan is the writer and co-creator of comic-book series including SAGA, PAPER GIRLS, Y THE LAST MAN, RUNAWAYS, and most recently, BARRIER, a digital comic with artist Marcos Martin about immigration, available from their pay-what-you-want site www.PanelSyndicate.com

BKV's work has been recognized at the Eisner, Harvey, Hugo, Shuster, Eagle, and British Fantasy Awards. He sometimes writes for film and television in Los Angeles, where he lives with his family and their dogs Hamburger and Milkshake.

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the holy neon-colored mullet-wearing timelines have I just read?

'I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, did you?'
- Stephen King “The Body”

Time travel, interdimensional time wars, weaponized pterodactyls and random cameos from giant maggots and warring transformer robots, chain-smoking preteens. Time machines in basements, Apple church cult riding quetzalcoatluses, (d)evolved futuristic English which was actually fun to decode. All led by a cast of four 12-year-olds from 1988 Cleveland, Ohio, the titular paper girls whose crazy adventures start on a paper delivery route that gets interrupted by deformed futuristic ninjas and abandoned house basement time machine leading to trails of blood and possibility of the universe collapsing.

But those little brats made fun of a Smart Car. “The size of Hot Wheels”.

Well, yeah. We didn’t need to get personal here now, did we??? 🚙🚙🚙

It’s neon-colored and full of terrible 1980s hairdos (seriously, 1980s, what happened there?), often deliberately confusing and a bit frenetic in rushing from one timeline to another. From 11,000 BCE to the literal last moments of life on our planet, the multidimensional time rifts are ready to take you anywhere except the much necessary 1988.

Yeah, time travel is complicated.

Like any self-respecting force featuring kids on the brink of adolescence, it deals with coming of age, loss of innocence and developing friendships.

Yeah, friendships are complicated, too. Especially those quick and intense preteen friendships when a few days together makes it seems that you’ve known each other forever. But they are the best.

'I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, did you?'

(Because quoting Stephen King when it comes to preteen friendships is always appropriate)

And despite those Smart Car dissing antics, it ended up being confusingly, neon-brightly fun, even if a few plotlines made little sense to me. It’s not “Saga”, but I still happily stayed up past 1 am to finish it.

4 stars for sheer entertainment. And please, dear universe, never let me end up with a mullet.

—————
Recommended by Dennis.

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included volumes can be found here:
- Paper Girls, Volume 1
- Paper Girls, Volume 2
- Paper Girls, Volume 3
- Paper Girls, Volume 4
- Paper Girls, Volume 5
- Paper Girls, Volume 6

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just did a complete read through with this and I do think this is the best way to read it. I missed some of the connections in the time travel elements when reading this one trade at a time originally. Reading it straight through, it really comes together for this Goonies get lost in time story.

This series was as much about burgeoning friendships as it was about time travel. It reminds me how easy it is to make close friends at that age in a matter of days and how it becomes so difficult as you become an adult. I love all of the attention to detail paid to each era the girls are in. My brother and I used to have the exact same walkie-talkie as Tiffany.

The art, by Cliff Chiang and Matthew Wilson, is just terrific. It's full of panel structures that sell the story and vibrant pastel colors that sing off the page.

[ally]

abso-fucking-lutely

[Dona's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Cleveland Ohio, four 12-year-old girls who deliver the newspaper meet just before a world ending event that sends them hurtling back and forth through time. They see everything from giant tardigrades to different versions of themselves, but all they want is to get back home. Will they make it back to the land of Walkman and those sweet sweet big hair bands?

This was my first graphic novel and it was awesome. I'm so excited to discover what else is out there!

The artwork in PAPER GIRLS is beautiful. Every time I turned the page, my eyes would do a sweep to take in all the artwork. I love how much everything reminded me of the representative decade or century or epoch. It is a beautiful read, and the narrative pulled me right along. The character development of all 4 girls is entertaining and authentic to the story. I adore the nature of the villains because it means the girls can't trust anyone, even each other, and the narrator becomes unreliable. Such a fun read, great concept! A really playful and elegant use of the time travel concept.

Rating: 🚬🚬🚬🚬.5 / 5
Recommend? Absolutely!
Finished: May 3 2023
Format: Paperback
Read this if you like:
🗞 First job stories
🏄‍♀️ Strong female characters
⏳️ Time travel
🪢 Nonlinear narrative

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bad thing about the omnibus format, which is my preferred way to read complete stories like this, is that you can burn out on the book pretty quickly sometimes. Particular quirks of the author start to annoy after you see them over and over, tropes develop and irritate once you notice them, or sheer repetitiveness sets in. This book became VERY repetitive after ten or so issues. I loved the girls, but the endless time-travel wore me down, and I could not wait for it to end. Well done, and the characters kept me reading, but I'm really not a fan of time-travel stories.

My head hurts.

[alaska · Rating 4 out of 5]

i miss my girls already :'))

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stand by Me meets Back to the Future but with an all female cast is the awesomest gestalt going.

[a · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's not that paper girls walked so that stranger things could run; paper girls rode bikes so that stranger things could tag along on less rad bikes.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great! An imaginative tale about friendship, time travel, and coming-of-age. With its slick visuals and likable protagonists, it'll make you turn a blind eye to some plot inconsistencies :)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband became obsessed with this after watching the first season of the TV show, and wanted me to watch/read it too so we could discuss. The consensus: They're both fascinating, they're both weird, they're very different after the first scene, and the ending of the book seemed really, really abrupt and almost silly.

[Federico DN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paper Universe.

For completism sake. I like to tick stuff.



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PERSONAL NOTE :
[2021] [800p] [Comics] [Not Recommendable]
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★★★☆☆ Paper Girls Vol 1
★★☆☆☆ Paper Girls Vol 2 [2.5]
★★★☆☆ Paper Girls Vol 3
★★☆☆☆ Paper Girls Vol 4
★★★☆☆ Paper Girls Vol 5
★★☆☆☆ Paper Girls Vol 6

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Universo de Papel

Por mi completitud obsesiva. Me gusta tildar las cosas.



-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2021] [800p] [Cómics] [No Recomendable]
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[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started Paper Girls some years ago and the early issues piqued my interest, so I was very happy to see this complete edition being released. Brian K Vaughn is one of the most exciting writers out there -- I'm a huge fan of Saga (who isn't?), and Y was quite good before the ending fell off a bit -- and although I really enjoyed Paper Girls as a whole, I think it suffered some of the same issues as Y, The Last Man. The early issues and character development were intriguing, the world-building was thrilling and the idea and early execution was fun and page-turning... but the longer it went on, the more it disappeared into what-the-f**kery. This happens quite a bit when dealing with time-travel stories, but this one is especially feels like it bites off more than it can chew, plot-wise. Overall, it didn't matter too much, as I felt more drawn to the character-driven storylines than the nonsensical disappearing robots and reality-folding not-alien monsters and aged clones, and try as I might, it just didn't make a lick of sense if you put more than five minutes of effort trying to dissect it all. But if you forget to care about the plot and just enjoy the heartful interactions and maturing relationships between the four girls, you'll enjoy the heck out of this story, which I did, in spades.

[Sem · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know, barring all the unnecessary rape/sexual assault moments (weirdly many of them) and the unnecessary slurs (we get it, Brian, people used to say awful things and you think including them makes it faithful to the time period. I used to pee in my diaper when I was little, doesn't mean I'd include those bits in my memoir.) and the unnecessarily convoluted plot with its weak resolution... I kinda just liked this? It's not mind-blowing and the twists are pretty pointless and the characters are paper-thin and if I ever see another "homophobic bully turns into love interest" story I'll stab myself in the eyes... BUT I did like something about this. Probably it's because Vaughan can write some genuinely nice moments, when he's not trying to make a point or be shocking or amaze you. One really gets the feeling that Vaughan misses the good old days of childhood. The adolescent daze of being in love with the world while hating it at the same time, the silly dreams we all had, the time we wasted on video games or other hobbies. His view of it leans cynical, no matter how hard he tries, but sometimes it does hit that sweet spot where everything feels warm, like a porch in the last days of the autumn sun.

[Khris Sellin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sister got this for me for Christmas, since we were both paper girls back in the day. Worst job ever! Deadbeats who didn't pay us, vicious dogs chasing us, and I even got chased by a horse once. I know! Makes no sense. Anyway, these chicks get into some heavier and more fun stuff like time travel and fighting off evil, which is to say this really has very little to do with paper routes. Fun read!

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

30 čísel naozaj skvelej, našlapanej, parádne nakreslenej, zaujímavej série plnej emócii, cestovania v čase, robotov, dinosaurov a skrátka to stojí za to. Akurát čítať to v jednej bichli je na ruky peklo. 5/5

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, but the whole time travel thing is VERY CONFUSING
(Ps: still mad they cancelled the show)

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you might imagine, Paper Girls: The Complete Story is a massive graphic novel. It compiles all six volumes of the story into one, letting readers easily binge through the whole thing. It's actually rather quite timely, given the announcement that The Paper Girls will get turned into an Amazon TV series (is it out yet??? Pretty, please?)

The Paper Girls are exactly what they sound like – a group of Paper Girls that started the day off by getting their daily deliveries done. Unfortunately, the day took a turn from that point onward. And before you know it, they've found themselves embroiled in a timewar of epic proportions. The generations have taken a stance against one another, and our Paper Girls are stuck in the middle of the whole mess.

The series has been a fun read, from start to finish. The characters are spunky and dynamic, the plot has been fascinating and harrowing, and the artwork exceptional. So I'm going to be sad to see this one go – while being happy to finally know how it all ends.

Paper Girls is so entwined in times that the story is occasionally told in a nonlinear fashion. Which considering that this series is essentially Chaos Theory in a nutshell, is pretty perfect. Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Saga, Runaways) and Cliff Chiang (Human Target, Beware the Creeper, Wonder Woman) bring this crazy and chaotic time-traveling world to life.

Right from the start, Paper Girls has shown us what a series can do when it's not afraid to take on the grittier side of time travel. This is not a polished and bubbly series. Instead, it shows us some of the darkest sides that can form when people begin messing with the timestream.

The other amazing element from this series has to be the main characters. Our Paper Girls are strong, independent, and oh so fierce. And while each one of them is a force of her own, there's no doubt that these girls work wonderfully as a team.

For the record, this is not my first time reading the series. I read each issue as they came out and then each volume as they came out. Naturally, I couldn't resist reading the whole compilation when it was made available! Realistically, I'll re-read the series again before the television series comes out.

Thanks to Image Comics and #Edelweiss for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more at Quirky Cat's Comics

[Billy Jepma · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can imagine something that combines the vibes of drinking Mountain Dew at a sleepover with the feeling of starting a new grade at school, you'll have a pretty solid idea of what to expect from Paper Girls.

It's as messy as any time travel story, and like most of them, it doesn't have the most satisfying ending to tie up all the timey-wimey threads that crisscross the millenniums. However, it is a vibrant, wonderfully realized coming-of-age adventure filled with just as much pulpy genre shenanigans as it is heartfelt interpersonal drama around self-actualization and all the anxieties associated with it. Big feelings, sensational colors, rich relationships—yeah, of course I loved it.

I still don't love Vaughan's writing quite as much as I want to, but this might be some of the better plotting I've seen from him. Every issue has a great hook, whether a new twist, bit of characterization, or amazing artwork (Chiang is so good, it's unreal), and the zippy pacing helps each escalation go down smoothly, no matter how ambitious it is. Even Vaughan's penchant for shock-and-awe pays off since the time travel aspects let him loop back around the timeline and give early twists more depth after the fact.

And most importantly, I really love the characters. You can raise an eyebrow at the entire creative team being men—and you'd be valid in doing so—but the characterizations feel rich and lived-in. Their various quirks and bouts of irreverence (which any reader of Vaughan's will recognize) come off as authentic to adolescents dealing with shit they don't understand, and I appreciate how Vaughan doesn't shy away from giving the story a sappy heart of gold underneath its exciting antics. Chiang's expressive art carries it all across the finish line, with colors and reactions that make every page a joy to read. He kills it with the spectacle, but it's his subtler character work that ultimately made me fall in love with the book's punk-rock nostalgia and neon-colored sentimentalities.

[Alyssa Snipes · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, EASY!!!

This was a phenomenal volume. The artwork was top-tier; the dialogue relatable and easy to follow along with. I connected so much with each of the characters, who were unique and far from copy/paste. The plot, to boot, was gripping.

This is the kind of book you read when you need a reminder that being an adult is hard, but there once was a time you wanted to be exactly where you’re at right now. It’s about being the best grown-up version of yourself you always wanted to be. And, of course, the value of friendships. Because who has friends like the ones we had when we were middle schoolers? This one will stay on my shelf for a long time.

[Rey Leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of Brian Vaughan’s work is amazing. This is a great time travel story with a Stranger Things vibe.

[Ophelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué decir, estos cómics son una maravilla. Cuando salió el primero lo leí con ansia viva porque tenía muchas cosas que amo en la ficción (un grupo de chicas que forjan una amistad con un fondo fantástico/sci fi) y en lo artístico (el estilo de dibujo es una pasada ), pero no llegué a seguir leyendo más - aunque sí recuerdo pensar: esto sería una serie increíble.

No me esperaba para NADA que tuviera tanta traca de viajes en el tiempo y aunque se vuelve bastante complejo y pierdes el hilo cada dos por tres, si sigues palante te encaja todo más o menos. Se nota muchísimo que son los mismos creadores de los cómics de SAGA porque tiene el mismo alma épico y, por supuesto, el mismo lenguaje visual espectacular. Así que si te gustó SAGA te gustará Paper Girls, en mi humilde OPINIÓN.

En fin, me alegro mucho de tener este mamotreto en físico porque así puedo ojearlo de vez en cuando porque ya las echo de menos ❤️‍🩹.

[ripley ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easiest 5 stars
(Decided to count the complete story as what I read instead of each volume since I gave the whole thing 5 stars)

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Liliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was a bit more all over the place than I thought, but that's kind of the point. So after overcoming initial weirdness I was just along for the ride and having fun with it, the characters growing on me too.
I would have liked a bit more time to unravel certain parts of the plot, and also to understand the connection between the characters.
This definitely has stranger things vibes, but more science fiction than fantasy. It seems perfect for teens!

[Shane Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Vaughan never fails to deliver. Comparable to his Saga series in terms of quality. Love this man’s fucked up mind! Highly recommended. 5⭐️

[Kristin Katsuye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m just gonna stay in this time loop & maybe buy some merch.

[Barbara Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cool! The plot was fun and had neat turns, the art was fantastic, AND it was gay! Shoutout graphic novelists for keeping the world afloat.

[janisjay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to the Future meets Stranger Things! i stayed up to 1am to finish this. i had so much fun following these badass girls! ima miss them 🥹

[Tuva Hellqvist · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow den var så bra så spännande och så fint ritad. Färgerna, the lines, karaktärerna, miljön, teknologin... allt. wow, bara wow. Lite ledsen över slutet som alltid händer i tidsrese-stories, men allt var bara... wow.

Slukade hela serien på en kväll, glömde äta middag och allt hehe