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Well finished this and I'm just not sure. I need to re-read it. On first pass this isn't the Paul Grist I 'know' it felt busy and fussy and I just didn't really keep up with what it was trying to do. I strongly suspect a re-read will elevate it.

167 and 168 arrived. From Kingmakers intro it states: this volume contains the first three stories, with the creative team working on a fourth, due to appear in the Prog during 2024, entitled 'Drawing of the three'. Was that already known?

I don't remember hearing it but its very good newes.

To be fair though when I get a comic about a shark with a giant hook through its face eating folks I'm not always after nauance.

Oh it does really imply that things are moving on. Interesting.

Y The Last Man sits in the space space as Preacher in my collection ...
... Moreover, it [Papergirls] had far fewer of the Brian K Vaughan traps regarding inclusion that tripped up Y (which has some horrifically toe-curling moments, even if you can see what he's trying to do).

Ohhh that's interesting. I think you'll have things to say in a post which is written already and will be appearing quite soon(ish).

I'd say no for my kids. The girl child is 14 now so no problem with her reading it. The boy child is 12 and I'm not sure yet. While it deals with young folk as Indigo Prime says it has some quite mature themes. Its not say Lumberjanes.

In my head - though this could be very wrong this would be somewhere towards the start of 'The Marze Murderer' Progs 2001 to 2010. The traffic cop working in Berlin who ends up running with Bill? maybe...???

Reading a lot is good, so good. Its also great to see that you are reading some really interesting stuff, a lot of which I've not read but you are really peaking my interest!

I've read neither Face or Metaphysique, but both are by creators I really like in Milligan and Breyfogle and I must get around to tracking them down. I must admit I thought Metaphysique was a superhero title in Malibu's short lived line and so hadn't rushed to it. You make it sound like that might be a mistake on my part.

Never heard of Drywall, whose it by?

Interesting you went to Ditko's Shade ahead of tackling Milligan's. I've still never read those but have always been interesting. Though knew that they were different enough to probably not be as good as I would like them to be. Ditko's DC titles just don't scream out to me the way kirby's do.

Glad to hear you are getting on with Milligan's Shade, hope it remains a worthwhile read for you.

[Number 111 - Paper Girls]

Number 111 - Paper Girls

Keywords: TV series, Image, Brian K Vaughan, Stranger Things

Creators:
Writer - Brian K Vaughan
Art - Cliff Chiang
Colours - Matt Wilson

Publisher: Image Comics

No. issues: 30
Date of Publication: 2015 - 2019

Last read: 2023

Arh it's nice to have a series that I've happened to re-read recently on the list. To have my own thoughts fresh in my mind and not triggered by reading around the stories. I sometimes wonder how much that, the reading around the series I do to jog my memories, impacts my reflections. Anyway this one I read a few months ago after watching the decent and sadly curtailed TV series. The better version of Stranger Things* its


Copyright - them what created it...

*I've not got around to watching Stranger Things and so have no idea if this is better, but I love these comics so I said it anyway!

Paper Girl's tells the story of four 12 year old paper girls who meet up on their paper round in the small American town of Stony Stream during the early hours of 1st November 1988, so called Hell Day. Named as such, at least by the girls, as due to the troubling ne're do wells still rumbling around after Halloween. As the girls ride around together, finding protection in unity they soon discover that teenages on a sugar comedown are the least of their worries. The sky becomes pink, mysterious hooded characters appear, they find a time machine...by the time pterosaurs appear ridden by white clad future warriors it's apparent things aren't as they should be.

Erin - the new girl, Mac a troubled straight talking, no-nonsense 'tomboy', Tiff the smart gamer who carries two walkie talkies and KJ the rich kid from 'private school' armed with a hockey stick, are then cast into an adventure across time. Discovering all sorts of wonders and most importantly so much about themselves.

Before I go any further let's put aside the comparisons to Stranger Days. To be honest from my understanding (see above I've still to watch Stranger Days, but do intend to get around to it.) it's very similar to the comparisons 'Dredd' 2012 had with 'The Raid'. The comic was out long before Stranger Days - the comparisons came into focus when the comics were adapted to TV. So any similarities are actually Stranger Days drawing on Paper Girls rather than the other way around. They are also pretty surface level. Both stories are driven by a group of young teens in the 80s. Both groups are cast into alternative worlds, or in Paper Girls future (and past) timelines. Both groups confront authority groups that are dubious at best. And that's about it, look any deeper and these are apparently very different. There's a good article from Screenrant that tackles and boxes off all that.


Copyright - them what created it...

That said it'll be no surprise to learn that for all the time travelling adventure and sci-fi hi-jinx the absolute heartbeat of the comic is the four lead characters. How their friendships develop, how they develop is central to all the themes the comics have. And frankly they are wonderful. They feel honest and real. My daughter is now 14 so I have relatively fresh memories of 12 year old girls and while each is different to her, different maturity, focus and backgrounds they all capture that struggle between childhood and the very beginning of growing up. They act far more maturely than they actually are, but the need to learn and grow shines through.

They are also fundamentally fantastic characters as well. I engaged with them straight away and as things unfolded events mattered simply due to the characters pulling you in and making you care about them. It's also incredibly refreshing to see a diverse cast, primarily of women from all generations handled so well. Typically the males play a less important part and those that play a significant role typically follow more rigidly to dogmatic views. Though this isn't forced or pushed, there's no overt agenda there, mind screaming non progressive males on the internet seem duty bound to dig into it and kick back. Here the diversity is rich and that diversity just happens to be from a female perspective.


Copyright - them what created it...

The story itself is structured over six arcs. The first sets the wheels in motion and puts all the pieces in place. The last wraps things up and we will return to that later in a spoiler free way. The four middle arcs each have a focus on one of the paper girls. That is not to the detriment of the others as the key to understanding any one character is found in their interactions and developing relationships with their friends, they do have a clear focus though. So we get to spend some time exploring each and really getting to know them and how their adventures help them grow.

This is enhanced by the fact that all the girls, with one notable exception (cue ominous music) met future versions of themselves. These interactions, the 12 year olds meeting their older selves provide some of the best character moments in a series of brilliant character moments. Try to imagine your twelve year old self meeting you now, or you in your 20s or you as at any stage of your life... yeah it's like that...disappointment is involved! At age 12 we are still a world of possibilities old enough to start anticipating the seeming infinite and wonderful opportunities we will have. Young enough to be full of naive hopes and dreams. As we grow older and our lives are defined, our options diminished, well... well in most cases we don't quite achieve what we might have dreamt at that formative age. This rich vein is explored brilliantly as the paper girls move across time.


Copyright - them what created it...

This is made all the more powerful by the juxtaposition between their astonishing adventures and the banal reality of where life seems to lead them, well in most cases. Not only do they encounter themselves but as they travel across time they encounter all sorts of wonders. They travel forward to see glorious neon sci-fi futures, they travel back to encounter prehistoric monsters and cultures, they visit 1999... hey look I had a great time in 1999 okay, that was a good year!

Erin, Tiff, KJ and Mac's adventures start as they get embroiled in a war between two future cultures. The Old Timers, led by Grand Father determined to close down time travel to prevent meddling with the past, changing the future and disrupting fate. Their descendants and enemies The Teenagers, who believe history can be altered for the better and travel back to try to achieve just that while pursued by the much better resourced Old Timers.

This conflict opens up themes that run through the series beyond friendship and growing up. This is much more than 'Stand by Me.' set in the 80s. The idea that friendship at this formative time can shape and change you and how we try to cling onto those friendships and the hopes and insights they give you that you've been unable to see in yourself are all there. In addition to this the ideas of determinism are dealt with. Can we change our fates, do we as adults fear that the choices we made in our formative years have been from free will, or do we give ourselves the excuse that it was all bound to happen.

The Old Timers present as holding onto what has gone, refusing to accept that change is possibly positive. Suitably the teenages are far less bound by the status quo and feel change must be made for the better. The paper girls, at the point in their lives that writer Vaughan believes determines so much, seem trapped in this struggle. There seem to be certain fates they can't change and yet when they see the consequence of that fate they fight against it, trying to do all they can to alter their lives. Though all the time they really just want to get home and live those lives, regardless of whether they are bound or not.


Copyright - them what created it...

The way Paper Girls handles the view of the past and nostalgia is also important. Attitudes of the 80s are lead bare, This isn't a romanticised view of the past, one soaked in nostalgia. Early on Mac uses some pretty horrible language and while she is called on it it's a fair reflection of attitudes of the time and the casual prejudicial language we used, with intent or not. Retaining the 'glory' of the past is important to the Old Timers.

We see however that our four leads, though bound to that past, are able to learn and grow beyond its attitudes. In Mac's case specifically in very significant ways. The past has shaped Mac, and her 'earthy' views. The opportunity of the future and personal revelations and acceptances she gains from her adventure and new friends, allow her to grow so far beyond that. There are similar examples of young characters, when given the opportunities escaping the past that has shaped them, at least metaphorically, damn they still battle to get back to it. But get back to it for the better. This story isn't filled with nostalgia, it warns us against it. It doesn't dwell, it encourages moving forward.

All of this is realised with breathless adventure that moves the reader forward through the story. This is in no small part due to Cliff Chiang' superb art. It's at times naive and 'cartoony' capturing the innocence of the main characters. But it too doesn't dwell, he varies his style of expressing the characters and how they convey their feelings when the story needs it. His ability to capture the human moments that are so central to the story is faultless.

On top of that his design of times both future and past are quite brilliant. As is the colour design. Matt Wilson does a phenomenal job. The palette used is not like anything I've seen before. It somehow combines subdued pastels with screaming neon... I guess it's very 80s and yet in keeping with the nature of the comic feels incredibly modern and fresh. The night time / early morning scenes really emphasise the trick that's pulled off. The colours make the atmosphere seem dark and foreboding and yet its curiously light, nothing is obscured, everything feels visible and distinct. Oh how some filmmakers could learn from the way colour is used here to give the sense of darkness without actually washing away detail and clarity. Different time periods have different feelings. The prehistoric past feels light and subdued, without lacking any colour. The distant future is neon and glowing, unworldly. Yet the entire series seems to blend together with a distinct single use of colour. It really is one of the best colouring jobs I've seen.


Copyright - them what created it...

Paper Girls is a complete story with a heck of a lot going on. It seems to pack as much into its  30 issues as many longer series would. It also manages an ending that really gives you a sense of everything that allows all the ideas it's jammed into to be encapsulated in a final issue. The final scene allows the reader to stamp their views on fate, nostalgia and hope and fear of being 12 years old. That Ending is both punch the air uplifting but also potentially heart breaking, well if you think that fate is cast in stone. If you don't maybe, just maybe those four girls can change not just their own lives but the world itself as they ride into the dawn of a new day. The paper girls ride off into the sunrise, not the sunset. Into a day that might, just might be filled with new possibilities.

Where to find it

Paper Girls is readily available in a host of formats. The 6 original have a trade each, then there was 3 deluxe editions, finally a paperback all in one at a pretty good price. All available digitally.

The TV series didn't get a second series so the aftermarket is pretty healthy as folks snapped things up only to let things go at reasonable prices once this didn't become the next Stranger Thing and so I reckon you can pick up a decent price if you have some patience - some folks seem to still be trying to get the money they shelled out back!

Learn more

Obligatory Wikipedia page

https://screenrant.com/paper-girls-vs-stranger-things-comparison-wrong/ makes short work of the Stranger Days comparisons.

Matt Draper has a brilliant video review of the series.

Another great review from SKTCHD

Frankly there's a lot out there discussing Paper Girls, most springing out when the telly show was coming up, but a decent amount before that too. I've just picked a smattering. If you do a search you'll unearth a load more I reckon.

What is all this?

Conscious that this is becoming a long thread and if you're wondering what the heck you've just read and can't be arsed (quite sensibly) to search back to find out I'll link to my opening posts that try to explain all this.

What this all came from

And of course a nerd won't do a list like this without setting 'Rules' / guidelines

Some thoughts on what will not be on the list.

Ohhh just me then. I'll see what happened when I'm back home. Might be work network deciding they don't like me looking at all this 2000ad nonsense.

Yep just work - fine at home.

Ohhh just me then. I'll see what happened when I'm back home. Might be work network deciding they don't like me looking at all this 2000ad nonsense.

['A Better World']

Uh oh. I am so gonna be 'that guy' but I thought some of the art in this week's instalment of 'A Better World' looked just a tiny bit under-detailed - by the Flint droid's usual cosmos-quaking standards, of course. Or maybe leaving things like Glenn's suit mostly blank was a stylistic choice? By contrast, the cityscape panel on the third page was glorious...

Yeah another panel to support my hypothesis that Henry Flint is 2000ad's artist GOAT is that city scape. In amongst all the other gloriousness he just throws in a MC1 cityscape to rival Dave Taylor at his past, for like one panel.

See even in not agreeing Norton Canes (interesting take I love the fact he both keeps things simple and yet throws in a deceptive amount of detail) you can't help but support by point!

Is there a problem with A-Z today. Just tried to visit and I'm getting spinning wheel of death and then it times out? Just more or has anyone else had a problem?

There's probably lots to discuss in this Prog, loads of great work, some weak. Nice tributes to both Ian Gibson and John M Burns (well said Buttonman) but really there's only one thing to really say. This issue Henry Flint is undenibly the GOAT.

This episode of Dredd is just incredible, its stunning. I mean WOW! I've already thought he was probably 2000ad best ever artist but this Dredd episode just nails it down. He seems to be channeling Elektra Assasin era Bill Sienkiewicz (his pen and ink work of this era). He talks a very talkie episode (I mean its a great episode but it doesn't immediately offer itself as a visual treat) and makes it a stunning artist masterpiece and endless visually exciting. Look how many panels he slams in and yet it never looks crowded.

Its an absolute masterpiece. Its incredible. its confirms Henry Flint is the GOAT.

Oh yeah Thistlebone is pretty stunning too. Feral and Foe is fun, Devil's is a technicolour panto, and Enemy Earth... well its a good title isn't it.

But remember this Prog fellow reader. Mark it well. For this is the Prog when Henry Flint confirmed he is the best artist ever in 2000ad.

What hyperbole!

I wish I could say more than "I remember enjoying reading this in 2007 when I was bed bound after breaking my leg", but that's all I can summon from my memory. The break was a bad one and I spent six months mostly in bed (though I did have a wheelchair it was a pain in the arse / leg to use) and so I spent a lot of time watching dvds via lovefilm and reading comics, and I read so many that some are hard to recall in detail. I'm glad to hear you rate it so highly though, and if I ever see it out in the wild for a fair price I'll pick it up.

Well worth it it for sure.