Completely Self-absorbed Top 100 Comic Runs You Need to Read

[Colin YNWA]

Cheers Colin! Not sure how I've missed that thread in the past.

Big Cinebook order coming up...

If you wait until you are at a Con they are at they typically have amazing deals if you buy in bulk. Just depends if you attend cons they go to... I miss going to Thought Bubble!

[Barrington Boots]

I'm not much of a con dude generally, but noted!
I've ordered a handful of books based off that thread, so that's my upcoming comic reading sorted.

Whilst on the topic, I really enjoyed my first experience of Bat Lash Colin, thanks for the impassioned post about it!

[Hawkmumbler]

The art is also slightly hampered by some clumsy edits to remove nudity, but this does make them more accessible to younger readers.

I remain baffled by the decision to do this, and indeed it somewhat rubs up against my anti-censorship stance in a particularly irksome way (the nudity in these books is so much a nothingness and unerotic that it really begs the question of what the point was), so it's probably a testament to how much I agree with Colin that Leo has crafted one of the most enriching, all encompassing worlds in comics through this series that I can not only let it slide but offer it the highest of recommendations.
I really, really must get around to catching up!

[Colin YNWA]

Whilst on the topic, I really enjoyed my first experience of Bat Lash Colin, thanks for the impassioned post about it!

That's cool to hear, it really is such a fun comic.

...Leo has crafted one of the most enriching, all encompassing worlds in comics through this series that I can not only let it slide but offer it the highest of recommendations.
I really, really must get around to catching up!

Testify brother.

[Colin YNWA]

Love when so contrasting series appear next to each other. All-bran is a wide open, massive piece of world building cross many volumes. This next, understandly (I hope) shorter entry... well its at the opposite end of the world building scale! That said may I give you...



Number 113 - Cowboys and Insects

Keywords: Short story, giant insects, morality tale

Creators:
Writer - David Hine
Art - Shaky Kane
Colours - Shaky Kane

Publisher: Aces Weekly digitally and Floating World Comics physically.

No. issues: 1
Date of Publication: 2013

Last read: The other day

By far the shortest series on the list, which might seem fitting but the insects in it are huge!


Copyright - them what created it...

Cowboys and Insects first appeared in the weekly digital comic Aces Weekly, and was picked up by Floating World Comics (a comic shop turned publisher) for a physical release in 2016. It comes in at a tiny 28 5.25" by 8" landscape pages and proves that good things do indeed come in small packages.

It tells a short morality tale about group think - or indeed a hivemind - being anathema to individuality, however ridiculous the ideas that group think is based on. Set in an alternative mid 20th century middle America it shows a society where nuclear testing has seen insects grow to enormous size and become the foundation of the US economy and life style. They are used for entertainment, and primary food source, herded by the cowboys of the title. We are introduced to this world by Chip, a young teenager in the 'perfect' nuclear family.


Copyright - them what created it...

He moves to a new town, falls for a girl, eats fried insect wings and rides with an ant-headed version of the KKK. A tale as old as time. His naivety and innocence is used to brilliantly contrast with the dark undercurrent of the world he lives in, covered in a veneer of civility. The wanderlust and just plain lust shines through his eyes. The damage of the cruelty towards those that don't conform is subtly presented in his quiet actions, the harm that does to him in turn.

All of this, the incredible world, the human characters are wonderfully realised by Shaky Kane's astonishing art. It conveys the abnormal with a gruesome calmness that really underpins its darker aspects without neutering them by sensationalising things... well not sensationalising giant stag beetles clashing as much as possible! Kane's characters look entirely normal, utterly real and yet his style has an uncanny ability to draw out the ugly in this normality, to juxtapose the bizarre with homely goodness to give it a jagged, uncomfortable feel that runs much deeper than the simple discomfort of the things we see before us. An insect production line is much more unsettling when drawn by Shaky Kane than anyone else.


Copyright - them what created it...

The colours add to this effect as well. Bright, welcoming, daylight colours that present the world in sunshine and add to the feeling that all is well, regardless of darkness slipping below the surface. Shaky Kane presents a David Lynch film in comic form, which perfectly adds to David Hine's story that plays with precisely this tone.

When making this list, Cowboys and Insects came quickly and easily to mind as one to be added. I did then wonder whether a one-shot like this could really justify the place. After all, can it really cover the ground and have the 'value' of much longer form stories that are able to explore much deeper, richer territory simply by virtue of the space they have. Unlike almost everything else I'll write about I therefore quickly re-read it. After all, it didn't take long. That re-read made it all too clear that it was entirely justified in its place, in fact I wondered if I'd placed it too low. That size doesn't indeed matter,... well much... it's how well you use it as the cliche holds.

All 28 pages here are used to perfection. The story is simple. Its key theme didn't need drawing out and the creators knew this and knew how much that story needed and didn't drag things out unnecessarily. In less skillful hands, or with creators with less abundant ideas that might well have been a temptation.


Copyright - them what created it...

After all, the world is very engaging and entertaining. There are plenty of ways this could be spun out. That temptation was deftly avoided though. Hine and Kane had a tale to tell, one with a focused point to make and they had the confidence to tell it with the space it needed. The dressing of a world with giant insects might be a temptation but the story came first and it's told with expert craft and then left.

While it might have limited space, it is densely packed. The world is fleshed out with detail and precision in the art work. The impact of the giant insects drops quietly and unobtrusively into any appropriate corner so you can dwell on the glorious pages to get a real sense of the world and how it operates. The characters are developed well to carry the story, but if we're honest it's not about them, they serve the story in this instance they don't need to be the story.

Then the ending, it is chilling as it is brilliant. It raises the dark undercurrents in the tale slowly and steadily to the surface making it clear that even in a short story such as this pacing is absolutely key. And here the pacing is perfect. Yes if there was more to tell this could place higher, longer form stories by these creators will show that later in the list. So its scale does limit its placing to some degree, but it takes nothing away from the fact that this story works perfectly in 28 pages and those 28 pages alone are worth a place in this list.


Copyright - them what created it...


Where to find it

This one looked like it was going to be tricky as the physical copy is long out of print and the one copy I could find in the aftermarket was stupidly expensive (I imagine with a bit of effort and patience you could get it a lot cheaper). I did wonder if this one was going to be next to impossible to get hold of BUT I checked Aces Weekly and it seems you can get the original Aces Weekly - its a digital comic - pretty cheaply. All the previous volumes are still available and if you scroll all the way down to Volume 5 the entire volume is just £6.99 apparently. You get a lot more besides. I can't speak to any of that as I haven't done it BUT it is good to know this stuff is available.

Learn more

Obligatory Wikipedia page ain't there for this one.

Not really surprisingly there is not a great deal out there about Cowboys and Insects, but there are a few bits and pieces.

The ever reliable Down the tubes has a nice preview - from where I 'nicked most me images.

Multiversity has a decent review.

As does Haunted phonograph.

I'm sure with a bit of effort you can dig out more.

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.

[Blue Cactus]

Hine and Kane are a great combo. Loved The Bulletproof Coffin in particular.

[Colin YNWA]

Hine and Kane are a great combo. Loved The Bulletproof Coffin in particular.

Yep I'm very fond of that one too. They are a great team and fit so well together.

[Colin YNWA]

Number 112 - Human Target - Peter Milligan

Keywords: Milligan, Identity, Vertigo, reimagining

Creators:
Writer - Peter Milligan
Art - Edvin Biukovic, Javier Pulido, Cliff Chang and more
Colours - Lee Loughridge and Dave Stewart

Publisher: DC Comics under Vertigo imprint

No. issues: 4 issue mini, OGN and 21 issue ongoing
Date of Publication: 1999 - 2005

Last read: 2012

Identity is an almost ever present theme in Peter Milligan's writing and so what better character for him to work with than Christopher Chance, a character whose specific 'power' is to take over the identity of others. Judge for yourself in


Copyright - DC Comics

Christopher Chance was created for DC by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino in the early 70s. He adapts the role of people targeted by criminals to protect them by becoming a human target for those criminals. Peter Milligan picked the character out of limbo and used him to explore identity across initially a four issue mini-series, then a stand alone graphic novel and finally a 21 issue ongoing series, all of which combine to tell one fantastic tale. They have a singular focus that few of his other works have. That's not to say that he's not explored the ideas of identity before, far from it, as said identity is very much central to almost all his work, rather that it was done with clarity here. His work typically wraps these ideas deeper, combining with other themes, here they are very much on the surface.

For many this was a little too on the nose, it removed the enigma (mayyybe pun intended...ahem.) and complexities that he typically uses. It was all a little too obvious. For me stripping things right back allowed for a much richer exploration of the theme. Allowed the ideas to become clear and detailed, to spread and have the scope, within that theme, that other works of his may have lacked. Also not to say this isn't complex, identity is complex, but it removes other distractions and allows clarity on his core ideas.


Copyright - DC Comics

Christopher Chance in these stories is really feeling the harm caused to him by being other people to place himself in their danger. The damage he takes isn't just physical, though there is plenty of that, it's much more fundamental damage to who he actually is. He doesn't just mimic people to fool threats, he almost literally becomes them. To then return to being Christopher Chance becomes increasingly difficult. When you have become so many other people for so long what is left of who you are. What does he take of them, what does he lose of himself.

At the beginning of the ongoing this has reached extremes, he doesn't simply return to being Christopher Chance, he has to become Christopher Chance again. Chance has just become another identity he has to adopt. This impacts on his ability to form relationships. How can he be with someone else if he doesn't know who he is and can't find the person he needs to give to another? Is he really in love or is he just trying to find something to feel as though he is still a complete, single person. This is pointedly reflected physically. As Christopher Chance he is unable to perform sexually. When he adopts another persona he has no such issue. Chance seems lost to the Human Target on so many levels. Yet facing this he continues to be the Human Target casting himself deeper and deeper into his own dilemma.


Copyright - DC Comics

This close examination of the confusion about and loss of identity in of itself would make for fascinating, at times uncomfortable reading. Peter Milligan goes further however. The cast he creates all seem to be having struggles with their identity in some way or other. The targets Chance replaces, the folks chasing them and a host of others all seem to have some sort of double life, or crisis of identity that stops them being who they are, or appear to be.

Two examples are particularly interesting, to me at least. Firstly Tom McFadden whose story book ends the run. First appearing in the mini-series and who comes back at the end of the ongoing run. McFadden is Chance's assistant, who impersonates Chance's after he (Chance) is horribly injured and having to undergo facial reconstruction. McFadden goes even further than Chance does in his assumption of someone else's identity and wants to actually become Chance rather than simply impersonate him. There is a resolution at the end of the mini, but he returns for the final ongoing arc of the series to try once again to assume Chance's life. Including his relationship with Mary White the woman Chance is trying to settle down with. Mary has of course been leading a double life as well as had been revealed earlier.

This sets up a fascinating conclusion with the three in an complex entanglement of who makes the better Christopher Chance. Does it matter if Mary loves Tom as Christopher more than the original Christopher and whether the loss of his identity to someone is actually liberating for Chance. How all this impacts on Tom and why he is so desperate to become this broken man. It's really heady stuff and just typing about it makes me want to re-read it so I can get my head back into it all. 


Copyright - DC Comics

The second character whose identity issues fascinate me, more than the rest, they are all interesting, is Emma Connors. Apparently a housewife (ouch should we use that term these days?) married to an author, her husband writes books about a character called Emerald, an assassin. Connors, when not supporting her husband, is indeed the assassin Emerald sent to kill Chance in the mini. What we don't know is whether the novels inspired Emma, or Emerald inspired the novels. Her husband apparently doesn't know that Emma is Emerald, or at least doesn't admit to knowing. Again the layers can be peeled away. Is her husband just allowing the lie to exist, denying the double life for his own needs, this happens a lot in the series.

Emma / Emerald also opens the ideas of how fiction impacts the double lives we create for ourselves, the way we play with our own identity or create for ourselves based on the story we engage with. She is of course a fictional character, creating an persona based on a fictional character, so there's probably an over reading I've done that this is all getting pretty meta... but that's likely just me stretching things. These comics will do that to you. They make you think. They make you consider the fictions you create for yourself about yourself. And that is why I think the clear focus of these stories really works.

There are plenty more characters, all the fleshed out ones in this work lead some sort of double life, or play with their identity in some way and I imagine everyone who reads it will be able to find their go to in the story, that reflects things to them about how we deal with our own identity and the fictions we show to others.


Copyright - DC Comics

So this all sounds a little cerebral so far, or at least I've tried to reflect that, whether that's worked, well that's up to you. I'm just trying to present as smart! With all this these comics never lose sight of the fact they are action adventure comics. All the playing with its key themes doesn't distract it from being a fun, action packed, violent, sexy piece of entertainment. They're dramatic and exciting. At times genuinely tense. Again a real benefit of Milligan giving things a really tight focus. By concentrating on his key theme the comics have the space and clarity they need to explore intriguing ideas really closely while keeping a pace and sense of action and adventure that I feel can sometimes get lost in Peter Milligan's more complex work (see I'm only pretending to be smart!).

I can't think of a story he's done that's managed to quite balance those two elements: the thought provoking ideas and the action, as well since maybe Bad Company. He does it with real skill in Human Target and it pulls you along with break neck speed and only when I'd stop to take a breath did I start to dwell on the deeper, more satisfying thoughts this was kicking off. It's brilliant stuff.


Copyright - DC Comics

With all this talk of Peter Milligan it's easy to lose sight of quite how good the art is throughout this run. Principally by Edvin Biukovic for the mini-series, Javier Pulido for the OGN and start of the ongoing, Cliff Chang finishing off the ongoing. There are a couple of fill-ins here and there. Each of these incredibly talented artists brings something different to the stories, they all add a slightly different slant. It is also of course very fitting that a series that deals with conflicts in identity and double lives has a number of different artists giving it varied looks and feels.

All of the artists are fantastic though and carry the storytelling, action and motion and the more intimate human moments real power and work perfectly well. The entire run is an artist treat.

Human Target is relatively close to the top of my re-read list and while writing the nonsense for all these series makes me want to immediately re-read pretty much everything I've whittered about, few, if any, have made me excited to return to a series more than this one. It's the type of series that I know will give me more, provide different insights each time I read it. While providing a thrilling comic adventure with a satisfying beginning, middle and end.


Copyright - DC Comics

Where to find it

Not  all of the run has been released in trades. You can get the mini, the OGN and the first 10 issues of the ongoing physically I believe. Which is a shame as this would make a lovely omnibus for those that like that sort of thing. What is it with DC and not releasing all of Peter Milligan's runs!

You can get it all digitally via Comixology... well Amazon Kindle these days I guess.

The aftermarket will be your friend here though. I got these from the lovely still occasional boarder 'I Cosh' (Hi Pete - thanks again for these, still love um. Hope this one might draw you here!) for bobbins. I've just done a quick search and you can get a full run of the ongoing for £25 all in for example (as I type likely finished by the time this comes out so no link). So worth it at that price.

Learn more

Obligatory Wikipedia page

Atomic Junk Shop has a fantastic overview of the series well worth reading.

Good Reads has all the normal reviews from folks.

That aside a criminally under discussed title worthy of much more love and attention. Kinda gets lost a little when you search in discussion of Tom King and Greg Smallwood's very good, but not this good recent mini.

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.

[BadlyDrawnKano]

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.

[Colin YNWA]

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.

[Blue Cactus]

This is the kind of series I would now hunt down but I'm just not a single issues collector (other than 2000ad/Meg. Maybe one day they'll collect the lot.

[Colin YNWA]

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.

[IndigoPrime]

I'm not sure why I picked up the Paper Girl deluxe editions. I suspect I think I like Brian K Vaughan more than I do, whereas I in fact find him wildly inconsistent. Saga is frequently great but also frustrating. Y The Last Man sits in the space space as Preacher in my collection – probably going to head to eBay if I need more space. Ex Machina started well but by the end I was sick of it.

Paper Girls, though, I recall being intrigued by from a Humble Bundle, enough to grab the deluxes. And the entire thing was pretty great. Like you, Colin, I found the characters solid and the worldbuilding nicely done. Moreover, it 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).

I also don't get the Stranger Things references. Sure, kids and bikes, and the 1980s. But they're no more similar stories than Dredd is the same as Star Trek, because they're both science fiction stories set in the future.

Anyway, this one definitely needs a re-read in the not-too-distant.

[Funt Solo]

In your opinion is Paper Girls age appropriate for an eleven year old? I realize that's quite a broad question.

[IndigoPrime]

It's been a while since I read it. My own youngling is coming up 10 and I'm not sure I'd be thrilled about her reading it. There's a fair amount of swearing, death and mature themes in the mix. I've seen it referred to elsewhere as 13+. Best bet would probably to read a bit yourself and decide that way. Which I know sounds like a cop out, but kids are all very different. (Mine reads relatively mature books and is way ahead with reading. But her telly habits are quite young for her age. Games were, but have now kind of 'caught up', with the Switch and Apple Arcade.)