Our society is in a perpetual state of nostalgia. Right now, many people are longing for the “good ole days” of their formative years in the 80s and 90s.

The days of cassette mixtapes, dial-up Internet, and long summer days spent outside on bikes and exploring the world pre-helicopter parenting are gone, but current pop culture is tapping back into those times to pay homage to the past.

One of the most prominent examples of the power of nostalgia is Stranger Things. The sci-fi show struck a nerve with millions around the world when it introduces several 80s pre-teens and their inner circle experiencing the coming of age story of a lifetime.

But, like many movies and TV shows centered around this type of story, the band of friends is (mostly) male. Coming-of-age stories from girl’s experience are scarce, but a story about a girl gang is even more rare.

This is what makes Image Comics’ ongoing saga Paper Girls so special. The comic penned by Brian K. Vaughan and features Cliff Chiang’s brilliant artwork and immediately grabs the attention of anyone who dives into this unique journey.

It’s an interesting mesh of nostalgia, futurism, progressive ideals, current social commentary, and self-discovery that centers on four middle-school aged girls in 1988 who deliver newspapers in Stony Stream, OH, a fictional suburb near Cleveland.

The girls are out on a pre-dawn run the morning after Halloween when they encounter otherworldly beings who steal a piece of their property. Their mission to recover the lost item inadvertently leads to an epic adventure spanning from prehistoric times to thousands of years in the future.

Erin, KJ, Mac, and Tiffany get lost, laugh, fight to the death, and even argue amongst themselves but they are fiercely loyal to and protective of each other as they invade dangerous time travelers who are on their tracks.

There are so many great elements in Paper Girls. For example, two of the girls (Tiffany and Erin) are people of color. Erin is specifically referred to as a person of Asian descent whereas Tiffany is darker skinned than her comrades (presumably Black) and is an adoptee who was raised by an interracial couple.

The comic is rated T+ because these girls know how to curse and string together insults like pros, but kids around their age and even adult readers like myself can appreciate seeing representation in this arena. Tiffany and Erin are not simply background characters who are there for “diversity’s sake” or to drive the narrative of a White protagonist.

They both very intelligent and layered characters who incite a lot of action and are often the heroes in sticky situations.
But, these girls are certainly far from perfect – and that’s what makes them so realistic to readers.

Mac, the resident “bad girl” of the group, harbors several prejudices based on faulty information from her sexist older brother and unreliable parents. She’s particularly ignorant about AIDS and the gay community overall and often repeats what she has heard from home.

This puts her at odds with one of the girls who is currently questioning her sexuality and her feelings about Mac. It’s not clear how Mac feels, but she seems to be using her “tough” exterior and fear of the consequences of being gay to mask her emotions.

She, like many girls, has been taught to be ashamed of her body and its basic functions. This leads to a humorous yet disheartening scene later on about menstrual cycles.

It’s a reminder that they are kids at a pivotal time in their lives while going through this incredible experience. Mac finds out information about her future that challenges her in unexpected ways, but she remains a valued part of the group as a brave, bold, and crafty kid.

KJ rounds out the group perfectly as Mac’s sidekick of sorts who is willing to do what it takes to protect her friends. The girls all feel like someone we knew growing up or may even reflect parts of ourselves.

It’s also interesting to see how the girls react to seeing their own future. Watching them marvel over today’s technology and look confused about Y2K is absolutely hilarious.

But, it gets deeper when they find out about themselves. Many of us have these grandiose thoughts about our future and can barely imagine what life will be like at 30+.

When some of the girls encounter themselves, they have to grapple with the fact that life went in an unexpected direction. And, their future selves have to face the younger them and see who they used to be before adulting hit them in the head.

Paper Girls is a comic worth checking out to see the coming-of-age story through a new perspective. Right now, they are on issue #23 with the next one set to drop in early September, so it would be best to pick up the volumes instead of searching for every issue.

It brings big action via time-jumping into otherworldly locations to paper, which is the perfect home for this comic because it would honestly take a fortune to bring this story to screen.

The girls are endearing and their continuing journey to get back to 1988 (and maybe change the world on the way) leaves readers stunned at the end of each issue and ready for the girls’ next moves.