Review: Paper Girls Vol. 3

Quick Summary

Pros: The positives from previous books return in full force. The new setting allows for a narrative more focused on suspense and danger. The focus on feminism is well-executed and meaningful. The artwork is gorgeous and is a huge positive for the work as a whole.

Cons: Lack of any information about the larger mystery is starting to be frustrating.

Overall: This volume continues the Paper Girls story in a way that is sure to satisfy all of the comic’s fans. It combines the awesome characters, compelling story, and gorgeous artwork from previous entries with a new setting to create a book that has a lot going for it. In addition, more significant feminist themes are beginning to develop and play out in ways that feel meaningful. Anyone who enjoyed the previous two volumes should definitely continue reading with this one.

Story

Paper Girls Vol. 3, by Brian K. Vaughan, is a thrill ride with an incredible cast of characters. The book starts out with all of the positives from the previous collections, including a stellar cast of characters and an incredibly interesting mystery. Then it goes on to cultivate even more suspense by placing the Paper Girls in the past, where it feels like every action they take could easily lead to their deaths. The volume also manages to shine a spotlight on feminism and women’s issues in a way that feels rather meaningful. The lack of additional information about the greater mystery of this series is a bit disappointing but is not a serious enough problem to distract from the book’s many positives. Overall, the story in this volume is another win for this series.

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The central narrative in Paper Girls Vol. 3 brings back all of the positives from previous collections. The charming characters, entrancing mystery, and fun time-travel mechanics all come back in ways that are a blast to read about. Plus, the random references to ’80s pop-culture give the story a unique twist.

The biggest difference here is that this volume focuses more on suspense and action rather than unraveling the larger conspiracy behind the Paper Girls’ involvement in time-travel. Placing the cast in a hostile world, far removed from the safety of any sort of society, puts them in more direct danger than before. This sense of danger is ever-present even as the variety of fun action scenes play out.

The unfortunate downside of this changeup is that not a lot is revealed about the greater mystery surrounding this entire series. After three volumes of content, I was really hoping to know at least a little more about what is going on. However, this is definitely not a big problem and, hopefully, the next volume will clear things up a bit.

Besides all of this, Paper Girls Vol. 3 also places a more direct focus on feminism as a theme. Mac’s complete ignorance of menstruation highlights society’s failure to educate women about their own bodies. It also shows how a complete lack of knowledge regarding sex ends up reinforcing incorrect and harmful stereotypes. Meanwhile, Wari’s pregnancy demonstrates how horrifying women’s issues were across time. The entire collection handles social issues well and even appears to tease the inclusion of LGBTQ issues, which may be addressed in future volumes.

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Art

Despite the story’s many successes, the artwork in Paper Girls Vol. 3 may be volume’s most significant victory. Cliff Chiang’s stylistic take on people and places gives the entire adventure a unique and highly attractive visual pallet. This style also allows the characters, who form the centerpiece of the story, to stand out in a distinctive way. The reader’s eye is constantly drawn exactly where it needs to go and the structure of the pages and panels works in pushing the story forward. Like the story, the visuals in Paper Girls Vol. 3 are another win for an already successful series.

Continuity

Paper Girls Vol. 3 continues the story from Paper Girls Vol. 2 (Review).

The story here continues in Paper Girls Vol. 4 (Review).