I love the palette and aesthetics of Paper Girls, and the first volume is certainly an intriguing start. There’s some inventive, well-executed visuals, and the 80s science-fiction/horror vibes were great fun, but it’s difficult to say how much substance lies within that pretty package in just the first edition. However, I did feel keenly aware while reading this that these girls were written by, well… a man- which obviously isn't a problem in and of itself, but if I'm reading dialogue coming out of a pre-teen girls' mouth, and picturing an adult man writing those words, that's obviously not ideal. A huge helping of edginess contributed to their feeling pretty flat and one-note, which was disappointing. It felt almost like an effort to justify having an all-female cast: the girls collectively came across as very “not-like-other-girls,” which entirely broke my immersion, and personally, my desire to continue with the series.