Brutal/Juvenile Aesthetic in “Paper Girls”

Let’s discuss the broader symbolism of “Paper Girls.” The series creates a tonal spectrum that balances grim, existential brutality with visual icons of childlike glee, even to the point of absurdity. The result is an aesthetic that is both bleak & juvenile. #PaperGirls 1/6

These details are introduced very early on, such as when murderous agents of authority arrive in the timestream riding pterodactyls. Later, we have giant tardigrades wrestling in the bay, then actual Mecha take the stage, then geometric aliens. 2/6

Chiang’s designs for these elements fill the spaces they appear in, with the wonder they create nominalized by the reactions of our protagonists. We experience their wonder, and in so doing, we are actually drawn further into their childish perspectives. 3/6

These juvenile elements feature quite prominently, even used as selling points for key issues or collections, despite having little function within the actual narrative. It’s an aesthetic of wonder that helps to balance the existential dread that is the series’ main theme. 4/6

We can actually see a similar approach in one of Vaughan’s other gigs, “Saga,” which uses spectacle-based animalization instead of Paper Girls’ more SF-oriented elements to achieve a sense of awe and wonder within an otherwise brutal world. 5/6

The result is balance – empowering the darker subject matter, but also a metatextual bit of time travel for the reader themselves as they get to regress into childlike wonder just a bit, thus allowing them to embody, simultaneously, the dual-aged perspectives of the heroes. 6/6