If you read my review of volume one of this series, you will know that whilst I (kinda) enjoyed it, it was too much of a fast-moving storyline with no character connection. I was hoping that volume two would flesh out the characters a little bit more, and that we would stop in one time for a little bit longer so that I could get used to the world, rather than moving around really quickly so that I get whiplash.

After surviving the strangest night of their lives in the Cleveland suburb of Stony Stream, intrepid young newspaper deliverers Erin, Mac, and Tiffany find themselves launched from 1988 to a distant and terrifying future… the year 2016.

What would you do if you were suddenly confronted by your 12-year-old self? 40-year-old newspaper reporter Erin Tieng is about to find out in this action-packed story about identity, mortality, and growing older in the 21st century.

Collects PAPER GIRLS #6-#10

I know I was hoping for all of those things, but I didn’t get them. I again got LOADS of time travel that happened really quickly, not really that much character development (but we got a little bit so I’ll take small wins where I can get them), and there are so many bloody characters that I don’t know who are the good and who are the bad guys.

One of the things that I did enjoy about this volume was that we explored TWO Erins. Yes, that’s right. Teenage Erin runs into 30-something Erin and it’s cool because we get to witness some of the paradoxical things that happen during time travel.

Young Erin doesn’t seem impressed with who she grows up to be but it was still nice to see the two of them talking, and there is this amazing moment where young Erin meets her grown up younger sister, and it was just so cute. However, there is a little thing where the older Erin is seen taking some medication by younger Erin, and then younger Erin says something like ‘great, I’m going to grow up to be clinically insane’. This is just a paraphrase, not the EXACT wording, but it is something like that. Whilst I didn’t really feel that bothered about sentence (and I do suffer with depression, anxiety and OCD, so I can talk about the rep here), I know that some people were bothered by it, so if you suffer with mental illness and want to carry on reading this series, then just be weary of this when going into the second volume.

“The world is a terrifying place, more than I ever realized. But if I had my whole life to do over again, that’s literally the only thing I’d change. I’d stop being so afraid of other people.”

― Brian K. Vaughan, Paper Girls, Vol. 2

To be honest, I’m still not THAT attached to the characters. I do feel more attached to Erin, but i think that’s because her character is explored more throughout the story, so I’m looking forward to seeing more of the other characters and what their story is.

AND, another brilliant element of this volume is that it’s set in 2016 during the presidential elections and there is a sign that says VOTE FOR HILLARY and then the girls start talking about how there might be a woman president and how exciting it is. I wanted to cry for them… No, girls. You do not get a female president, you get a Oompa Loompa instead…

Overall, this was slightly better than the first volume, but I’m still really confused about the whole story and what’s happening, I’m confused on which side something of the secondary characters are on and to be honest, I just want a solid storyline for a couple of volumes, not something that jumps around a lot. I know that this is about time travel, but I think that this theme can still be explored whilst STAYING IN THE SAME PLACE FOR A BIT!

I am going to carry on reading the series, because I am intrigued as to what is happening and I do want to learn more about the girls.