On my search for Paper Girls, I was warned again and again that the book would be “not what you expect.” How these people knew what I expected, I’m not completely sure, but, boy, were they right.

The initial conflict in Paper Girls is much more mundane than the overarching plot. Four 12-year-old girls are trying to finish their morning paper route on November 1, 1988. The humdrum start to the series allows Brian K. Vaughan to establish the setting and – through perhaps slightly graceless dialogue – each of the girls as their own characters. This was what I was expecting: a slice-of-life story about a mismatched group of girls defying gender roles. And for a time, that is what I got. This all dissipates when the girls find something very unusual in a basement.

The art in Paper Girls, illustrated by Cliff Chiang, is what originally drew me in. (I am guilty of judging a book by its cover and a graphic novel by its art.) The character designs are fitting for the ’80s, and I fell in love with the overall illustrative style, which was further enhanced by colorist Matthew Wilson’s vibrant, brilliant work.

I’m not going to delve into the details (to avoid spoilers), but the rest of Paper Girls: Volume One depicts mutated teens, time travel, Shakespearean-speaking murderous adults, and more. Both the story and art intrigued me enough to ensure I pick up the next volume.