Paper Girls, Vol. 1

Like some great 1980s teen sci-fi/horror cult classic, this aggressively awesome new series from Vaughan (Saga) and Chiang (Wonder Woman) throws alien invasion and time travel plots together and steeps the whole thing in suburban angst and attitude. It’s Halloween night, 1988, in a drowsy Ohio neighborhood, and Erin Tieng has just joined up with three of her fellow 12-year-old papergirls on bicycles. Riding the quiet streets like the world’s mildest gang, they try to get their routes done without too much hassle from cops or loser guys in Freddie Kruger costumes. But complications arise, including mummy-like scavengers lurching around the dark streets and a wormhole over a football field that’s disgorging flying dinosaurs with laser spear–wielding riders. Vaughan’s spiky writing and Chiang’s vivid, dramatically skewed art make for a potent mix, particularly in the darkly comic dream sequences that punctuate the action. This is that rare period series that lets its references (Dukakis, MacGyver) slip seamlessly into the action. (Apr.)