Sunday, May 26, 2019

REVIEW: Paradox Girl Vol. 1


Holy crap, everyone. Stop what you’re doing and go read Paradox Girl. Well, don’t because it’s not out yet so read my review and then go read it. Because Paradox Girl isn’t just good. And it’s not just really good. It’s the best comic I’ve read so far this year.

Disclaimer: I received advance copies of the individual issues collected in Paradox Girl Vol. 1 courtesy of Image Comics. Opinions are my own.


As a hero with the power to go anywhere and anywhen, Paradox Girl has made an absolute mess of her own life. She’s changed history so often that she isn’t even sure who she is anymore. Join her in the superhero comedy as she tries to make sense of her chaotic existence, chases bizarre whims, and maybe even finds time to save the day once in a while.

Written by Cayti Bourquin and illustrated by Yishan Li, Paradox Girl follows a protagonist who is living a nonlinear life. Paradox Girl is a time traveler who isn’t afraid of meddling with the space-time continuum. In fact, it’s kind of her thing.

Each chapter in this first volume is almost a completely different genre. The first tells a normal “save the day” story that is both a straight linear narrative and completely out of order. The fight with a giant monster takes place over a single page spread, but it features multiple Paradox girls popping in from all over the comic.


The gimmick of jumping across the storyline could easily get boring and overused. Luckily no two chapters are alike here. There aren’t even “superheroics” in each chapter. Sometimes Paradox Girl takes on a wolverine in an “old lady who ate a fly” scenario, another sees her meeting an old man and then visiting him throughout his entire life. In another, Paradox Girl eats waffles. It’s great.

The best feature in the entire book is how Paradox Girl zips through time in a pink zig-zaggy line that flows from one panel to the next, sometimes across entire pages. The non-linear jumping around chapters makes rereading a must. I promise this is a story you’ll want to read and then go back in time and read it again.

Click here to pre-order your copy of the first volume of Paradox Girl today.