In medias res.
In the middle of things.
Boy, the old Latin language can sure sound an interesting turn of phrase, here in the twentieth century, can’t it? It’s the past and the future, gloriously shaking hands whilst shedding some light of understanding on each other. Its comingling makes one feel smart, when uttered in a proper, and apt, context, of course.
And today, uttering “in medias res” is proper and apt.
It’s used to describe the eleventh chapter of one of the most entirely riveting (and fun!) comic book series being published these days.
If you’ve been with Paper Girls for the last year, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re new to the title, don’t let missing out on the previous ten chapters deter you for picking up the latest installment – I’ve got you covered at the end of this column.
Handshakes aside, in medias res, today sees the release of Paper Girls #11!
Paper Girls #11
Written By: Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrated By: Cliff Chiang
Published by: Image Comics
Paper Girls, in case you didn’t know, is a science-fiction series written and illustrated by comic book industry titans, Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, Y The Last Man) and Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman, Human Target). This particular column and this website in general, have regularly written superlatives about the series, notably here and here.
Yeah. We think you’d like reading it.
Set in the mid 1980’s, where all things like tape players and rubber bands were cool, Paper Girls is about a group of twelve year-old newspaper delivery girls who, during an early morning delivery run on Halloween, come up against an out-of-this-world (or out-of-this-time) spectacle – something they were never meant to witness.
Ever since that first issue, the girls have been dealing with the consequences of what they experiences: crazy characters from the future, monsters from the past, and the relationships between one another. Not to mention a lot of singular soul-searching. You know, the kind of stuff that every pre-teen girl goes through – only ramped up to eleven.
At its heart, Paper Girls is an abundantly fun, mysterious and adventurous series about the lives of four friends. The 11th issue, out today, starts a new chapter – here at what can only be the midway point of the overall story. The girls are in a new era, dealing with the consequences of what’s gone on before, amidst brand new threats.
It’s a great jumping-on point for new readers who are looking for something fresh that stands out amongst all other comic books on the shelves.
And don’t worry that you’ve missed the previous chapters.
You can pick up the first two, handsome and reasonably-priced, CMYK-inspired trade paperback collections at your local comic book shop.
You know. When you make the run to pick up Paper Girls #11 today!
In medias res can be so exciting!
Reblogged this on JP Fallavollita.