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Runaways: The Complete Collection
Runaways: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1
They were six normal teenagers linked only by their wealthy parents' annual business meeting…until a chance discovery revealed the shocking truth: their parents are the secret criminal society known as the Pride! For years, the Pride controlled of Los Angeles' criminal activity, ruling the city with an iron fist…and now, with their true natures exposed, the Pride will take any measures necessary to protect their organization — even if it means taking out their own children! Now on the run from their villainous parents, Nico, Chase, Karolina, Gertrude, Molly and Alex have only each other to rely on. And they must not only survive on their own, but also somehow take down their own powerful parents…before it's too late! Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona craft a thoroughly modern take on the conventional "teen-team" comic! Collecting RUNAWAYS (2003) #1-18.
448 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2004
About the author
Brian K. Vaughan
1,072 books14.3k followersBrian K. Vaughan is the writer and co-creator of comic-book series including SAGA, PAPER GIRLS, Y THE LAST MAN, RUNAWAYS, and most recently, BARRIER, a digital comic with artist Marcos Martin about immigration, available from their pay-what-you-want site www.PanelSyndicate.com
BKV's work has been recognized at the Eisner, Harvey, Hugo, Shuster, Eagle, and British Fantasy Awards. He sometimes writes for film and television in Los Angeles, where he lives with his family and their dogs Hamburger and Milkshake.
BKV's work has been recognized at the Eisner, Harvey, Hugo, Shuster, Eagle, and British Fantasy Awards. He sometimes writes for film and television in Los Angeles, where he lives with his family and their dogs Hamburger and Milkshake.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 786 reviews
February 4, 2019
Marvel collects the entire first series in this run. The Runaways are a group of kids who witness their parents murder someone. After they go on the run, they realize their parents are much more than they appear. As they discover more about their parents, they all power up as well, until they must take on the Pride once and for all. I like how self-contained this is. Vaughan answers every question he raises. It has this great new vs. old generation vibe to it. Vaughan's dialogue crackles and pops. All in all it's a great read.
March 26, 2012
One of the best comic series I've ever read. Bar none.
December 8, 2019
RTC. Such an interesting premise, great illustrations and creative twist.
February 6, 2009
I always knew I'd like comic books (I really enjoy serialized entertainment; it's why I prefer TV to movies: the long story arcs, the fully developed characters, etc), but I have been hesitant to try them because comic book communities seem so daunting and insular. X-Men has always been a comic series that intrigued me, but at this point there are like six million issues. How do I know where to start? But, with this comic book being so recent and so handily packaged in bound volumes and being available to me without necessitating a visit to a comic book store (also daunting and insular) and so well-loved by and then written by Joss Whedon, I had to try it. And I loved it.
Runaways is the story of six kids who find out that their parents are super-villains (although, as is always the case with truly interesting villains, you might decide they aren't so evil after all; my opinion? Oh, yeah, they're definitely villains.). After witnessing their parents committing a pretty heinous act, Alex, Nico, Gertrude, Molly, Chase, and Karolina decide to run away from their parents and then take them down. Along the way, they discover various super powers of their own and action, adventure, comedy, and romance ensue.
Runaways, however, is more than a superhero story and it's more than a good versus evil story. It's a story about being a teenager, about family, about loyalty, about friendship. It just happens to be set against a fantastical backdrop. Karolina, for example, on discovering a secret about her own identity has a very normal reaction: let's not tell anyone I'm a freak, okay? Molly, the youngest of the group, struggles with the idea that the people who love and care for her can at the same time be hateful and uncaring toward so many others. And her parents do sincerely love her. All of the parents love their children and like all parents they are just "trying to do what's best for them." Only the Pride (as the evildoing parents call themselves) aren't trying to get their kids to eat their vegetables. And this motley crew of teens (oh, come on, motley crew? I couldn't resist it!) has to defy authority in a way most teens don't even have to contemplate. This isn't staying out after curfew; this is ruining or maybe even ending your own parents' lives.
As you will probably see time and time again in my reviews, I'm a sucker for a good examination of parent-child relationships and this is a good one.
Runaways is the story of six kids who find out that their parents are super-villains (although, as is always the case with truly interesting villains, you might decide they aren't so evil after all; my opinion? Oh, yeah, they're definitely villains.). After witnessing their parents committing a pretty heinous act, Alex, Nico, Gertrude, Molly, Chase, and Karolina decide to run away from their parents and then take them down. Along the way, they discover various super powers of their own and action, adventure, comedy, and romance ensue.
Runaways, however, is more than a superhero story and it's more than a good versus evil story. It's a story about being a teenager, about family, about loyalty, about friendship. It just happens to be set against a fantastical backdrop. Karolina, for example, on discovering a secret about her own identity has a very normal reaction: let's not tell anyone I'm a freak, okay? Molly, the youngest of the group, struggles with the idea that the people who love and care for her can at the same time be hateful and uncaring toward so many others. And her parents do sincerely love her. All of the parents love their children and like all parents they are just "trying to do what's best for them." Only the Pride (as the evildoing parents call themselves) aren't trying to get their kids to eat their vegetables. And this motley crew of teens (oh, come on, motley crew? I couldn't resist it!) has to defy authority in a way most teens don't even have to contemplate. This isn't staying out after curfew; this is ruining or maybe even ending your own parents' lives.
As you will probably see time and time again in my reviews, I'm a sucker for a good examination of parent-child relationships and this is a good one.
December 18, 2014
This is great! It sort of makes me sad, since I've had it sitting on my to-read pile for over 9 weeks & I was planning on just letting it go without reading it for some reason, but it's so spectacular it makes me depressed to think of all the other stuff that just sits there & sits there that I never end up reading and even though I know the odds are against all of that stuff being equally as awesome - still. The never-ending quest to read All The Good Stuff.
Anyway, this book sort of reaffirms BKV for me, since I've been sort of down on him because of Swamp Thing and the end of Ex Machina. It's easy for me, when reading Saga especially, to forget that even if the artwork is particularly great (I tend to think that Fiona Staples is responsible for all the good in the world), the artist isn't the one behind all the snappy, sarcastic, laugh-out-loud dialog, so yeah, god bless you BKV for being such a good writer.
"'What is our son doing with a male mannequin head in his room?'
'How the hell can you be concerned about that?'"
"'Bro, all you've got is a book. How do you plan to fight our parents? With literacy?'"
On hold for Volume 2!
Anyway, this book sort of reaffirms BKV for me, since I've been sort of down on him because of Swamp Thing and the end of Ex Machina. It's easy for me, when reading Saga especially, to forget that even if the artwork is particularly great (I tend to think that Fiona Staples is responsible for all the good in the world), the artist isn't the one behind all the snappy, sarcastic, laugh-out-loud dialog, so yeah, god bless you BKV for being such a good writer.
"'What is our son doing with a male mannequin head in his room?'
'How the hell can you be concerned about that?'"
"'Bro, all you've got is a book. How do you plan to fight our parents? With literacy?'"
On hold for Volume 2!
August 12, 2018
This was so much fun! The characters, the relationships, the stakes, the powers, the action, the pacing, all of it. It was a totally entertaining and utterly additive read. My only disappointment came from some of the dialogue. Its use of ableist slurs and body shaming being just some examples how the languages used definitely didn’t pass the test of time. That being said, overall I thoroughly enjoyed this reading experience but it was definitely tainted by the microagressions and dodgy language.
TW: ableist language and slurs, sexism, fatphobic comments, body shaming, self harm.
TW: ableist language and slurs, sexism, fatphobic comments, body shaming, self harm.
November 24, 2009
Good stuff! I like the way they came up with an entirely new group of superheroes and still managed to mix in a few cameo scenes with older Marvel characters like Captain America.
Can't wait to read the next volume!
Can't wait to read the next volume!
September 12, 2020
I was expecting more action and them actually running away for a few days, but the only ¨action¨ that happen was them fighting their parents and everything took place in a day 1/2 😕 Im kinda disappointed.Update: I WILL NOW continue. So I´m just going to say it, for me I got offended with 2 lines in the book one said ¨yeah there gay¨ and ¨that´s so unladylike¨ um.. no. Now that I´m thinking about this no I will not continue.
Overall score:
2/5
Overall score:
2/5
October 22, 2026
I keep procrastinating about this new comic I started, because I really liked it and I wanted to do a proper review, with a few examples of the excellent artwork, some of the jokes, character sketches and how it integrates into the larger Marvel universe. Time constraints and the fact that I finished several other books while I delay, pushed it on the back burner.
Although, I must mention that I have already started the second volume of the complete collection and I continue to like the setting, the artwork and the subversive nature of the script.
So, instead of a review, let’s have some bullet points for why The Runaways is a good choice for a comic book reader who normally stays away from superheroes in capes and series running into hundreds of issues, reboots and crossovers:
☑ – Brian K Vaughan is the writer of Saga, Volume 1, and is as provocative and innovative here
☑ – Adrian Alphona is half the reason to read the series. His artwork is fresh, edgy, fashion-conscious and expressive
☑ – The first omnibus collects the first 18 issues and is a very quick read, despite clocking in at about 450 pages. It covers the origin stories for the teenage heroes and forms a self-contained story arc. No major cliffhanger at the end of the first run
☑ – no need to be familiar with the larger Marvel universe. The story is focused on Malibu / Los Angeles and the cameo appearances of superheroes from other series is important only as Easter Eggs for the true Marvel students.
☑ – the main attraction for me is in the fact that the six kids are regular teenagers. They act, talk, dress like normal kids and their newly acquired superpowers are more often cause for mishaps than the usual superhero fist fights or heroic poses
☑ – the series won an Eisner Award for Vaughan, merited I think
—«»—«»—«»—
So, what’s it all about?
Six affluent families in Los Angeles, each with a teenage kid, meet monthly in secret at one of their mansions, while the children are forced to socialize with each other, grumbling all the way to their play rooms.
Being teenagers, the kids start to spy on their parents and discover not only that they dress funny, but they also fit the category of evil overlords, murdering innocents as a sacrifice to some dark alien giants, with plans to kill all humans. All parents lie to their kids, but this is on a totally different level.
The Runaways are:
- Alex Wilder . A computer geek and a master planner, he is the son of mobster-like parents who control local police, politics and economics.
- Nico Minoru . A goth girl with spiky hair and a bad attitude. Her parents are dark wizards, apparently. She gets from them an interesting magic staff.
- Karolina Dean . A flower-power sexy blonde. She is the daughter of alien invaders, draws her power from the sun, can fly and sparkles in pastel colours
- Gertrude Yorkes . The geeky, smart, bespectacled, barrel-shaped one. She is the daughter of time travelling criminals. She also gets a telepathic dinosaur as a pet, so she chooses the names Arsenic and Old Lace for their partnership
- Chase Stein . A jock with more muscles than brain cells, he is the son of mad scientists, so he will use various devices and vehicles for the team.
- Molly Hayes , the youngest runaway is eleven to the others 15-16 y.o. She is the daughter of telepathic mutants, the most charming but also the strongest member of the team.
I am tempted to use a comparison to the teenagers from the cult movie The Breakfast Club here, but the plot has very little to do with school, other than another fine example of rebellious kids working together and having some fun along the way.
The plot is a serious one, despite the rather ludicrous inclusion of actually evil parents and of a dark menace from prehistoric times hiding in the deep ocean.
I can’t say more here for fear of spoilers.
January 6, 2018
In the past ten years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been through movies, television and numerous streaming services, taking cue from the pages of Marvel Comics ranking from the iconic to the obscure. Amongst them, is Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, which is now adapted as a web television series created for Hulu. So, whilst the show is currently airing, about time I revisit the first Marvel comics run I ever collected.
Centring on a group of six kids whose parents routinely met every year for a charity event, the kids spy on their parents and learn they are "the Pride", a criminal group of mob bosses, time-travellers, dark wizards, mad scientists, alien invaders and telepathic mutants. After stealing weapons and resources from their parents, and learn they themselves inherited their parents' powers, the Runaways – consisting of Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Karolina Dean, Gertrude Yorkes and Molly Hayes – make a run for it and must find a way to shop their criminal parents.
Having written for Marvel for a number of years whilst at the same time writing his Vertigo masterpiece Y: The Last Man, although Runaways is taking cue from numerous aspects throughout the Marvel universe, it is closer towards the creator-owned work that Brian K. Vaughan would be most remembered for. Certainly, the Marvel influence can be seen in Vaughan's later work as Runaways bridges that gap, with the central conceit of children's relationship with their parents whilst contrasting with the super-powered spectacle you'd expect from Marvel.
Vaughan knows how to write teenagers as each of the Runaways come from a different background, they're introduced through their initial reluctance of hanging out with each other due to the gathering of their parents and throughout the course of the series, they become a family albeit an unconventional, dysfunctional one. Although I enjoyed the company of the kids and how their relationships with each other alter during the series, eighteen issues are a bit much as there is a tendency of acknowledging that this is the Marvel universe, with characters such as Cloak and Dagger interacting with the Runaways, which feels more like filler.
Very much the breakout title for artist Adrian Alphona, you can tell that his art improves throughout these eighteen issues in how illustrates the characters who are not wearing any superhero costumes, which does create a distinction from other superhero comics. Although along with Takeshi Miyazawa, who steps as a fill-in artist for two issues, Alphona would push his full artistic glory with G. Willow Wilson's Ms. Marvel.
Although Brian K. Vaughan would return to teenage sci-fi adventuring with his current run of Paper Girls (with not quite successful results), his original run of Runaways is a terrific teenage team-up that gives a unique perspective to the Marvel universe.
Centring on a group of six kids whose parents routinely met every year for a charity event, the kids spy on their parents and learn they are "the Pride", a criminal group of mob bosses, time-travellers, dark wizards, mad scientists, alien invaders and telepathic mutants. After stealing weapons and resources from their parents, and learn they themselves inherited their parents' powers, the Runaways – consisting of Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Karolina Dean, Gertrude Yorkes and Molly Hayes – make a run for it and must find a way to shop their criminal parents.
Having written for Marvel for a number of years whilst at the same time writing his Vertigo masterpiece Y: The Last Man, although Runaways is taking cue from numerous aspects throughout the Marvel universe, it is closer towards the creator-owned work that Brian K. Vaughan would be most remembered for. Certainly, the Marvel influence can be seen in Vaughan's later work as Runaways bridges that gap, with the central conceit of children's relationship with their parents whilst contrasting with the super-powered spectacle you'd expect from Marvel.
Vaughan knows how to write teenagers as each of the Runaways come from a different background, they're introduced through their initial reluctance of hanging out with each other due to the gathering of their parents and throughout the course of the series, they become a family albeit an unconventional, dysfunctional one. Although I enjoyed the company of the kids and how their relationships with each other alter during the series, eighteen issues are a bit much as there is a tendency of acknowledging that this is the Marvel universe, with characters such as Cloak and Dagger interacting with the Runaways, which feels more like filler.
Very much the breakout title for artist Adrian Alphona, you can tell that his art improves throughout these eighteen issues in how illustrates the characters who are not wearing any superhero costumes, which does create a distinction from other superhero comics. Although along with Takeshi Miyazawa, who steps as a fill-in artist for two issues, Alphona would push his full artistic glory with G. Willow Wilson's Ms. Marvel.
Although Brian K. Vaughan would return to teenage sci-fi adventuring with his current run of Paper Girls (with not quite successful results), his original run of Runaways is a terrific teenage team-up that gives a unique perspective to the Marvel universe.
January 17, 2018
Runaways is not your average superhero graphic. Anytime I see a marvel character I usually run the other way, but this has me intrigued! It is just the right amount of action, drama, teen angst, "love", and just 1% Captain America.
August 1, 2018
Una versión a lo X-Men, incluye: escuela de mutantes (adolescentes con superpoderes desconocidos), problemas intrafamiliares, y muchos MILLENNIALS!😰😱. Cómic adaptado a serie televisiva, con la actuación de James Marsters (Spike en Buffy).
September 8, 2021
Historię śledzi się niesamowicie przyjemnie, a młodzieżowy humor wybija się w najmniej spodziewanych momentach. Kreacja postaci jest znakomita! Wśród nich wszystkich zdecydowanie charakterem najbardziej błyszczy Gertrude, która odznacza się niebywałą elokwencją, wyrafinowanym gustem i buntowniczym stylem życia. A jak kreatywne są supermoce młodych bohaterów! Czy kiedykolwiek słyszeliście o tym, aby ktoś dał postaci telepatyczne połączenie z welociraptorem z przyszłości? Nie? Ja również! Kocham tych bohaterów na osobistym poziomie.
January 9, 2018
An enjoyable (and surprisingly contained - the whole story is in this volume) story about six teens who discover that their parents are supervillains. I liked it a lot, even though quite a lot of the humour has aged badly, and there are a lot of moments that just wouldn't make it into a comic in 2018. (12+)
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
May 7, 2018
It was a "meh" in 2012 and it's a "meh" now. Not my favorite BKV by a country mile.
August 14, 2017
Okay, I loved this!
Sure, every teenager thinks their parents are evil, but what if they actually are? Like, you just watched them perform a ritual where they sacrificed a girl evil? Well, that's exactly what Alex, Nico, Karolina, Gertrude, Chase, and Molly have to deal with now. So what do they do? What any teenager who can't go to the police would do in their situation. Get the hell out of dodge!
And it just escalates from there. I absolutely adore Molly! Really appreciated that nod to "Arsenic and Old Lace." Love me some classic Hollywood references. It's really hard to get me to stick around with stories about teenagers because they just annoy me most of the time but, alas, Brian K. Vaughan has a way of always winning me over.
How things play out most definitely surprised the hell out of me! I was not expecting said person to be the mole. Can't wait to read the next volume!
Sure, every teenager thinks their parents are evil, but what if they actually are? Like, you just watched them perform a ritual where they sacrificed a girl evil? Well, that's exactly what Alex, Nico, Karolina, Gertrude, Chase, and Molly have to deal with now. So what do they do? What any teenager who can't go to the police would do in their situation. Get the hell out of dodge!
And it just escalates from there. I absolutely adore Molly! Really appreciated that nod to "Arsenic and Old Lace." Love me some classic Hollywood references. It's really hard to get me to stick around with stories about teenagers because they just annoy me most of the time but, alas, Brian K. Vaughan has a way of always winning me over.
How things play out most definitely surprised the hell out of me! I was not expecting said person to be the mole. Can't wait to read the next volume!
October 14, 2021
Vol 1 collects issues #1-18.
I enjoyed this graphic novel way more than I expected to. 6 teens accidentally find out that their parents are bad guys. But wait, that's not all. Some of them might also have super powers! The story is violent and gritty, but also a tale of friendship, found family, and betrayal with lots of twists. A fun ride.
I enjoyed this graphic novel way more than I expected to. 6 teens accidentally find out that their parents are bad guys. But wait, that's not all. Some of them might also have super powers! The story is violent and gritty, but also a tale of friendship, found family, and betrayal with lots of twists. A fun ride.
March 26, 2013
The deluxe edition has the complete first series of Runaways, 18 issues in all. It's a complete storyline, beginning to end. We start with six teens (and one preteen) discovering that they're parents are actually very powerful supervillains, and running away as an act of rebellion. Eventually, we get to the confrontation that we all knew was inevitable. The first six issues, which deal with the initial act of running away, was a really strong opening to the series. The last six issues, which cover that confrontation and the build up to it, are likewise quite strong, come to an ending that is surprising and satisfying and open ended enough that Vaughan was able to pick right back up again with the second series almost right away. The middle issues feel very much like filler. I think Vaughan just lost the narrative thread in there. Luckily, he picked it back up again. Strong beginning, strong ending, meh middle. I've read far worse.
September 13, 2014
What happens when you discover your parents are actually evil supervillains?
Brian K Vaughan's PG Marvel comic is all kinds of fun! Starts off kind of average, but takes the time to properly develop each of the characters and really build an engrossing and action-packed story. Overtly set in the Marvel universe, the comic regularly references the heroes we all know and love, plus the X-Mansion gets a shout-out, and there is a great cameo of one of the better known Marvel heroes. Is it just me, or are cameos so much more fun than stories built around a known character?
Brian K Vaughan's PG Marvel comic is all kinds of fun! Starts off kind of average, but takes the time to properly develop each of the characters and really build an engrossing and action-packed story. Overtly set in the Marvel universe, the comic regularly references the heroes we all know and love, plus the X-Mansion gets a shout-out, and there is a great cameo of one of the better known Marvel heroes. Is it just me, or are cameos so much more fun than stories built around a known character?
October 9, 2018
This book is so well-done! Worthy of the hype, though the art is a bit too “of its time” for me. Can’t wait to read the new rendition.
August 19, 2020
Really enjoyed the story and the art.
December 2, 2017
This was pretty good. I much prefer when comics have a coherent storyline like this one did.
I have to say, though, I do think the show does a much better job of portraying the characters as three-dimensional and not so stereotypical. I think the comic gets a bit cheesy as opposed to the show, but I mean that's hard to avoid. It's a superhero comic after all. I can't say I'm very attached to the comic book versions of the characters - and I was even feeling sympathetic toward Chase in the show.
I was only slightly disappointed by the ending, only because what makes this story strong, in my opinion, is that it's about this group of misfit kids banding together to take down their evil parents..
It also got a bit annoying after awhile once you figure out (I mean, I already knew from watching the show and reading spoilers but..) who Karolina is actually in love with to have it continue to be this secretive, off-the-page, don't-speak-of-it kind of thing when they're also making it so obvious. Reading the character description for Karolina in the proposal section at the end of the book, "If only she could get _ to fall in love with her..." Like, really? You can't say it? But if Karolina was in love with Chase or Alex or another boy, naturally this wouldn't happen, of course not. So annoying.
But it was fun finding out the secret behind "Pride" and all the parents' secrets. Also, seeing the different writing choices made in the show. All in all, I do prefer the show, but this was nice.
I have to say, though, I do think the show does a much better job of portraying the characters as three-dimensional and not so stereotypical. I think the comic gets a bit cheesy as opposed to the show, but I mean that's hard to avoid. It's a superhero comic after all. I can't say I'm very attached to the comic book versions of the characters - and I was even feeling sympathetic toward Chase in the show.
I was only slightly disappointed by the ending, only because what makes this story strong, in my opinion, is that it's about this group of misfit kids banding together to take down their evil parents..
It also got a bit annoying after awhile once you figure out (I mean, I already knew from watching the show and reading spoilers but..) who Karolina is actually in love with to have it continue to be this secretive, off-the-page, don't-speak-of-it kind of thing when they're also making it so obvious. Reading the character description for Karolina in the proposal section at the end of the book, "If only she could get _ to fall in love with her..." Like, really? You can't say it? But if Karolina was in love with Chase or Alex or another boy, naturally this wouldn't happen, of course not. So annoying.
But it was fun finding out the secret behind "Pride" and all the parents' secrets. Also, seeing the different writing choices made in the show. All in all, I do prefer the show, but this was nice.
April 9, 2021
Brian K Vaughan can do it all. He can make me interested in a sci-fi political comic, create an alien universe with Dragons who fellate themselves, kill every man on earth except one, and turn a band of teenage runaways into a must read story. Runaways is simply awesome. The cast, the dialogue, the intertwining with the marvel universe are all done so well and flows in a way that just reads well without forcing any sort of agenda. Or committing the sin of know-it-all kids in a book that only focuses on them. Looking forward to the next chapter!
April 22, 2018
This was the first series I read with Marvel Unlimited and all I can say is WOW. I totally understand why people love this series. It's smart, beautifully illustrated, and took turns I didn't expect. I can't wait to read even more Runaways.
July 22, 2016
The big volume finally came to an end. I enjoyed the mythology and artwork here but also found The Pride never gained any traction to be really villainous. The twist got me, I must admit the signs were probably there but I kept forgetting one of the Runaways was secretly a bad guy. The characters were very on the money in my opinion, not heavily white washed or conventional, very individual and focused. The biggest problem I had with the characters were the parents, the writers kept the humour and teenage style of pop culture talk for them which felt like a poor decision. The parents moulded poorly in my decision and didn't work as well. The book could've stuck with the kids for 80 percent of the book and that would've worked. The Cloak and Dagger storyline didn't work that well and I think this inclusion into the MCU may have hampered certain plot points. I had this pegged for a 5 but when I came to review I couldn't do it, just a few too many annoyances. The setup, the twist and the teenagers are the things that gel well here, most of the other things tend to lead the momentum away from the core storyline.
January 13, 2009
This is one of the few current Marvel titles that I follow. >.>
This series is about a group of kids who barely know each other. They have met once a year, for their entire lives, hanging out for an evening as their parents get together for the annual meeting of their club. Well, now our kids are teenagers, and they start getting curious... what is this club? They make the unfortunate decision to spy on the meeting, and they discover something horrific: their parents are supervillains.
So they do what anyone would do: they run away.
Just a little bit of extra info on this series. Brian K Vaughan is very Joss Whedon-esque, and in fact, they do a fair bit of ghost writing for each other (and guest writing: BKV has written an arc of the Buffy Season 8 comic, and Whedon has written an arc of Runaways). Their style and voice are similar, and so, like with Whedon, what you will find here is great characterizations, sharp witty dialogue, and a lot of heart. Essentially, all the qualities I really admired about Buffy and Firefly.
This series is about a group of kids who barely know each other. They have met once a year, for their entire lives, hanging out for an evening as their parents get together for the annual meeting of their club. Well, now our kids are teenagers, and they start getting curious... what is this club? They make the unfortunate decision to spy on the meeting, and they discover something horrific: their parents are supervillains.
So they do what anyone would do: they run away.
Just a little bit of extra info on this series. Brian K Vaughan is very Joss Whedon-esque, and in fact, they do a fair bit of ghost writing for each other (and guest writing: BKV has written an arc of the Buffy Season 8 comic, and Whedon has written an arc of Runaways). Their style and voice are similar, and so, like with Whedon, what you will find here is great characterizations, sharp witty dialogue, and a lot of heart. Essentially, all the qualities I really admired about Buffy and Firefly.
November 27, 2011
DC superheroes have capes, while Marvel characters have psychic dinosaurs. I mean please, I think that just proves my argument right there. For any and all of you comic book lovers, this is a wonderful read, and it just keeps going. Two more volumes, plus a guest appearance in Daken Dark Wolverine that I just had to get. I would even recommend this to people who have yet to get into comics. In this first volume, we follow these five kids, each uncovering more about themselves and their parents as the story progresses. All with clever banter woven in. What more could you ask for? Possibly a guest appearance by Cloak and Dagger, whom I love. I think anyone who loves comics with Kitty Pryde will like to read this graphic novel, though I think that may be just because Molly reminds me a bit of young Kitty. I couldn't help but think of Kitty and Wolverine when I read the arguments between these kids.
March 8, 2015
Fun stuff, if not ultimately as interesting as Y: The Last Man or Saga. But then, it's not supposed to be, is it? It was designed by BK Vaughn to be for a younger readership during an era when comics are increasingly grappling with adult issues in more adult ways (more sex, violence, cursing, and so forth). So it makes sense that this would be less intense, less adult, the sort of thing that you could comfortably hand to an eleven-year-old without worrying over content.
So: A lot of fun. Though disappointing when superhero characters from the extended Marvel universe turn up in this world. Would much more prefer that this world stand alone. Ah well; won't stop me from checking out volume 2.
So: A lot of fun. Though disappointing when superhero characters from the extended Marvel universe turn up in this world. Would much more prefer that this world stand alone. Ah well; won't stop me from checking out volume 2.
November 28, 2016
Loved this!
My only intro to the Runaways was their tie ins to the original Civil War arc. I loved them then and I loved them here as well!
I couldn't stop reading and that's saying something for a book about teenagers. I'm adopting Molly as well because she's adorable!
I'm kinda bummed out at who was revealed to be the mole. I mean, after 2005's run of YA, I'm still upset when the kid that looks the most like me turns out to be dishonest/evil.
Loved the interlude with Cloak and Dagger. They're seriously underused.
I'm totally going to pick up the next book!
My only intro to the Runaways was their tie ins to the original Civil War arc. I loved them then and I loved them here as well!
I couldn't stop reading and that's saying something for a book about teenagers. I'm adopting Molly as well because she's adorable!
I'm kinda bummed out at who was revealed to be the mole. I mean, after 2005's run of YA, I'm still upset when the kid that looks the most like me turns out to be dishonest/evil.
Loved the interlude with Cloak and Dagger. They're seriously underused.
I'm totally going to pick up the next book!
February 12, 2015
Lots of fun, really enjoyed the Brian Vaughn story with Adrian Alphona art (two issues had a different artist and definitely didn't enjoy the art as much in those two). Great mix of super-whatevers with aliens, mutants, time-travelers, sorcerers, mad geniuses, etc.
Arsenic and Old Lace, hah!
Arsenic and Old Lace, hah!
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