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Runaways (2003-2009) (Collected Editions)
Runaways, Vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland
Still on the run from their super-villain parents, this motley crew of super-powered kids finds a kindred spirit in a daring young stranger and welcomes him into their fold. But will this dashing young man help the teenagers defeat their villainous parents...or tear them apart? One troubled member finds out, as she leaves the group's hideout with their new recruit, who reveals his startling secret, putting the entire team in jeopardy! Who do you send to catch a group of missing, runaway teenage super heroes? Marvel's original teen runaway crimefighters, Cloak and Dagger, making their first major appearance in years!
144 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2006
61 people are currently reading
1725 people want to read
About the author
Brian K. Vaughan
1,056 books14.1k 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 469 reviews
December 31, 2017
3.5 stars
Teenage Wasteland is another decent installment of the Runaways that gives a bit more info on The Pride, a tad more about the personalities and newfound powers of our main characters, and best of all...a showdown with Cloak and Dagger!
All in all, it's not a bad comic. I probably would have loved all the angsty anti-grownup sentiment when I was a tween/teen/young adult.
Alas, I'm a full-fledged enemy of fun now. And, as such, I find some of the more juvenile aspects of this a little grating.
But just a little! Because I'm still pretty fucking cool for an old chick.
sighs
Fine. I'm not. Turn that music down, you little bastards.
As far as plot goes, I thought Vaughn did a good job at the end keeping the Runaways on their own (due to spoilery reasons), and also keeping the reading invested in the whole who's the mole?! storyline. As someone who has already read it and knows who the nefarious asshole is, I'm doubly impressed by the subtle foreshadowing that I didn't catch the first time around.
So, yeah. If you've been tempted to check this out due to the tv show? Go for it. There are definitely worse ways to spend your time.
Teenage Wasteland is another decent installment of the Runaways that gives a bit more info on The Pride, a tad more about the personalities and newfound powers of our main characters, and best of all...a showdown with Cloak and Dagger!
All in all, it's not a bad comic. I probably would have loved all the angsty anti-grownup sentiment when I was a tween/teen/young adult.
Alas, I'm a full-fledged enemy of fun now. And, as such, I find some of the more juvenile aspects of this a little grating.
But just a little! Because I'm still pretty fucking cool for an old chick.
sighs
Fine. I'm not. Turn that music down, you little bastards.
As far as plot goes, I thought Vaughn did a good job at the end keeping the Runaways on their own (due to spoilery reasons), and also keeping the reading invested in the whole who's the mole?! storyline. As someone who has already read it and knows who the nefarious asshole is, I'm doubly impressed by the subtle foreshadowing that I didn't catch the first time around.
So, yeah. If you've been tempted to check this out due to the tv show? Go for it. There are definitely worse ways to spend your time.
August 14, 2020
By the end of this second volume, there's no longer any doubt about how special this series - first the Runaways invite a fellow "parents are evil' stranger into their hideaway, with unforeseen outcomes; then the Marvel Universe enters in the shape of Cloak & Dagger, and alongside artists Takeshi Miyazawa, Vaughan totally nails it! The impact of realising their parents have lied to them all their lives begins to claw its way through some of the cast. Great book, keep 'em coming! 8 out of 12
August 1, 2016
In this second volume, Runaways gradually becomes more recognizable as a superhero title: our teenage protagonists discover their powers, put on costumes, go on patrol, fight; they even have an encounter with Marvel’s long-established B-list heroes Cloak & Dagger. In the capable hands of Vaughan and Alphona it all feels completely organic, though, and the spotlight is still very much on the characters rather than the action.
Best of all, your typical "hypermasculine superhero restores flawless status quo by defeating evil Other" storyline is turned inside out. In Runaways, a diverse, constantly bickering and generally less-than-"super" bunch of teenagers try to save the day by overthrowing a status quo that is, underneath its shiny surface, rotten to the core. Feels more relevant this way, doesn’t it?
Best of all, your typical "hypermasculine superhero restores flawless status quo by defeating evil Other" storyline is turned inside out. In Runaways, a diverse, constantly bickering and generally less-than-"super" bunch of teenagers try to save the day by overthrowing a status quo that is, underneath its shiny surface, rotten to the core. Feels more relevant this way, doesn’t it?
February 4, 2019
Vaughan's goes whole hog into YA land. The main story gets very little acknowledgement as we are introduced to a new runaway that's little more than a way to inject some teen angst and drama. Then, the Runaways finally meet some characters from the larger Marvel U in Cloak & Dagger. It's fitting for the original Marvel runaways to make an appearance in the title. There's quite a few stand out moments in their meetup.
Alphona's art is a little more detailed here but still relies on the coloring too much to carry the load. I liked Miyazawa's anime inspired art on the Cloak & Dagger issues much better.
Alphona's art is a little more detailed here but still relies on the coloring too much to carry the load. I liked Miyazawa's anime inspired art on the Cloak & Dagger issues much better.
April 20, 2018
Another good volume. The story is entertaining and I like getting to know more about the kids, their world and their powers. The series hasn’t really blown me away yet but I am enjoying it. I think I’ve gotten used to the illustrations because I liked them way more in this volume. I’m excited to see what happens next.
March 27, 2015
Alex, Gertrude, Karolina, Chase, Molly and Nico are The Runaways, hiding out from their newly revealed supervillain parents aka The Pride. Are murderous supervillain parents with seemingly unlimited resources the biggest threat to these teenagers? No, it’s a cute boy!! Ohmigod Topher is like so hawt, sploosh! As the girls’ bickering over the new kid on the block threatens to break up the group, a pair of Z-list heroes called Cloak and Dagger are hired by The Pride to track down the Runaways.
The first volume was so good, Brian K Vaughan’s basically repeating it in the second with hopes of similar success. Seriously, the first issue in this book is so packed with clumsy exposition, recounting everything that’s happened so far, I wished he’d just written a summary page and pasted it at the start instead so I could ignore it and get on with the next part of the story! In a way it’s almost like an homage to classic Marvel-style where every character recounted their backstories every single time they appeared!
Talking about classic Marvel, anyone remember Cloak and Dagger? Because I don’t – but then I wasn’t reading Marvel in the ‘80s. Apparently they were runaway characters themselves for some embarrassing public service announcement comics or something? As if a pair of characters called Cloak and Dagger could be anything less than embarrassing! They have “hack” written all over them! I wouldn’t say they were terrible in this book though and I appreciate that Vaughan is ensuring his series remains on the fringes of the Marvel Universe by keeping his costume choices very obscure.
The cute boy storyline isn’t as bad as it sounds either and, without giving away spoilers, it does anticipate a major trend in YA/romance stories a few years before it became the standard. The sub-plot of the mole in the group is still enticing and the storyline and overall tone of the series remains very fun. Adrian Alphona’s art undergoes a change in the second half of the volume, indicative of the kind of art he would produce years later which isn’t nearly as polished and (sorry but it’s true) boring as it’s been so far in the series.
The second volume of Runaways disappointingly isn’t as brilliant as the first. The excessive exposition is really awkward and annoying and the plot nearly as exciting but it’s still not a bad comic – Marvel have produced far, far worse! At any rate this mediocre book hasn’t put me off the title and I have faith that this talented creative team can still produce some more great work given the enormous potential of the series.
The first volume was so good, Brian K Vaughan’s basically repeating it in the second with hopes of similar success. Seriously, the first issue in this book is so packed with clumsy exposition, recounting everything that’s happened so far, I wished he’d just written a summary page and pasted it at the start instead so I could ignore it and get on with the next part of the story! In a way it’s almost like an homage to classic Marvel-style where every character recounted their backstories every single time they appeared!
Talking about classic Marvel, anyone remember Cloak and Dagger? Because I don’t – but then I wasn’t reading Marvel in the ‘80s. Apparently they were runaway characters themselves for some embarrassing public service announcement comics or something? As if a pair of characters called Cloak and Dagger could be anything less than embarrassing! They have “hack” written all over them! I wouldn’t say they were terrible in this book though and I appreciate that Vaughan is ensuring his series remains on the fringes of the Marvel Universe by keeping his costume choices very obscure.
The cute boy storyline isn’t as bad as it sounds either and, without giving away spoilers, it does anticipate a major trend in YA/romance stories a few years before it became the standard. The sub-plot of the mole in the group is still enticing and the storyline and overall tone of the series remains very fun. Adrian Alphona’s art undergoes a change in the second half of the volume, indicative of the kind of art he would produce years later which isn’t nearly as polished and (sorry but it’s true) boring as it’s been so far in the series.
The second volume of Runaways disappointingly isn’t as brilliant as the first. The excessive exposition is really awkward and annoying and the plot nearly as exciting but it’s still not a bad comic – Marvel have produced far, far worse! At any rate this mediocre book hasn’t put me off the title and I have faith that this talented creative team can still produce some more great work given the enormous potential of the series.
June 28, 2016
Ok, this story is pretty awesome, we can see their first encounter with other superheroes but...it doesn't came completely good. The "problem" here is that we saw all of them more like teenagers, the boys/girls thing, can't understand what's happening and how loyalty can be to each others.
In this volumen Gertrude took the lead as the most awesome girl here, maybe she is so into their own problems that she took the entire situation really well focused. She don't need the drama, she need find solution.
In this volumen Gertrude took the lead as the most awesome girl here, maybe she is so into their own problems that she took the entire situation really well focused. She don't need the drama, she need find solution.
January 10, 2019
Second book of 2019! (I wonder how long I'll keep this up?)
Another solid volume of Runaways fun, with added Cloak & Dagger. Wait... aren't they on different networks? Are they allowed to crossover? ;-)
Another solid volume of Runaways fun, with added Cloak & Dagger. Wait... aren't they on different networks? Are they allowed to crossover? ;-)
November 1, 2014
Not as exciting as Vaughan's second volume of Saga, but has enough momentum from the core story (super-villain parents chasing after their runaway do-gooder kids) to keep me interested in reading the next volume.
I rolled my eyes pretty hard at the teenage romance-politics+angst sideline, which is where I lost my love-for-all-Vaughan-comics innocence here. I remember being that young (barely) and I remember wondering what it would be like to actually have a girl that interested in me - so maybe part of this is feeling pissed that Vaughan brings up the bitterness of a lonely, pining youth - assuming I would sympathize with kids who are stuck between *too much* romance. Fuck them.
Once we get off that train, the story picks up again and my favourite oh-so-80's heroes (Cloak & Dagger) come on the scene. Strangely, Vaughan doesn't really take any obvious shots at the "just say no to drugs", funded-by-the-US-government poster children - which is a damned shame. I still like the slightly-co-dependent, a little inventions dynamic they have, so I'm happy when anyone pulls them back into continuity.
Strangely, the aspect of this book that works the least for me is the "intro to new reader" dialogue that pops up so blatantly here. Really arrests the flow when smart characters who already know the 411 (see, I can speak like kids from that era) are repeating way too many details to each other. I'm just gonna assume that Vaughan got a few notes from his editors to make sure this book was more "new reader friendly" than even Vaughan already does. I'm hoping this is the last injection of armchair creators for a while.
I'm liking the sub-plots and hints that Vaughan throws in - what's Alex'a secret? Who's the (maybe - could be a double-cross) loyal-to-their-parents mole in the gang?
Couple of other things still bugging me though:
- how does an influential villain-group like this, with reach all across the US, never get on the radar of *any* of the rest of Marvel's super-heroes? Especially when (around this time or later) heroes like the X-Men, Daredevil and Moon Knight show up on the west coast - all in California no less (thanks for the PNW snub, Marvel writers!)?
- why does the art have to suffer in the later issues of this book? Was the pace of publication too fast for Alphona? Did they have to rotate the artist off to another project already? (looking at the rest of the comics credited to Alphona in Marvel Unlimited, it looks like the former.)
Good but not great addition to this original arc. Onwards to the next volume - see what wraps up and what doesn't!
I rolled my eyes pretty hard at the teenage romance-politics+angst sideline, which is where I lost my love-for-all-Vaughan-comics innocence here. I remember being that young (barely) and I remember wondering what it would be like to actually have a girl that interested in me - so maybe part of this is feeling pissed that Vaughan brings up the bitterness of a lonely, pining youth - assuming I would sympathize with kids who are stuck between *too much* romance. Fuck them.
Once we get off that train, the story picks up again and my favourite oh-so-80's heroes (Cloak & Dagger) come on the scene. Strangely, Vaughan doesn't really take any obvious shots at the "just say no to drugs", funded-by-the-US-government poster children - which is a damned shame. I still like the slightly-co-dependent, a little inventions dynamic they have, so I'm happy when anyone pulls them back into continuity.
Strangely, the aspect of this book that works the least for me is the "intro to new reader" dialogue that pops up so blatantly here. Really arrests the flow when smart characters who already know the 411 (see, I can speak like kids from that era) are repeating way too many details to each other. I'm just gonna assume that Vaughan got a few notes from his editors to make sure this book was more "new reader friendly" than even Vaughan already does. I'm hoping this is the last injection of armchair creators for a while.
I'm liking the sub-plots and hints that Vaughan throws in - what's Alex'a secret? Who's the (maybe - could be a double-cross) loyal-to-their-parents mole in the gang?
Couple of other things still bugging me though:
- how does an influential villain-group like this, with reach all across the US, never get on the radar of *any* of the rest of Marvel's super-heroes? Especially when (around this time or later) heroes like the X-Men, Daredevil and Moon Knight show up on the west coast - all in California no less (thanks for the PNW snub, Marvel writers!)?
- why does the art have to suffer in the later issues of this book? Was the pace of publication too fast for Alphona? Did they have to rotate the artist off to another project already? (looking at the rest of the comics credited to Alphona in Marvel Unlimited, it looks like the former.)
Good but not great addition to this original arc. Onwards to the next volume - see what wraps up and what doesn't!
October 14, 2019
This volume was... how shall I put it... kinda lame. Sure, the tv show also did it but the story aspect was rather silly. Topher.
And then, I generally like Cloak and Dagger, but putting them into this mix? I'm just glad I'm still a fan of the series or this particular volume might have turned me away. :) Comparing it to the first volume is an exercise in futility. Can you say filler?
And then, I generally like Cloak and Dagger, but putting them into this mix? I'm just glad I'm still a fan of the series or this particular volume might have turned me away. :) Comparing it to the first volume is an exercise in futility. Can you say filler?
February 17, 2017
Loses a lot of steam.
World: The art is good, in terms of the facial expressions but I think it lacks the depth that recent Alphona art has. The world building is okay here, not a lot happens in this front and not a lot of depth is given to this area. We don't learn a lot more about the Pride and we just have the kids hang out.
Story: Loses a lot of the momentum of the first arc. It felt like it was spinning it's wheels much like the kids in this arc. It is a realistic look at what teenagers would do but at the same time it did not result in good reading. The touches of the MU with Cloak and Dagger was fun but it was also kinda wonkily handled.
Characters: The best part about the book thus far, the interaction and the banter is good. They are teenagers that's how they would react and the dynamic is good. The story was pretty much what you'd expect it to be in the second arc, I'm not saying it was a good read, but it was realistic in character.
It was okay, just the first arc was so good this was like teenagers moping and just staying still...which is what essentially happened.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is good, in terms of the facial expressions but I think it lacks the depth that recent Alphona art has. The world building is okay here, not a lot happens in this front and not a lot of depth is given to this area. We don't learn a lot more about the Pride and we just have the kids hang out.
Story: Loses a lot of the momentum of the first arc. It felt like it was spinning it's wheels much like the kids in this arc. It is a realistic look at what teenagers would do but at the same time it did not result in good reading. The touches of the MU with Cloak and Dagger was fun but it was also kinda wonkily handled.
Characters: The best part about the book thus far, the interaction and the banter is good. They are teenagers that's how they would react and the dynamic is good. The story was pretty much what you'd expect it to be in the second arc, I'm not saying it was a good read, but it was realistic in character.
It was okay, just the first arc was so good this was like teenagers moping and just staying still...which is what essentially happened.
Onward to the next book!
April 15, 2017
AWESOME!!!!! Blij dat ik de hele serie compleet heb en door kan ♡
January 20, 2020
I’ve been reading a lot of DC’s classic ‘80s series, “The New Teen Titans” and, for the most part, enjoying what Marv Wolfman and George Perez created. I’ll admit, though, that I have found it kind of annoying that most of the main characters---Robin, Cyclops, and Wonder Girl, especially---don’t come across as teens. Mainly because they aren’t. They are clearly in their mid to late 20s. I guess “The New College-Age Titans” doesn’t have the same melodious ring.
I’ve also recently started reading Marvel’s “Runaways”, a series started in 2005, after getting hooked by the TV show on Disney Plus. Written by Brian K. Vaughan, and drawn by Adrian Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa, “Runaways” pits a group of ACTUAL teenagers with superheroes against their worst enemy: their parents!
The kids in Vaughan’s series ring truer than Wolfman/Perez’s “teen” heroes, mainly because Marvel in 2005 probably had a little more freedom to bring up certain topics or motifs than ‘80s DC. Issues like casual drug and alcohol use, bisexuality, and transgenderism are now just part of the teenage landscape in the 21st century. They were still somewhat taboo subjects in the ‘80s, and if they were being talked about at all in comic books, it was very carefully.
Still, I enjoy both series for what they are trying to do, and I enjoy them for different reasons.
In “Runaways, Volume 2: Teenage Wasteland”: the kids go looking for superhero stuff to do, come across a convenience store robbery, and end up taking in another runaway named Topher whose parents are also evil; back at the “Hostel”, Topher puts the moves on Nico, and she doesn’t mind; Alex witnesses the whole thing, like a creepozoid, through a hole in the wall and gets all jealous-like; Topher ends up having a huge secret which threatens everybody; the Pride hires Cloak and Dagger (another superhero teen runaway duo that I have never heard of until this issue) to capture the kids, and Alex, Chase, Carolina, and Nico get stuck in some creepy nightmare place called the Darkforce Dimension; Cloak and Dagger figure it out in time but end up being K.O.ed by the Pride anyway; and someone in the Runaways is a mole, leaking info back to their parents!
By the way, the comic book series is very different from the TV show. I’m liking the TV show more, but it’s honestly like comparing apples to oranges.
I’ve also recently started reading Marvel’s “Runaways”, a series started in 2005, after getting hooked by the TV show on Disney Plus. Written by Brian K. Vaughan, and drawn by Adrian Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa, “Runaways” pits a group of ACTUAL teenagers with superheroes against their worst enemy: their parents!
The kids in Vaughan’s series ring truer than Wolfman/Perez’s “teen” heroes, mainly because Marvel in 2005 probably had a little more freedom to bring up certain topics or motifs than ‘80s DC. Issues like casual drug and alcohol use, bisexuality, and transgenderism are now just part of the teenage landscape in the 21st century. They were still somewhat taboo subjects in the ‘80s, and if they were being talked about at all in comic books, it was very carefully.
Still, I enjoy both series for what they are trying to do, and I enjoy them for different reasons.
In “Runaways, Volume 2: Teenage Wasteland”: the kids go looking for superhero stuff to do, come across a convenience store robbery, and end up taking in another runaway named Topher whose parents are also evil; back at the “Hostel”, Topher puts the moves on Nico, and she doesn’t mind; Alex witnesses the whole thing, like a creepozoid, through a hole in the wall and gets all jealous-like; Topher ends up having a huge secret which threatens everybody; the Pride hires Cloak and Dagger (another superhero teen runaway duo that I have never heard of until this issue) to capture the kids, and Alex, Chase, Carolina, and Nico get stuck in some creepy nightmare place called the Darkforce Dimension; Cloak and Dagger figure it out in time but end up being K.O.ed by the Pride anyway; and someone in the Runaways is a mole, leaking info back to their parents!
By the way, the comic book series is very different from the TV show. I’m liking the TV show more, but it’s honestly like comparing apples to oranges.
August 30, 2024
Another great one. The tension is building with the mole and the push and pull of the kids eluding their horrible parents. And Cloak and Dagger! Can’t go wrong with this one.
January 14, 2019
The story is moving along with the kids on the run/hiding out.
I liked this more than Vol 1. with action, legit monsters, and even more teenage drama (oh kids and their crushes). Runaways is picking up, though it is still only the beginning.
I liked how Lucy in the Sky is sort of liquid sunshine, and I especially liked the ending with Cloak and Dagger.
Alex: "Don't you see what this is? Two groups of super heroes meet, have a stupid misunderstanding, then fight?"
Truth.
Alex's parents are cold AF to frame him. They don't seem like the worst super villains ever yet, but they're definitely not good people.
There's an art change at the end to a bit more of an anime style (from Adrian Alphone to Takeshi Miyazawa). Not bad, just different.
I liked this more than Vol 1. with action, legit monsters, and even more teenage drama (oh kids and their crushes). Runaways is picking up, though it is still only the beginning.
I liked how Lucy in the Sky is sort of liquid sunshine, and I especially liked the ending with Cloak and Dagger.
Alex: "Don't you see what this is? Two groups of super heroes meet, have a stupid misunderstanding, then fight?"
Truth.
Alex's parents are cold AF to frame him. They don't seem like the worst super villains ever yet, but they're definitely not good people.
There's an art change at the end to a bit more of an anime style (from Adrian Alphone to Takeshi Miyazawa). Not bad, just different.
January 15, 2018
Builds on the strengths of Vol. 1 and takes the first steps into a wider Marvel Universe with a guest shot from Cloak and Dagger, everyone's fave NYC-based Marvel D-listers.
Things are gearing up for some kind of big reveal or game-changing event in vol. 3, can't wait!
Things are gearing up for some kind of big reveal or game-changing event in vol. 3, can't wait!
October 10, 2014
Bullet Review:
This series is just so much fun! The characters are great, the humor is wonderfully done, the adventures strike that balance between out of this world yet believable.
So glad I have volume 3 close at hand!!
This series is just so much fun! The characters are great, the humor is wonderfully done, the adventures strike that balance between out of this world yet believable.
So glad I have volume 3 close at hand!!
February 12, 2021
The second volume wasn't as exciting as the first, though it did pick up steam towards the very end. Maybe I was put off by the cliched teen angst that dominated the first half, but nevertheless, I'm still excited about the next volume!
January 23, 2018
I decided to keep re-reading Runaways in light of seeing the series, to get an idea of where it might go next. This second volume knocks off two of the to-dos of your average new comic series - you've got the kids' first caper, as they foil a convenience store robbery, only to gain a new member (which of course does not play out as expected), and it also includes the first series crossover, with Cloak & Dagger. I'm not overly familiar with the pair, but the crossover works pretty well. The whole book does have a tendency toward arguments rather than action, but the dialogue is pretty snappy for the most part (and I love the issues everyone has with when and whether to use each other's aliases) The book also does a good job of keeping all the kids in the limelight with relative evenness, and the art is pretty good as well. It's not quite as strong as the first volume, but still a good read.
August 20, 2015
I mean I like the story, but I don't really like the characters.
January 1, 2023
Still very readable. I don't like the mole storyline. It was cool to see Cloak and Dagger, it has been some time for me. Dagger's costume is a bit more revealing than I remember, certainly more than really makes sense. This book kind of feels like a calm between storms. And the characters are still figuring out who they are.
June 12, 2023
That was quite an entertaining read, although, I have to admit it has its lows. I especially do not like how "B-list" Superheroes are treated outside their own comic-book (which they do not really get). The art was average; expressive, but lacking finesse.
August 15, 2017
Previous volume was fine, but this one gets noticeably worse. First off, the main story almost did not progress. All the kids are still in hiding, we don't know much more about their parents' motivations than we did before, and this stupid intrigue about the mole in the group really starts to get annoying. Come on, it is SO OBVIOUS! Vaughan practically doesn't hide it at all.
The title arc of the book feels like a 4-issue filler, and it is way too soon in the series for fillers to start showing up. It doesn't permanently affect the status of any of the characters, and doesn't open up their personalities. And all the teenage romance crammed in it seemed too forced and really unnatural.
The worst of all is, again, the art. Specifically, the faces. They look plain ugly. Try and look at a sexy face like this one and don't cringe:
Told ya...
When at the last two issues Alphona is switched by Takeshi Miyazawa, it fells like a breath of fresh air. I wish he had been a regular artist on this series.
You know, both Alphona and Miyazawa are regular artists on Ms Marvel, and I absolutely love both of their work there, so I'm not sure what the hell is up with Alphona's art on Runaways. Anyway, the results are off-putting.
So, on to volume 3. I hope it's going to get better, because this is NOT the quality level I'm used to expect from mister K. Vaughan. Even Y: The Last Man wasn't already THAT bad by volume 2.
The title arc of the book feels like a 4-issue filler, and it is way too soon in the series for fillers to start showing up. It doesn't permanently affect the status of any of the characters, and doesn't open up their personalities. And all the teenage romance crammed in it seemed too forced and really unnatural.
The worst of all is, again, the art. Specifically, the faces. They look plain ugly. Try and look at a sexy face like this one and don't cringe:
Told ya...
When at the last two issues Alphona is switched by Takeshi Miyazawa, it fells like a breath of fresh air. I wish he had been a regular artist on this series.
You know, both Alphona and Miyazawa are regular artists on Ms Marvel, and I absolutely love both of their work there, so I'm not sure what the hell is up with Alphona's art on Runaways. Anyway, the results are off-putting.
So, on to volume 3. I hope it's going to get better, because this is NOT the quality level I'm used to expect from mister K. Vaughan. Even Y: The Last Man wasn't already THAT bad by volume 2.
June 19, 2017
Okay, this issue was just too messy for me. First there's a vampire infiltrator who the kids end up accidentally killing and then Cloak and Dagger make a random appearance (and disappearance). Both are set up like they are supposed to make some huge impact later, but in the end, neither really affected the whole "evil-parents-help-us" plot that much. And of course, the 'rents still have their own little evil story in the background. All-in-all, I wasn't very impressed by this issue of Runaways. 2.5
May 29, 2021
Topher is one of us, Arsenic. His parents are eeeevil.
👩🏼
👩🏼
The Runaways meet a vampire after hitting up a liquor store. His name is Topher, who has the hots for Nico, making Alex jealous. Could this blood-sucker be the mole The Pride sent to infiltrate the Runaways? Will he last the night? Things go from bad to worse in this second volume.
The story’s subtitle, Teenage Wasteland, is actually a song by The Who. 🤓🎶
December 15, 2017
The introduction of a new character in this second volume and the events that proceed it felt too much like a detour for our young runaways in the midst of the grander scheme of things. Furthermore the artwork looked really uneven, even within both Alphona's and Miyazawa's own illustrated issues. The appearance of Cloak & Dagger was the bright spot of this volume, and the fact that the team is cracking before it even truly formed keeps things so intriguing.
March 16, 2018
Still really enjoying this. Still has a level on intrigue.
August 5, 2021
This was a great installment in the original Runaways series.
The character development was great, it was a nice thing to see in such a small book, let alone a graphic novel of this size.
The artwork still impresses and holds up. I really enjoy the roughness of the drawing(it's not exactly rough, but I don't know how else to describe them without sitting in my chair thinking about it for hours on end), and how it gives me late '90's vibes with everything. The clothes that the characters are wearing...I wish I had the money to buy clothes like that, and felt confident enough to wear them.
The only thing I didn't like, was some of the decisions of the characters and the pacing. I know it's hard to shove everything needed into such a small space, but some things felt very smushed together and others felt very far apart. I would have liked more consistancy.
9/10 recommend tho.
The character development was great, it was a nice thing to see in such a small book, let alone a graphic novel of this size.
The artwork still impresses and holds up. I really enjoy the roughness of the drawing(it's not exactly rough, but I don't know how else to describe them without sitting in my chair thinking about it for hours on end), and how it gives me late '90's vibes with everything. The clothes that the characters are wearing...I wish I had the money to buy clothes like that, and felt confident enough to wear them.
The only thing I didn't like, was some of the decisions of the characters and the pacing. I know it's hard to shove everything needed into such a small space, but some things felt very smushed together and others felt very far apart. I would have liked more consistancy.
9/10 recommend tho.
November 27, 2017
Cloak and Dagger are in this!!! That's pretty exciting since they are also getting their own show and I got to learn a bit about them before that
I really LOVE the kids on their own and trying to deal with their relationships and being isolated/alone in the same place - all the time with the same six people is not easy :) I'm still really curious about learning more about the parents and Pride
GREAT volume :D
I really LOVE the kids on their own and trying to deal with their relationships and being isolated/alone in the same place - all the time with the same six people is not easy :) I'm still really curious about learning more about the parents and Pride
GREAT volume :D
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