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Runaways: The Complete Collection
Runaways: The Complete Collection Vol. 4
Collects Runaways (2008) #1-14, What If The Runaways Became The Young Avengers?, And Material From Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm And Breaking Into Comics The Marvel Way #1.
The Runaways’ adventures conclude! Soldiers from Karolina’s home planet arrive, demanding that she be handed over. Squabbling over the best course to take, the Runaways fracture. Can they face the alien threat when they can’t face one another? Meanwhile, a DJ creates a mystical song that transforms anyone with plastic surgery into an obedient zombie. In L.A., that’s a lot of zombies! And when a mysterious airplane crash takes a Runaway’s life, the team’s mourning is cut short by armed troops, dispatched to retrieve the wreckage. But an ominous figure from the group’s past has returned to confront them! Plus: Nico in solo action! And what if the Runaways became the Young Avengers?
The Runaways’ adventures conclude! Soldiers from Karolina’s home planet arrive, demanding that she be handed over. Squabbling over the best course to take, the Runaways fracture. Can they face the alien threat when they can’t face one another? Meanwhile, a DJ creates a mystical song that transforms anyone with plastic surgery into an obedient zombie. In L.A., that’s a lot of zombies! And when a mysterious airplane crash takes a Runaway’s life, the team’s mourning is cut short by armed troops, dispatched to retrieve the wreckage. But an ominous figure from the group’s past has returned to confront them! Plus: Nico in solo action! And what if the Runaways became the Young Avengers?
429 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2015
5 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
About the author
Terry Moore
823 books648 followersFollowing the examples of independent comic creators such as Dave Sim and Jeff Smith, he decided to publish Strangers in Paradise himself through his own Houston-based "Abstract Studios" imprint, and has frequently mentioned a desire to do a syndicated cartoon strip in the authors notes at the back of the Strangers in Paradise collection books. He has also mentioned his greatest career influence is Peanuts' Charles Schulz.[1] Some of Moore's strip work can additionally be found in his Paradise, Too! publications.
His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including receiving the Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for Strangers in Paradise #1-8, which was collected in the trade paperback "I Dream of You".
It was announced on June 15th, 2007 that Moore would be taking over for Sean McKeever as writer of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane series starting with a new issue #1. On July 27th, Marvel announced that Moore would also take over for Joss Whedon as writer of Marvel's Runaways.[2]
On November 19th, 2007 Terry Moore announced in his blog that his new self-published series would be named Echo and its first issue would appear on March 5th, 2008.[3]
His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including receiving the Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for Strangers in Paradise #1-8, which was collected in the trade paperback "I Dream of You".
It was announced on June 15th, 2007 that Moore would be taking over for Sean McKeever as writer of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane series starting with a new issue #1. On July 27th, Marvel announced that Moore would also take over for Joss Whedon as writer of Marvel's Runaways.[2]
On November 19th, 2007 Terry Moore announced in his blog that his new self-published series would be named Echo and its first issue would appear on March 5th, 2008.[3]
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
October 25, 2018
This was enjoyable enough but sadly didn’t match up to the first three collections.
August 25, 2017
On one hand I love these characters and still enjoyed reading this, on the other hand it's just not quite the same without the original writer and artist... the story felt more scattered, harder to follow. The character development didn't feel like it went deep enough, like there were things that looked like character development but they never explored them enough to make for compelling developments. The art style kept changing which, I know was likely a result of Marvel trying to find the right artist after the previous one left and the fact that some of these stories are weird crossovers, but it made the story feel like it was confused. Also, it's not the the other art styles were bad persay, I just don't like them nearly as much as the original, many of them were far too cartoon-y for the story. Just because it's about a young group of heroes doesn't mean it has to look like it's for 7 year olds...
Overall my main takeaway from this is just... meh... i didn't completely hate it but it took me forever to finish because I just didn't care enough to pick it up often enough...
Overall my main takeaway from this is just... meh... i didn't completely hate it but it took me forever to finish because I just didn't care enough to pick it up often enough...
September 8, 2020
Nope. Different author, different artist, much lower level of enjoyment.
August 13, 2016
I think the main thing that's made my satisfaction with this series steadily decline is the loss of its best characters. The ones that have joined aren't as interesting. And the plots here were... either just not my thing, or just suffer from feeling like afterthoughts.
May 2, 2018
skimmed
March 6, 2019
I thought this collection was a good compilation. Not only did it include three volumes, but also a few one-offs and bonus content. I especially liked the bonus content because it had all the characters and groups from the entire series and their history as well as statistics about them. I'm not sure if the charts on the characters were correct, however. I feel like the Runaways have higher powers on a number scale than they received. But the history was a good recap and explanation of every story arc. Also, I loved seeing the variant art in the back of the book. My review is going to be split into the parts of the main issues and their volumes for the remainder of this review.
Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm
I think it was good to see Nico back when the Runaways' parents had just died. I'm still not clear on all that the Minorus have done, or their clan's past, but I'm sure there will be more on that later. I like that we get to see Nico mourning for Alex a little more. I have no idea who that dark magic/werewolf lady was, but I don't know that I'd care to see her again. You can't just come up to someone and be like, "Hey, I knew your dead parents and they stole this thing that I got back, but I need your blood to unlock it. Can you just give me some of your blood?" I really liked the art of this issue. It's different from all the other Runaways, but it feels unique to Nico. I liked Mystic Arcana.
Dead Wrong
So Karolina is confronted by her parents' sins yet again. The Majesdanians are totally crazy. I get that their home planet is wrecked and all, but Karolina doesn't deserve to be dragged into that mess. If anything, she's completely human and of Earth. It's kind of cool that the Pride still had a house in Malibu. Right by the beach and it's spacious, which they are in dire need of with seven people on the team and one Dinonychus. I'm not too keen on the neighbors, though. I have a feeling they'll be asking a lot of questions that might end in cop cars and the Runaways running away. I wish that they could have two seconds to stop running and/or fighting. I get that that's the main plot for superhero comics, but poor Klara can't even keep up. She's been in the 21st century for a good while now, but she still has not been introduced to anything technological in the proper way. I guess it would make sense that Chase should get a job (how else are they going to get money?), but does he have to work for Val? This guy sounds like a white supremacist that's utterly full of it. I'm not even sure how Chase likes him. Gert would have hated him and all his misogyny. Unfortunately, I've got a feeling that Val might even turn out to be a threat to the Runaways later on. Especially since he's already murdered his producer. I've noticed that Xavin's Skrull form has changed to have features like a girl. I'm glad that Xavin's finally figured out her identity and everything, but I'm a little lost. It was funny to see that one comment from one of the neighbors about how it was almost the season for wildfires. As much as I agree that New York does not agree with the Runaways, California doesn't seem to do that good of a job either. The natural disasters alone should be enough to scatter them. Speaking of scatter, it was clever of Victor to realize that the scatter spell affected the Runaways, too. I should have seen it before because they all started acting way worse than usual toward each other. I liked seeing Nico and Karolina's moment on the beach. They may not be together or have feelings for one another, but it's nice to see that they still love each other and will be there for one another. After everything that vaDanti said about Karolina, I was actually really down when Karolina told Xavin she didn't know if they were okay. I think I might be starting to ship them, crazily enough. I have to say, I love Molly's hats, but there was one in particular that I liked. It was an orange fish with green fins and its mouth looked as if it would swallow her head. And it was 100% adorable. I still find it interesting that the scatter spell didn't work on Nico and Victor specifically. Vic claims he's still messed up over Lillie, but that didn't seem to factor into this volume in any way, shape, or form. I don't know. I want them to canon just so I can know if I truly ship them or not. I think it's cool that Chase has an uncanny ability to sniff out technology. He looked like he was really having some fun on that motorcycle and I really love the VW he found in the garage. But he's also kind of an idiot when he blindly goes to fight the Majesdane ship even though his teammates already had a perfectly good plan in place. The Spider-Man balloon from the news helicoptor actually had me laughing out loud. It's the little things. I had a feeling something was up when Karolina told Nico "I have learned much from you," before she gave herself up to go and try to fix Majesdane, but I didn't realize Xavin took her place. That's incredibly honorable and their last kiss had me in tears. I'm telling ya, I might actually ship it. I now have a higher respect and regard for the gender fluid Skrull. Dead Wrong was saddening and joyful all at the same time.
Rock Zombies
The Runaways without Xavin felt different, but there's almost no time to dwell on anything with these comics because they're always running away or fighting. I absolutely loved seeing the Wii that they had at the Malibu house. Sometimes I forget that these comics came out a whole decade ago, but that was an awesome blast from the past. Chase being salty about not being bid farewell before he went off to work was so fatherly and I enjoyed it too much. I'm not sure if Nico's bangs were just a part of the new art, but I thought they were cute. I'm getting more and more concerned with Karolina and Nico's relationship, though. Karolina says she misses Xavin, but holding hands with Nico on the beach says otherwise. I thought it was interesting that Karolina has never driven. But her reason is what really got me. She did once, but she was ashamed of the ecological footprint she had left behind, so she never did it again. That's a fair point that I can't argue with and makes me question my own role in climate change just by using my car every day. Not surprisingly, my prediction about Val came true. He's completely psychotic and all those poor people with plastic surgery were turned into hideous monsters. I totally hate him now. Molly's intelligence takes me by surprise every time, but it really shouldn't. Maybe it's just because I didn't even notice it myself. The bad guy always says something bad and then starts shooting again. After all this time, you'd think I'd have picked up on that. It's good to see Klara bonding more with the group, even if it is mainly through cheating on video games. I swear, if anything ever happens to Nico, Molly should be team leader. She knows how to get the Runaways together when it counts. And telling Karolina to put some clothes on was hilarious. At some point, I think it would be pretty cool to see the Runaways with uniforms, but Molly's drawings were a bit subpar. Karolina and Molly snuggling up in a blanket brought a tear to my eye. Their sisterly relationship is just too cute! Chase, for some reason, defended Val almost until the very end, but thankfully he came to his senses. Nico probably shouldn't have said "Zombie Not," but the Staff is very different now. Nico was right. Ever since her great-grandmother tortured her, something about the Staff is definitely different, maybe even wrong. I'm starting to worry because the Staff becoming too powerful was a major issue in the second season of the Runaways show. It was nice to Chase finally flirting with and joking about other girls. I love Gert, and Gert and Chase will always be my OTP, but I'm happy to see him moving on. It's healthy. Monk Theppie was a total scuzzbucket, but I can't believe that the Staff of One killed him to defend itself. I'm starting to wonder if the Runaways should even invoke magic. Chase chilling with Molly and Klara on the couch made my heart happy. I'm not sure why Molly was hearing a voice in her head, but it was amusing to see the X-Men. Plus, Molly's always complaining about how much Wolverine stinks. I guess the Los Angeles flashback from eight years ago in issue #10 was the aftermath of what the Hayes did. Sometimes it is crazy to try to reconcile that they could have done all those horrible things and also be great parents to Molly. She turned out wonderfully. Again, Molly is too smart for the rest of her team. She was right. Whenever ant group of species meets the Runaways, a fight breaks out. Thank gawd it didn't this time around. The man with the red eyes was awful. Molly didn't deserve to hear trash talk about her parents very bluntly right in her face. Molly throwing that guy through the roof of the building was obviously the most logical course of action. And Wolverine didn't make a half-bad teammate. He protected Molly and hugged her and told her her parents must have done something right because they had Molly. He's somewhat of a paternal figure and it's adorable. Klara definitely should not have interrupted the big kids' game of Truth or Dare. She may have had a husband and who knows what else, but she deserves to forget all that for a little while and live her childhood. That was the point of bringing her to the 21st century, right? Anyway, Nico yelling that Karolina was the best kisser in the game does not help my fears. In fact, it very much confirms them. Not only is Xavin gone, but Nico acts more and more gay by the minute. There wasn't even a single moment of Victor and Nico in this volume. I didn't even get the chance to start shipping them. You know, I don't know where the snake egg came from, but I knew that magic would make the Runaways' lives worse. By the way, I detest snakes. Fighting giant multiplying, flying ones? So not my forte. Victor eating the egg was gross, but I didn't like what happened next even more so. One of the comic strips contained a scene of Victor looking at Karolina, Chase, Old Lace, and Nico and implying that he wasn't needed nor wanted. But Victor, we love you! Please don't leave! Please don't become Victorious! Anyway, a strange compilation overall, but it had its bright spots that made the entire thing amazing.
Homeschooling
So not as cool as the rest of the volumes. In fact, it's probably my least favorite. No offense to Kathryn Immogen and Sara Pichelli, but this was only Runaways storyline written and illustrated by them. I'm honestly not surprised that the Runaways dropped off of the face of the Earth after this volume. But allow me to justify my distaste. First of all, Karolina is too all over the place. Greiving Xavin is warranted, but throwing yourself at the nearest warm body no matter your sexuality is highly confusing and so not cool. Like Nico, I was not exactly over the moon to see Klara obsessed with television, specifically soap operas. As much as I've loved seeing the Runaways displayed in different artists' forms over the years, I didn't like this style. Everyone's hair ended in curls, except Victor, who's hair was way too spiky. Molly's sandcastle was pretty cool, though, none of her teammates appreciate her astounding abilities. I did not approve of the PROM idea. Sure, the Runaways need some sort of break to let loose and be kids. But I couldn't imagine going to PROM even before they found out about the Pride. And it obviously was just a way for their hormones to be all over the place because half the team is mourning a loved partner and the other half just flirts with everyone at one point or another. The PROM was the oddest thing because Karolina was cozying up to Chase, Chase and Victor danced together, and Nico keeps convincing me more and more that she's gay for Karolina. Her words want Karolina to honor Xavin, but her actions want to get in the Majesdanian's pants. I'm not sure if the guy that calls himself Hunter Stein is actually Chase's uncle, but he is making things a hell of a lot worse for Chase. I never realized that the guy Chase killed was his own uncle, but Hunter never even had an explanation of Chase's memory. I don't know if that jet was meant to hit the Malibu house or not, but what came next was extremely weird. Old Lace protected Klara from the blast, sacrificing herself in the process, and Klara freaks out and goes crazy with her powers. I think she kind of insulted Old Lace, but my heart broke in half when the red line flashed across Chase's body. It was the same thing they did when Gert died, and now that Old Lace is gone, it feels like Gert is permanently removed from what they Runaways were, too. I thought that I had understood Klara's powers. She can make plants grow. But maybe she's more powerful than I made her out to be and she can encapsulate a house in complete foliage, much like Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy. Her fortress became impenetrable and she wouldn't wake up from her fit. Molly calling Nico out for putting Klara to sleep the same way her parents used to was uncalled for. Nico might be an emotional wreck with bad judgement in her personal life 99% of the time, but she is a good leader in combat and strategy. And as strange as it is, she is the glue that holds them together. I can't imagine what they would be like without her. I felt a bit of Xavin in Karolina when she yelled at Victor for being insensitive to Klara. And I support that. Though Klara dealt with unimaginable horrors in 1907, the whole reason they brought her to the present was so that she could be a child for a while longer. Make that last. Klara mentioned to Nico that Hunter, or the guy that calls himself Hunter, was "one of us," and that raises like five million questions. Can Klara sense other "wonders?" Is Hunter someone with powers? How did Klara know they could trust him? Can they? Inside of Klara's house plant thing, Nico's hair looked green, and I'm not sure why, but that really irked me. I wish they'd had the chance to bury Old Lace. I don't even know what happened to her body. Suddenly there wasn't a house or an overgrown plant growth and then there was a house of sticks. And why the HELL did Nico and Chase kiss again?! I don't even know what's going on anymore. Obviously, Nico has romantic issues because she's kissed everyone in the house save for the younguns. But Chase? How could you? You know this was the topic of your last fight with Gert before she died. Wtf is wrong with you? Like I said. This. Volume. Sucked. I can't believe that there was a whole fleet of Leapfrogs underneath the house. I guess I'd never thought that you would hide stuff in freaking Malibu. What the heck happened when Chase opened the box? Is the guy that was claiming to be Hunter now dead? And now the Malibu house has been burned down. Okay, when I saw the cover of issue #14, I freaked out. It has Gert on the cover. As in, my spirit animal, the love of Chase's life, the girl that's been dead for a good long while. (Too long, in all honesty.) But then Hunter Stein was back at his work! What is happening. And did Chase actually run into a real-live brunette Gert on the street? And while he was running after her, he got hit by a car, and is now in the hospital? How in the world can this be the end? This is not an ending. What has this volume done to me? I don't think I like Homeschooling.
Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way#1: It's Not Lupus
I'm completely lost on this one. When was this even supposed to take place? Molly and Karolina are bickering in some unknown kitchen of some unknown house, Molly comes in and theows up because she's sick, Victor keeps an eye on her, Chase goes into the kitchen and turns into a purple monster with orange bumps and veins, Karolina fights him, Victor and Nico argue over the phone, Nico flashes back to two hours earlier, and then she's back in the present where Chase is eating raw turkey and she goes to read Molly Sleeping Beauty. I guess it was just a story about how Nico's magic is getting worse because she cut herself and then said that she was sick to death of Chase and Molly. The Staff of One keeps making things worse and worse. So, I didn't like this issue and I don't like the way it was written and I don't understand its purpose.
What if the Runaways Became the Young Avengers?
I actually really enjoyed this issue. The Runaways felt like themselves for once. Gert was still alive, but it was like an alternative reality. One I probably would have preferred. And as much as I love Klara and Xavin, this team just felt extremely real. It was the Runaways, people I haven't seen in a good long time. And Molly had been right all along. They should have gotten uniforms because they looked super badass in this issue. I think Molly is finally starting to grow upz and that was exploited here. She's starting to go through puberty and she's no longer the little girl that she always seems to be. I also think that the vibe of the original Runaways was strong here because the art was so similar. What a relief because I loved that art. It was strange to see Molly injured because she almost never gets hurt, at least physically. But I knew she was going to be okay. I think Gert defended Iron Lad (Victor) because he brought back Old Lace. In the original comics, Chase was the one to do that, resulting in a kiss and the official start of their relationship. Iron Lad (Kang) was an interesting unifier for the Runaways. In this reality, he went to them after Alex and the Pride had died because he believed that he could train them to one day stop Victorious. Because of his leadership, that role never fell to Nico and I think that was easier for them. I've noticed that all of the Runaways are falling apart all of the time. Technically, none of them should be leader because they're all a mess, especially Nico. But with Iron Lad, they were more organized and I felt better about that. I was shocked to find out that Victor from present time was posing as Iron Lad under the direction of his future self. I felt bad for the young Kang. There was no way he could have known that Victorious would follow him back to the past. Chase taking a screwdriver for Gert was incredibly heroic, but also had massive parallels to when Gert died, so I was definitely crying at this point. The older Kang was kind of weird. Obviously, he was against Victorious, but he didn't have a lot of respect for the Runaways, which was uncool. Karolina brought up a good point about blondes. I, myself, am one, so when someone jokingly talks about having a blonde moment, I have to ask myself why I even surround myself with such narrow-minded people. Intelligence has absolutely nothing to do with hair color and I hope everyone realizes that. Thankfully, no one on the Runaways team has ever harassed Karolina about her hair color. I could not believe it when Kang died. Who even knows what consequences that created? But thank gawd for Molly. She is truly a real hero. It's a little odd that Chase is now Iron Lad, but as long as he's alive and with Gert, I'm happy. Their kiss meant everything to me because it hasn't happened in so long and it brought back a flood of memories. What a plot twist that Victor would be the one to kill his future self. Who knows where he went with Kang's time belt, but hopefully it's somewhere better. The last page was great because it implied that Gert would be the new leader and she told them to assemble, which is hilarious. So, no doubt about it, I totally loves this issue with all of my heart.
Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm
I think it was good to see Nico back when the Runaways' parents had just died. I'm still not clear on all that the Minorus have done, or their clan's past, but I'm sure there will be more on that later. I like that we get to see Nico mourning for Alex a little more. I have no idea who that dark magic/werewolf lady was, but I don't know that I'd care to see her again. You can't just come up to someone and be like, "Hey, I knew your dead parents and they stole this thing that I got back, but I need your blood to unlock it. Can you just give me some of your blood?" I really liked the art of this issue. It's different from all the other Runaways, but it feels unique to Nico. I liked Mystic Arcana.
Dead Wrong
So Karolina is confronted by her parents' sins yet again. The Majesdanians are totally crazy. I get that their home planet is wrecked and all, but Karolina doesn't deserve to be dragged into that mess. If anything, she's completely human and of Earth. It's kind of cool that the Pride still had a house in Malibu. Right by the beach and it's spacious, which they are in dire need of with seven people on the team and one Dinonychus. I'm not too keen on the neighbors, though. I have a feeling they'll be asking a lot of questions that might end in cop cars and the Runaways running away. I wish that they could have two seconds to stop running and/or fighting. I get that that's the main plot for superhero comics, but poor Klara can't even keep up. She's been in the 21st century for a good while now, but she still has not been introduced to anything technological in the proper way. I guess it would make sense that Chase should get a job (how else are they going to get money?), but does he have to work for Val? This guy sounds like a white supremacist that's utterly full of it. I'm not even sure how Chase likes him. Gert would have hated him and all his misogyny. Unfortunately, I've got a feeling that Val might even turn out to be a threat to the Runaways later on. Especially since he's already murdered his producer. I've noticed that Xavin's Skrull form has changed to have features like a girl. I'm glad that Xavin's finally figured out her identity and everything, but I'm a little lost. It was funny to see that one comment from one of the neighbors about how it was almost the season for wildfires. As much as I agree that New York does not agree with the Runaways, California doesn't seem to do that good of a job either. The natural disasters alone should be enough to scatter them. Speaking of scatter, it was clever of Victor to realize that the scatter spell affected the Runaways, too. I should have seen it before because they all started acting way worse than usual toward each other. I liked seeing Nico and Karolina's moment on the beach. They may not be together or have feelings for one another, but it's nice to see that they still love each other and will be there for one another. After everything that vaDanti said about Karolina, I was actually really down when Karolina told Xavin she didn't know if they were okay. I think I might be starting to ship them, crazily enough. I have to say, I love Molly's hats, but there was one in particular that I liked. It was an orange fish with green fins and its mouth looked as if it would swallow her head. And it was 100% adorable. I still find it interesting that the scatter spell didn't work on Nico and Victor specifically. Vic claims he's still messed up over Lillie, but that didn't seem to factor into this volume in any way, shape, or form. I don't know. I want them to canon just so I can know if I truly ship them or not. I think it's cool that Chase has an uncanny ability to sniff out technology. He looked like he was really having some fun on that motorcycle and I really love the VW he found in the garage. But he's also kind of an idiot when he blindly goes to fight the Majesdane ship even though his teammates already had a perfectly good plan in place. The Spider-Man balloon from the news helicoptor actually had me laughing out loud. It's the little things. I had a feeling something was up when Karolina told Nico "I have learned much from you," before she gave herself up to go and try to fix Majesdane, but I didn't realize Xavin took her place. That's incredibly honorable and their last kiss had me in tears. I'm telling ya, I might actually ship it. I now have a higher respect and regard for the gender fluid Skrull. Dead Wrong was saddening and joyful all at the same time.
Rock Zombies
The Runaways without Xavin felt different, but there's almost no time to dwell on anything with these comics because they're always running away or fighting. I absolutely loved seeing the Wii that they had at the Malibu house. Sometimes I forget that these comics came out a whole decade ago, but that was an awesome blast from the past. Chase being salty about not being bid farewell before he went off to work was so fatherly and I enjoyed it too much. I'm not sure if Nico's bangs were just a part of the new art, but I thought they were cute. I'm getting more and more concerned with Karolina and Nico's relationship, though. Karolina says she misses Xavin, but holding hands with Nico on the beach says otherwise. I thought it was interesting that Karolina has never driven. But her reason is what really got me. She did once, but she was ashamed of the ecological footprint she had left behind, so she never did it again. That's a fair point that I can't argue with and makes me question my own role in climate change just by using my car every day. Not surprisingly, my prediction about Val came true. He's completely psychotic and all those poor people with plastic surgery were turned into hideous monsters. I totally hate him now. Molly's intelligence takes me by surprise every time, but it really shouldn't. Maybe it's just because I didn't even notice it myself. The bad guy always says something bad and then starts shooting again. After all this time, you'd think I'd have picked up on that. It's good to see Klara bonding more with the group, even if it is mainly through cheating on video games. I swear, if anything ever happens to Nico, Molly should be team leader. She knows how to get the Runaways together when it counts. And telling Karolina to put some clothes on was hilarious. At some point, I think it would be pretty cool to see the Runaways with uniforms, but Molly's drawings were a bit subpar. Karolina and Molly snuggling up in a blanket brought a tear to my eye. Their sisterly relationship is just too cute! Chase, for some reason, defended Val almost until the very end, but thankfully he came to his senses. Nico probably shouldn't have said "Zombie Not," but the Staff is very different now. Nico was right. Ever since her great-grandmother tortured her, something about the Staff is definitely different, maybe even wrong. I'm starting to worry because the Staff becoming too powerful was a major issue in the second season of the Runaways show. It was nice to Chase finally flirting with and joking about other girls. I love Gert, and Gert and Chase will always be my OTP, but I'm happy to see him moving on. It's healthy. Monk Theppie was a total scuzzbucket, but I can't believe that the Staff of One killed him to defend itself. I'm starting to wonder if the Runaways should even invoke magic. Chase chilling with Molly and Klara on the couch made my heart happy. I'm not sure why Molly was hearing a voice in her head, but it was amusing to see the X-Men. Plus, Molly's always complaining about how much Wolverine stinks. I guess the Los Angeles flashback from eight years ago in issue #10 was the aftermath of what the Hayes did. Sometimes it is crazy to try to reconcile that they could have done all those horrible things and also be great parents to Molly. She turned out wonderfully. Again, Molly is too smart for the rest of her team. She was right. Whenever ant group of species meets the Runaways, a fight breaks out. Thank gawd it didn't this time around. The man with the red eyes was awful. Molly didn't deserve to hear trash talk about her parents very bluntly right in her face. Molly throwing that guy through the roof of the building was obviously the most logical course of action. And Wolverine didn't make a half-bad teammate. He protected Molly and hugged her and told her her parents must have done something right because they had Molly. He's somewhat of a paternal figure and it's adorable. Klara definitely should not have interrupted the big kids' game of Truth or Dare. She may have had a husband and who knows what else, but she deserves to forget all that for a little while and live her childhood. That was the point of bringing her to the 21st century, right? Anyway, Nico yelling that Karolina was the best kisser in the game does not help my fears. In fact, it very much confirms them. Not only is Xavin gone, but Nico acts more and more gay by the minute. There wasn't even a single moment of Victor and Nico in this volume. I didn't even get the chance to start shipping them. You know, I don't know where the snake egg came from, but I knew that magic would make the Runaways' lives worse. By the way, I detest snakes. Fighting giant multiplying, flying ones? So not my forte. Victor eating the egg was gross, but I didn't like what happened next even more so. One of the comic strips contained a scene of Victor looking at Karolina, Chase, Old Lace, and Nico and implying that he wasn't needed nor wanted. But Victor, we love you! Please don't leave! Please don't become Victorious! Anyway, a strange compilation overall, but it had its bright spots that made the entire thing amazing.
Homeschooling
So not as cool as the rest of the volumes. In fact, it's probably my least favorite. No offense to Kathryn Immogen and Sara Pichelli, but this was only Runaways storyline written and illustrated by them. I'm honestly not surprised that the Runaways dropped off of the face of the Earth after this volume. But allow me to justify my distaste. First of all, Karolina is too all over the place. Greiving Xavin is warranted, but throwing yourself at the nearest warm body no matter your sexuality is highly confusing and so not cool. Like Nico, I was not exactly over the moon to see Klara obsessed with television, specifically soap operas. As much as I've loved seeing the Runaways displayed in different artists' forms over the years, I didn't like this style. Everyone's hair ended in curls, except Victor, who's hair was way too spiky. Molly's sandcastle was pretty cool, though, none of her teammates appreciate her astounding abilities. I did not approve of the PROM idea. Sure, the Runaways need some sort of break to let loose and be kids. But I couldn't imagine going to PROM even before they found out about the Pride. And it obviously was just a way for their hormones to be all over the place because half the team is mourning a loved partner and the other half just flirts with everyone at one point or another. The PROM was the oddest thing because Karolina was cozying up to Chase, Chase and Victor danced together, and Nico keeps convincing me more and more that she's gay for Karolina. Her words want Karolina to honor Xavin, but her actions want to get in the Majesdanian's pants. I'm not sure if the guy that calls himself Hunter Stein is actually Chase's uncle, but he is making things a hell of a lot worse for Chase. I never realized that the guy Chase killed was his own uncle, but Hunter never even had an explanation of Chase's memory. I don't know if that jet was meant to hit the Malibu house or not, but what came next was extremely weird. Old Lace protected Klara from the blast, sacrificing herself in the process, and Klara freaks out and goes crazy with her powers. I think she kind of insulted Old Lace, but my heart broke in half when the red line flashed across Chase's body. It was the same thing they did when Gert died, and now that Old Lace is gone, it feels like Gert is permanently removed from what they Runaways were, too. I thought that I had understood Klara's powers. She can make plants grow. But maybe she's more powerful than I made her out to be and she can encapsulate a house in complete foliage, much like Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy. Her fortress became impenetrable and she wouldn't wake up from her fit. Molly calling Nico out for putting Klara to sleep the same way her parents used to was uncalled for. Nico might be an emotional wreck with bad judgement in her personal life 99% of the time, but she is a good leader in combat and strategy. And as strange as it is, she is the glue that holds them together. I can't imagine what they would be like without her. I felt a bit of Xavin in Karolina when she yelled at Victor for being insensitive to Klara. And I support that. Though Klara dealt with unimaginable horrors in 1907, the whole reason they brought her to the present was so that she could be a child for a while longer. Make that last. Klara mentioned to Nico that Hunter, or the guy that calls himself Hunter, was "one of us," and that raises like five million questions. Can Klara sense other "wonders?" Is Hunter someone with powers? How did Klara know they could trust him? Can they? Inside of Klara's house plant thing, Nico's hair looked green, and I'm not sure why, but that really irked me. I wish they'd had the chance to bury Old Lace. I don't even know what happened to her body. Suddenly there wasn't a house or an overgrown plant growth and then there was a house of sticks. And why the HELL did Nico and Chase kiss again?! I don't even know what's going on anymore. Obviously, Nico has romantic issues because she's kissed everyone in the house save for the younguns. But Chase? How could you? You know this was the topic of your last fight with Gert before she died. Wtf is wrong with you? Like I said. This. Volume. Sucked. I can't believe that there was a whole fleet of Leapfrogs underneath the house. I guess I'd never thought that you would hide stuff in freaking Malibu. What the heck happened when Chase opened the box? Is the guy that was claiming to be Hunter now dead? And now the Malibu house has been burned down. Okay, when I saw the cover of issue #14, I freaked out. It has Gert on the cover. As in, my spirit animal, the love of Chase's life, the girl that's been dead for a good long while. (Too long, in all honesty.) But then Hunter Stein was back at his work! What is happening. And did Chase actually run into a real-live brunette Gert on the street? And while he was running after her, he got hit by a car, and is now in the hospital? How in the world can this be the end? This is not an ending. What has this volume done to me? I don't think I like Homeschooling.
Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way#1: It's Not Lupus
I'm completely lost on this one. When was this even supposed to take place? Molly and Karolina are bickering in some unknown kitchen of some unknown house, Molly comes in and theows up because she's sick, Victor keeps an eye on her, Chase goes into the kitchen and turns into a purple monster with orange bumps and veins, Karolina fights him, Victor and Nico argue over the phone, Nico flashes back to two hours earlier, and then she's back in the present where Chase is eating raw turkey and she goes to read Molly Sleeping Beauty. I guess it was just a story about how Nico's magic is getting worse because she cut herself and then said that she was sick to death of Chase and Molly. The Staff of One keeps making things worse and worse. So, I didn't like this issue and I don't like the way it was written and I don't understand its purpose.
What if the Runaways Became the Young Avengers?
I actually really enjoyed this issue. The Runaways felt like themselves for once. Gert was still alive, but it was like an alternative reality. One I probably would have preferred. And as much as I love Klara and Xavin, this team just felt extremely real. It was the Runaways, people I haven't seen in a good long time. And Molly had been right all along. They should have gotten uniforms because they looked super badass in this issue. I think Molly is finally starting to grow upz and that was exploited here. She's starting to go through puberty and she's no longer the little girl that she always seems to be. I also think that the vibe of the original Runaways was strong here because the art was so similar. What a relief because I loved that art. It was strange to see Molly injured because she almost never gets hurt, at least physically. But I knew she was going to be okay. I think Gert defended Iron Lad (Victor) because he brought back Old Lace. In the original comics, Chase was the one to do that, resulting in a kiss and the official start of their relationship. Iron Lad (Kang) was an interesting unifier for the Runaways. In this reality, he went to them after Alex and the Pride had died because he believed that he could train them to one day stop Victorious. Because of his leadership, that role never fell to Nico and I think that was easier for them. I've noticed that all of the Runaways are falling apart all of the time. Technically, none of them should be leader because they're all a mess, especially Nico. But with Iron Lad, they were more organized and I felt better about that. I was shocked to find out that Victor from present time was posing as Iron Lad under the direction of his future self. I felt bad for the young Kang. There was no way he could have known that Victorious would follow him back to the past. Chase taking a screwdriver for Gert was incredibly heroic, but also had massive parallels to when Gert died, so I was definitely crying at this point. The older Kang was kind of weird. Obviously, he was against Victorious, but he didn't have a lot of respect for the Runaways, which was uncool. Karolina brought up a good point about blondes. I, myself, am one, so when someone jokingly talks about having a blonde moment, I have to ask myself why I even surround myself with such narrow-minded people. Intelligence has absolutely nothing to do with hair color and I hope everyone realizes that. Thankfully, no one on the Runaways team has ever harassed Karolina about her hair color. I could not believe it when Kang died. Who even knows what consequences that created? But thank gawd for Molly. She is truly a real hero. It's a little odd that Chase is now Iron Lad, but as long as he's alive and with Gert, I'm happy. Their kiss meant everything to me because it hasn't happened in so long and it brought back a flood of memories. What a plot twist that Victor would be the one to kill his future self. Who knows where he went with Kang's time belt, but hopefully it's somewhere better. The last page was great because it implied that Gert would be the new leader and she told them to assemble, which is hilarious. So, no doubt about it, I totally loves this issue with all of my heart.
April 24, 2020
This ending is total bullshit.
September 15, 2016
Breezed through this one; not nearly as enjoyable as the other collections.
July 4, 2016
Meh. The high point of the Runaways seems well and truly over. The first two collections were really good, the third wasn't bad but didn't quite live up to the first two. but now, the 4th collection, for me at least, just wasn't a very enjoyable read. About the only thing thats really interested me in this one is the mystery surrounding the character Chase meets in the last Runaways issue and who they may, or may not, be. Also the extra issues at the end felt disjointed, set at different times than the rest of the collection which felt kinda jarring given what was going on with the team before that.
I feel i'm pretty much done now, unless any further collections get really good reviews, i think this where I get off. It was a good run (mostly) but all things (should) come to an end. 2 stars
I feel i'm pretty much done now, unless any further collections get really good reviews, i think this where I get off. It was a good run (mostly) but all things (should) come to an end. 2 stars
March 11, 2016
This was kind of a let down. The previous three volumes were fun with character development but this installment just felt all over the place and didn't really offer an ending that satisfied me. I'd recommend people stick to the first three volumes.
December 2, 2015
not so good, lot of jumpiong around and the art work didn't flow do to all the changes.
February 15, 2016
2.5
This series started so strong and ended so....Meh.
The first 2 volumes will forever be favourites these last 2 volumes less so.
This series started so strong and ended so....Meh.
The first 2 volumes will forever be favourites these last 2 volumes less so.
December 3, 2016
2.5 stars
Ah, good old hate reading.
Okay, hate is a strong word. More like "I'm reading this because I need to know how it ends. Not because I'm really enjoying it."
This was somehow worse than the past 2 volumes. I didn't care for the plot lines. They brought back the Majesdanians just to send Xavin away in my opinion and more on that in a bit. Then there's the right wing (?) radio host trying to encourage people to overthrow the government but also saying extremely sexist things about women. Then the zombie outbreak that they managed to make boring, somehow. The X-Men interlude was the best part and that story was just Molly and Wolverine.
The house blowing up was confusing. They introduced Chase's uncle Hunter, someone we don't know about and don't care about. He's here for like 5 minutes to bring them a place a live. Okay. Sure??? Meanwhile Chase is following a Gert look a like. Okay. Sure???
The first story with Nico was confusing but I really enjoyed it. It seemed like an interlude because none of the other Runaways were there?
Odd that the stories I enjoyed the most were solo stories about the characters.
Nico kisses Chase again because when in doubt, they make Nico kiss someone. I'm not slut shaming the character, I'm just mourning for the crappy writing she gets. It'd be one thing if she got upset and went out for some companionship. People deal in different ways. However, the writers seem to think, when she's upset, she'll just make out with one of the guys 5 feet away from her just to make her have a guilt spiral later. She's kissed every guy in the group and it ends badly for her. Stop treating Nico like crap.
Xavin sacrifices herself, most likely for a certain death, for Karolina. Great, haven't seen that plot before. They can look like human Karolina but we know for a fact they can't mimic Karolina's ability so when that time comes, they will most likely get killed by the Majesdanians. That's incredibly sad and yet, in the next issue Karolina's like "it hurts but I'm getting over it." How? Your partner is probably dead.
I guess I should be happy we get Molly and Karolina remembering to miss Xavin because the others didn't seem to notice.
Yeah, this was not enjoyable. I was bored and when I wasn't bored I was confused. The plot lines were messy.
I did notice that the book says Xavin is the most powerful out of the entire group. That's interesting.
Anyway, volume one was one of the greatest comic books I've ever read and it just went downhill. I can't even pinpoint what it was? The decision to make Alex a traitor? Killing Gert? Making Victor and Chase assholes and hypocrites? Adding Xavin without researching how to write gender fluidity? Torturing Nico and shoving her at every guy? The cameos? Switching writers a bunch of times?
I don't know. I'll give credit where credit is due: for a comic series, this is a pretty diverse cast. However, it didn't do much to earn my respect beyond that. The last 3 volumes just made me think back to how great the first one was.
I'm sad this review ends on a sad note.
Ah, good old hate reading.
Okay, hate is a strong word. More like "I'm reading this because I need to know how it ends. Not because I'm really enjoying it."
This was somehow worse than the past 2 volumes. I didn't care for the plot lines. They brought back the Majesdanians just to send Xavin away in my opinion and more on that in a bit. Then there's the right wing (?) radio host trying to encourage people to overthrow the government but also saying extremely sexist things about women. Then the zombie outbreak that they managed to make boring, somehow. The X-Men interlude was the best part and that story was just Molly and Wolverine.
The house blowing up was confusing. They introduced Chase's uncle Hunter, someone we don't know about and don't care about. He's here for like 5 minutes to bring them a place a live. Okay. Sure??? Meanwhile Chase is following a Gert look a like. Okay. Sure???
The first story with Nico was confusing but I really enjoyed it. It seemed like an interlude because none of the other Runaways were there?
Odd that the stories I enjoyed the most were solo stories about the characters.
Nico kisses Chase again because when in doubt, they make Nico kiss someone. I'm not slut shaming the character, I'm just mourning for the crappy writing she gets. It'd be one thing if she got upset and went out for some companionship. People deal in different ways. However, the writers seem to think, when she's upset, she'll just make out with one of the guys 5 feet away from her just to make her have a guilt spiral later. She's kissed every guy in the group and it ends badly for her. Stop treating Nico like crap.
Xavin sacrifices herself, most likely for a certain death, for Karolina. Great, haven't seen that plot before. They can look like human Karolina but we know for a fact they can't mimic Karolina's ability so when that time comes, they will most likely get killed by the Majesdanians. That's incredibly sad and yet, in the next issue Karolina's like "it hurts but I'm getting over it." How? Your partner is probably dead.
I guess I should be happy we get Molly and Karolina remembering to miss Xavin because the others didn't seem to notice.
Yeah, this was not enjoyable. I was bored and when I wasn't bored I was confused. The plot lines were messy.
I did notice that the book says Xavin is the most powerful out of the entire group. That's interesting.
Anyway, volume one was one of the greatest comic books I've ever read and it just went downhill. I can't even pinpoint what it was? The decision to make Alex a traitor? Killing Gert? Making Victor and Chase assholes and hypocrites? Adding Xavin without researching how to write gender fluidity? Torturing Nico and shoving her at every guy? The cameos? Switching writers a bunch of times?
I don't know. I'll give credit where credit is due: for a comic series, this is a pretty diverse cast. However, it didn't do much to earn my respect beyond that. The last 3 volumes just made me think back to how great the first one was.
I'm sad this review ends on a sad note.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2018
This collected a run by Terry Moore (which I enjoyed more than the Joss Whedon run) and a bunch of one-offs, none of which were really connected to each other. One of them even cast them all as the Young Avengers and brought back Gert, but there definitely wasn't ENOUGH of Gert. Like come on, if you're going to bring her back from the dead, give her a bigger part in the story! Overall I feel like I should have stopped reading after Brian Vaughan stopping writing these. I certainly didn't need new characters like Klara, and Victor and Xavin felt like scapegoats and not really part of the story.
Now I need to go back and re-read the Rainbow Rowell reboot, to see the characters not as new characters to me but as familiar old characters.
A note about the TV series: so far season 1 of the Runaways TV series covers less than the first volume of Runaways. There's a lot of added info about the Pride parents and some unnecessary romance between Chase and Kassandra (I think, mostly, because they're the two beautiful white characters - I don't recall ANY of that in the comics, since Kassandra is a lesbian (at least there is romantic tension between Kassandra and Nico)). But I do think they capture the spirit of the group pretty well and it's fun to watch.
Now I need to go back and re-read the Rainbow Rowell reboot, to see the characters not as new characters to me but as familiar old characters.
A note about the TV series: so far season 1 of the Runaways TV series covers less than the first volume of Runaways. There's a lot of added info about the Pride parents and some unnecessary romance between Chase and Kassandra (I think, mostly, because they're the two beautiful white characters - I don't recall ANY of that in the comics, since Kassandra is a lesbian (at least there is romantic tension between Kassandra and Nico)). But I do think they capture the spirit of the group pretty well and it's fun to watch.
March 7, 2021
This is the fourth volume of collected comics in the Runaways series.
I enjoyed reading more about the different characters I have grown to know over the last three volumes. I like following their storylines, but the overall plots and scenarios just weren't as engaging as in previous volumes.
Some of the illustrations were not all that clearly depicted and I found myself having to reread often to figure out what in the world was going on. The changing illustrative styles are interesting, but I prefer a steady style in general.
I've enjoyed this series, but I'm not all that sure that I would be interested in reading future volumes.
I enjoyed reading more about the different characters I have grown to know over the last three volumes. I like following their storylines, but the overall plots and scenarios just weren't as engaging as in previous volumes.
Some of the illustrations were not all that clearly depicted and I found myself having to reread often to figure out what in the world was going on. The changing illustrative styles are interesting, but I prefer a steady style in general.
I've enjoyed this series, but I'm not all that sure that I would be interested in reading future volumes.
August 20, 2018
Just so you know, this is not at all a conclusion. It ends on a cliffhanger, and not even a good/fun one. Certainly not as well written as the earlier editions... and I realized, while I like Humberto Ramos's art well enough with characters I don't care about, with these characters it's just jarring and horrible. I can't tell who is who half the time (which is crazy when literally ever character is a distinct ethnicity and/or species), and can't follow most of the big action in sequence.
After awhile, maybe it almost sets into tolerable.. and then you see the Miyazawa art again and it's like... oh yeah, I used to like looking at this....
After awhile, maybe it almost sets into tolerable.. and then you see the Miyazawa art again and it's like... oh yeah, I used to like looking at this....
February 21, 2021
This could have been just the core Runaways content and I would have been happy. Weird storyline choices, upsetting (and unresolved) cliffhangers, but happy.
Sister Grimm was ~OK~ but super out of place this far into the complete collections. Much rather would have seen it nestled in the correct continuity. Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way was eh. The What If was alright, but also not super-inspiring.
Now, to fill in the gaps between this and the Rainbow Rowell run.
Sister Grimm was ~OK~ but super out of place this far into the complete collections. Much rather would have seen it nestled in the correct continuity. Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way was eh. The What If was alright, but also not super-inspiring.
Now, to fill in the gaps between this and the Rainbow Rowell run.
June 28, 2017
It took me a while to finish this volume because I didn't want it to end and I knew that the series was canceled after this. I have, however, learned that Marvel is rebooting the Runaways this year and now I'm super excited. This is such a fun take on the super hero genre, and I've grown to love the characters over the course of the series.
August 5, 2019
I was so excited for this collection, because volume 3 ended on a cliffhanger, but I don’t like the new writers or illustrators nearly as much. The storyline seemed really ridiculous and I had real trouble sticking with it. I’m looking forward to seeing what Rainbow Rowell has done with my favorite superheroes!
January 15, 2018
I really love these characters but seeing as I don't read a lot of comics, the storylines can get difficult to follow... Especially when other superheroes are added into the mix. I always feel like I'm missing something.
August 12, 2018
Really takes a dip for me at the end. Now I remember why I stopped reading it in the first place. If this collection was broken out into smaller volumes most would have 2 Stars but because the arcs I really liked are sprinkled in it gets 3 Stars
October 6, 2021
Glad I read this again. I thought a couple people died off and other relatives show up. Moore & Immonen does a great job and the art is super cute. Don't care for the What If issue but can't wait to get to the next arc collection.
August 3, 2017
I was disappointed that the series didn't end in some epic fashion. It just stopped. Blah.
November 19, 2017
I don’t understand.... it used to be so good! Now it’s all dick jokes and homophobic language and just.... bad. It’s just bad and it doesn’t even make sense.
February 6, 2018
The alternate timeline story was this collection's barely only saving grace. Vaughan made the first three collections have more consistent angsty youthful verve. Game over.
March 2, 2018
It was a bit disjointed with a lot of the stories being from one shot comics, but I still enjoyed it.
March 14, 2018
Too many different writers and illustrators. I like continuity. First they killed off Vert and now Old Lace. I hope Xavin comes back be cuz I liked him. I'd like to see more as the young scavengers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2018
This book was a lot of fun! The characters are great, as is the plot. I found the ending to be a little confusing, but other than that, I really enjoyed it.
June 25, 2018
Not the greatest run of the Runaways, but still the Runaways so it was still enjoyable.
July 2, 2018
Some stories were good, some were just alright. I could say the same about the artwork. I love these characters.
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