Customer Reviews

Runaways: Dead Wrong (v. 1)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a decent comic if you're a newcomer. If you can avoid all the character development and emotion that Brian K. Vaughan created with this series and that Joss Whedon carried on for his arc, you might enjoy this. After initially putting it down in disgust when it first came out, I picked this book up a while later and, with enough distance between myself and the old series, I decided to give it a new chance. It was still messy, but slightly enjoyable on an aesthetic level. But this is meant to be a continuation of the RUNAWAYS series, one of the best comic books ever, and it's simply not sufficient for the fans.

RUNAWAYS a really human story about superpowered teenagers that have spitfire, quirky dialogue. They're constantly in really dangerous situations that have crazy shocking and emotional twists, and every beat of the story was so intelligently written that if never felt as if you were reading a comic consciously directed at teens. I love this story so much. But with writer Terry Moore and artist Humberto Ramos taking over the title, I couldn't be more let down. Terry Moore couldn't have captured these characters' personalities less if he made a conscious effort to write them out-of-character. Molly is suddenly five, and she has the complexity and humor of a Saturday morning cartoon. Xavin's speech paterns and his actions are nothing at all like the character we've come to know for many issues, and Chase has lost the thick shell and inner pain the character had picked up over the last few arcs, and has become--to be blunt--an idiot. Where is the respect for the characters BKV created?

If that wasn't enough, all of the romantic and dramatic tension between the characters are gone. They've poofed. From the one-liners, to the depiction of the characters, to the choice of artist, it has never been more apparent that this is aimed toward a younger audience and only a younger audience. Brian K. Vaughan and Joss Whedon managed to make the stories accessible to all ages and, while they may have been directed primarily towards teens, they were universal stories that all ages can enjoy. This feels like Spongebob Squarepants. I am beyond upset with the choices made with this series, and as much as it pains me to say, I am beginning to wonder if it wouldn't have been better to just finish off the series with Whedon's run. And do I even need to touch on the art? Look at the cover. It's the worst. The action scenes are indecipherable, the character designs are shockingly ugly, and it looks like an Americanized anime. Simply the worst art.

3/10

You can pretty much tell what your favorite comics are by which ones you read first when you bring all your pulls home. For me any of the Fables comics come first, trumping everything else. Then the Runaways trump everything else. I loved it when creator Brian K. Vaughan did the series and I loved it when Joss Whedon picked it up after Vaughan gave up the reins. I even enjoyed the Runaways/Young Avengers team ups during the Civil War and Secret Invasion events.

So given how much I enjoy the Runaways, I was delighted when STRANGERS IN PARADISE creator Terry Moore was taking over the comics. And I have thoroughly enjoyed his stories. Nonetheless, artist Humberto Ramos completely rubs me the wrong way. His drawings strike me almost like rough drafts and the faces of the kids in his art look almost like grotesques, like caricatures. So, on the one hand I enjoyed the story of aliens coming to earth to take their revenge on Karolina for what they believe is her complicity in the destruction of their world, but on the other hated looking at every frame.

I absolutely do not recommend this as an introduction to The Runaways. I think most newcomers will find Ramos's art too off putting and it is too untypical of the other comics in the series. One should definitely start with Vaughan's three volumes and then move on to Whedon's. If you love those and feel like you need more, then read these. The next volume in this series, the Rock Zombies story, has already concluded. Ramos unfortunately illustrated that one as well. I wouldn't mind more Terry Moore, but I would love to see a new artist. And for the record, I rarely find an artist this unbearable.

One bit of nitpicking. Why in the heck do the kids remain so protective of Molly and Klara? OK, Klara I can understand. The refugee from the early 20th century has the odd superpower of causing plants to grow. But Molly is pretty close to indestructible and strong enough to knock Wolverine a couple of hundred feet through the air. She needs protection why? If I were the kids, I think I'd want her spearheading attacks, instead of trying to get her out of the way.

So I do recommend this book, but only if you have read the other, better volumes first. I'll keep reading Moore/Ramos collaborations, but I yearn for the day when Ramos is no longer a part of the project.

I agree with everything the other reviewer said with one major exception: I absolutely love the artwork of Humberto Ramos. I have to say the Runaways are my favorite comic book series our right now, and I've loved them since the first volume.

Humberto Ramos has been a welcome change to the series and I found his artwork to be spot on for the story. His style is cartoon-ish and perfect at the same time. Really fits with the stories about Molly and the humor that Terry Moore has added to the serious.

I'm disappointed to see the Moore/Ramos arcs coming to an end. I wish this could go on forever.