Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy [Paperback]

Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Adrian Alphona (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Runaways Digest

All young people believe their parents are evil ... but what if they really are? Meet Alex, Karolina, Gert, Chase, Molly and Nico - whose lives are about to take an unexpected turn. When these six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains, the shocked teens find strength in one another. Together, they run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives - vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This unusually clever, fun teen comic is based on the novel premise that parents don't just seem evil, they actually are evil supervillains. Or so some kids find out one night while eavesdropping on a dastardly meeting they take to be a cocktail party. Although the children are each a "type" right out of sitcom land—the goth girl, the brain, the jock, the dreamboat, the shy one—they're also fairly empathetic characters. Vaughan's closely observed dialogue lends them authenticity and pathos as they go through the disturbing realization that their parents aren't just jerks but actually mass-murderers. The plot builds from this initial discovery, as the kids band together, discover they, too, have superhuman powers and engage their parents in good, old-fashioned superhuman fisticuffs. The group goes on the run and discovers their parents have all of Los Angeles in their pockets—it's enough to make a teenager feel more alienated than ever. Alphona's dynamic, manga-influenced artwork agreeably complements Vaughan's crisp writing. They tell the story with clarity, a dollop of drama and just enough pizzazz to hook video game–obsessed readers. Packaged in a manga-size paperback, Marvel's attempt to tap both the manga and the young adult market nicely succeeds.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (December 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785113797
• ISBN-13: 978-0785113799
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Action, comedy, and drama for all ages!, April 28, 2004

By 

Michael Pullmann (Astoria, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy (Paperback)

God, what else is there to say?

Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean, Chase Stein, and Molly Hayes are all children of privelege. Unbeknownst to them however, this privelege comes from the fact that their parents are all members of a secret criminal organization called the Pride that has its hands in everything dirty to be had in LA. When they discover this, the kids must go on the run, discover the truth about their parents, and decide what to do with the new knowledge and abilities the journey grants them.

The kicker of this book is the wonderful storytelling and characterization. Brian Vaughan, writer of the acclaimed Y: The Last Man, turns in taut and suspenseful scripts; reading this story in single issues, I couldn't wait for the next chapter to come out. The ideas come at a fast pace, but the story is kept manageable by the great cast. Each of the kids is a unique, believable individual, and cliched like so many teens written by adults these days. Very few can pull of writing young characters in a way that will appeal to young readers, but Vaughan is one of them. Kids and adults alike will fall in love with these characters. If nothing else, there's a dinosaur.

So, in closing, buy this trade, and then rush down to your local comic store to seek out the following issues. 14 have been published to date; the first six are reprinted in this volume.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Originality at it's best., October 19, 2004

By 

M. Gaffney - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy (Paperback)

Not so long ago, I was talking to a friend of mine about coming up with an original idea for a comic. He often said that all the good ideas were taken, and there was no originality in comics anymore. Well at the time, I thought he was right. Then the House of Ideas came up with Runaways, and that was it for the 'death of originality.' Here we have six teenagers who learn that their parents are secretly a clan of supervillains. Specifically, they're aliens, sorcerers, mutants, mad scientists, travelers from the future, and a couple of good old-fashioned gangsters, each of whom is a husband/wife couple who had their own child. Now that the (mostly) law-abiding children know, they run away from home with a few of their parents' weapons and gimmicks in the hopes of stopping them somehow. What's more, the parents have framed their kids for murder, and it is revealed at the end of this volume that... well, I'll just let you buy the thing and see it for yourself.

Now, this story takes place in the Marvel Universe, and all the other Marvel heroes are there, so why aren't they helping? Because most of the Marvel heroes live in New York City, or somewhere else on the east coast. These runaways and their parents live out in Beverly Hills, California. Living a continent away from Earth's mightiest heroes makes it easier for a gang of super-villains to set up shop. Wonder why the Green Goblin or Magneto never thought of that? Hmn!

Now, Runaways is a character book, and it hinges mostly on the kids themselves. The situations are actually very believable, and the dialogue rings true throughout. I would recommend this book to anyone I see, whether they like, comic books or not.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, June 23, 2004

By 

B. Bukowski (Montana USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy (Paperback)

This great new series follows the story of six teenagers as they go from being normal kids to learning that their parents are more than they seem, and frankly, evil. One of the key elements that makes this story click is one word: fun. While maintaining a fairly serious tone, the story is full of humor and amusment. The whole books just has a freshness and sense of fun that really makes it not only work, but is good reading for people of all ages; similar to the appeal of "Ultimate Spider-Man" but even moreso because of the diversity of the cast.

Brian Vaughn continues to impress with his writing that also makes "Y: The Last Man" so good: great dialogue and characterization, humor, action, and an unpredictable plot full of twists and turns; his writing here is even better because it has more appeal than "Y's" mature, post apocalypse story.

Newcomer Adrian Alphona supplies very good artwork that really adds to the story and Brian Reber's colors are also great for conveying the vibrant characters as well as the dark settings.

With fantastic writing and good artwork, "Runaways" is one of the best new series of the year.
At such a good price, there is no reason why anyone should not miss this great new series.