Customer Reviews

Runaways Vol. 4: True Believers

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first 18 issues of Brian K. Vaughan's series Runaways are some of the greatest comics I've ever read. His story about 6 Los Angeles teenagers who ran away from home after finding out that their parents were evil supervillains was original, witty, and exciting. I was waiting for another hardcover to come out, but I just couldn't wait any longer. These first six issues of the second run of the series are great. The widespread theory is that, while Runaways hasn't been as good since the end of the initial run, it is still very good. Personally, I don't know what to say about that. Yes, so far, it's not as good, but it is still amazing, and I feel that we need to see where everything is going before we can make judgments like that.
Anyway, the story begins a few months after the end of Eighteen, the final issue of the first run. The Runways, who include Karolina (an alien who manipulates solar energy), Molly (a super-strong mutant), Gert (a girl with a mental connection to a velociraptor), Chase (the pilot of their ship the Leapfrog), and Nico (a sorceress), who is the new team leader, have made it their mission to fight crime in LA and to help other kids. In the wake of the destruction of the Pride, which was the evil organization that was run by their parents, supervillains have flocked to LA. While the Pride was evil, they kept the other villains out of LA, but now that they're gone, a power vacuum has been created, and the Runaways feel responsible. The team is now operating in one of their parents' old lairs under the La Brea Tar Pits, and their exploits force them to run from the law. They are still juvenile delinquents in the eyes of the police and the Avengers.
However, an Avenger soon pays them a visit, but there is a twist. A woman appears in their base and claims that she is from the future and that she is none other than Gert. It turns out that she will be the leader of the Avengers in the future, but her team, along with every other superteam, will be betrayed by one of their own. The future Gert tells the Runaways to find a boy named Victor Mancha and stop him before he can grow up to become the man who destroys all heroes on Earth.
Victor is a teenager going to a Los Angeles high school, who idolizes superheroes along with his friend. The two of them often dream about what it would be like to be heroes, but neither of them feel like they could do it. But when the Runaways show up to apprehend Victor, he learns that he may not be as ordinary as he once thought.
Meanwhile, a group of former child superheroes called Excelsior has been given orders to find the Runaways and detain them. Excelsior, which is comprised of Phil Urich, the heroic incarnation of the Green Goblin, Julie Power, formerly of the Power Pack, Chris Powell, who was Darkhawk, and a few others, are a group dedicated to preventing teenagers from becoming superheroes. They feel that being a hero messes up one's childhood, and they try to track down the Runaways in order to help them. As the story goes on, the Runaways try to avoid Excelsior while get to the bottom of the mystery that is Victor Mancha.
A huge theme of True Believers is whether or not we ever truly become our parents as we grow older, which is a thought that horrifies the Runaways. Vaughan's writing continues to impress with a great story, good humor, awesome characters, and great nods to other comics. Look for the reference to Astonishing X-Men in the "future flashback". Also, while I love the Young Avengers, I think that Gert's reaction to Victor's belief that the Runaways are the Young Avengers is hilarious.
Runaways is my favorite comic, and this collection of issues is supberb, or, at least it is when it comes to the content. The format, though, leaves a little something to be desired. I don't know why Marvel would reprint this in Digest form. It actually shrinks down the book, and it is printed on non-glossy paper. While there weren't too many problems, there were a few times when I couldn't make out where one object ended and another began. Also, the cover to issue 6, which is beautiful, looks only so-so in this collection. Still, until they release a hardcover (please Marvel, release a hardcover soon), this is a good read.

This is such a great series and when the first volume ended, I wondered how it could get any better. Well, Mr. Vaughan has proved me wrong. It's better! Much better! This first book is a great reintroduction to the characters as well as a great start to the new season (as they like to call it)! We are introduced to some new characters, old villains and heroes, and get a better sense of the established characters. And what an ending!

If you like Runaways Season 1, you best be reading the second series! 'Cause it only gets better from here!

And also, I totally dig Princess Powerful! Rock on Molly!

after slogging through way too many mediocre and downright poor story arcs while suffering the seemingly interminable wait between the end of runaways vol. 1 and the new series, this TPB has single-handedly restored my faith in the power of a good story w/ great characters that's so worthwhile it gives you a buzz of enjoyment (and also restored my faith in vaughan's writing). i was wary of this new (or "renewed") series from reading descriptions of it, w/ the storyline focusing on the son of a famous marvel villain (named victor -- hmm, who could his father be?) and a new group of d-listed former teen heroes (among them darkhawk, chamber from gen x, and julie powers from power pack), but vaughan makes it work w/ some surprises up his sleeve. w/ so many characters, things could've easily gotten glossed over and left underdeveloped, but vaughan somehow makes it gel beautifully, somehow without effort. more of the focus gets shifted to these new players and so a lot of the characterization of the runaways themselves tends to be more reminders of who they are rather than further development. chase doesn't get as much to do, but the other four girls are in the thick of things and kick ***. gert is as sardonic as ever, and nico and molly are still "freakin' awesome" (wish karolina had a bit more to do though). the namechecks are still as pervasive and comical as ever also. if you loved the first series you prob. already have this. if you haven't yet gotten into runaways, get vol. 1! you know that a comic that namechecks the teen girl squad has gotta be worth reading.

It's been a while since I've caught up with RUNAWAYS, and I've heard it's actually on some sort of hiatus right now? I stopped reading it once Joss Whedon's brief run was done. But I just re-read my RUNAWAYS collection, and, for whatever reason, I'm opting to reminisce some about the bunch of issues which, in trade format, make up RUNAWAYS Vol. 4: TRUE BELIEVERS. This is back when Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona were still ruling this roost, and when RUNAWAYS was one of them titles I couldn't wait to come out.

The premise: There comes a point in our childhood when we suspect our parents of being evil. I guess it mostly happens when we're at that rebellious stage and the 'rents just seem to be in that heavy prohibition mode. Brian K. Vaughan supposes that six teenagers (okay, Molly Hayes is only eleven), during an annual get-together, shockingly learn that their parents actually head up the Pride, the murderous secret crime syndicate which controls Los Angeles and pretty much the entire Lest Coast. The kids run away, but they run away with weapons and other resources pilfered from the Pride's hidden lairs. On their own now, the children decide to do what's right and make up for their parents' sins. It helps their cause that their group comprises a mutant, a witch, an extraterrestrial, a prodigy, a teen telepathically linked to a velociraptor, and, uh, Chase who is this dull-witted jock. Chase is probably the weak link, but he's only second to the youngest runaway Molly in being lovable. Chase and Molly are also the funniest of the bunch.

By the time RUNAWAYS Vol. 4: TRUE BELIEVERS rolled around, there'd already been a slight shuffling of the roster, as the prodigy Alex Wilder turned out to be a lowdown traitorous mole. At this stage the Pride had also been eliminated, thus leaving L.A. vulnerable to this and that super-villain trying to step into the void left by the Pride or simply trying to get his crime spree on. The runaways are doing their best to take on all evil comers, and it's gratifying that the kids harbor enough mojo that they rather easily take down the likes of the Wrecking Crew.

In this story arc, Vaughan introduces Victor Mancha, a superhero-obsessed teenager, and I love how Vaughan keeps stirring the melting pot. Victor is half-Mexican and half-whatever (Nico is Asian, Alex was black, etc.). The development of his powers coincides with the runaways' seeking him out and confronting him. Y'see, a future version of one of our runaways had time traveled to the present to warn our gang that the adult Victor Mancha would turn out evil and, furthermore, that Victor's own sire is the "greatest evil in the universe." That gets our kids' attention.

The Loners also debut in this story arc, although here the group is called Excelsior. Excelsior is a small non-profit venture seeking to help troubled teen superheroes as they re-adjust to normal life. Its current clientele consists of second-string teenaged and formerly teenaged ex-superheroes (including Darkhawk, Chamber, Ricochet, and - in a move which has me sort of questioning Marvel continuity - a more grown up Julie Power from Power Pack, etc.). Anyway, Excelsior gets wind of our runaways and immediately sees them as its next project. Cue all the misunderstandings and the obligatory fighty fights. It eventually all works out. Sort of.

With this series Brian K. Vaughan tried to steer away from several superhero tropes, with varied success. The "no costumes" thing worked out okay. He sort of gets away with not utilizing code names for the kids, although at the start of the series, the runaways did come up with code names and applied them for a bit of time. Eleven-year-old Molly comes up with probably one of my favorite superhero code names: Princess Powerful. I like that Vaughan introduced an eclectic power set for the characters and placed limits or caveats to these abilities. Molly, for example, is a mutant possessed of incredible strength but her exertions leave her drained and so she must take a nap. Gert is psychically bonded to Old Lace, the genetically-engineered dinosaur her crooked time-traveling parents had stolen from the 87th century. Whatever impacts Gert also impacts Old Lace, and vice versa. In one instance (but not in this set of issues) Gert's allergy to bee stings forces her and Old Lace to bow out of battle against Swarm. I really like it when writers have to think their way out of corners, and there'll be a time when the inhibition to Nico's magic will start gnawing away at writers' creativity (her mystic Staff of One disallows repeat usage of a spell already cast).

Vaughan has an ear for how teens talk, and he drops plenty of hilarious pop culture references, and so no wonder Joss Whedon is a fan and no wonder he took a stab at writing this series. RUNAWAYS gives us awesome moments tempered with scenes of devastating heartbreak. You never quite know in which direction Vaughan will steer his stories. At any given moment, a lurking velociraptor may leap at you from out of a tree or mechanical Leap Frogs just may leap on you, period. Yeah, it's like that. Vaughan does a nice bit of misdirection regarding Victor's true origin, and I never once caught on. And throwing even more buffalo chips into the fire, near the end of this arc, Vaughan suggests that the Pride may not be as defunct as originally assumed. Artist Adrian Alphona's sorta realistic, sorta manga-ish style works perfectly for this series, and it was never the same when he left. But we get to enjoy him for this volume. Anyway, currently on hiatus, RUNAWAYS, I'm hoping, can find a home again.

Brian K. Vaughan, Runaways, vol. 4: True Believers (Marvel, 2005)

The second life of Runaways kicks off in True Believers, the fourth collection in Vaughan's dysfunctional-superhero-teens comic. The team are now down to five, with the traitor eradicated in the battle between the Runaways and the Pride, and they've taken over their parents' old hideout below the La Brea Tar Pits museum. The destruction of the Pride has created a power vacuum in Los Angeles, and the Runaways, feeling responsible for it, go back to their crimefighting ways to prevent any supervillains from taking hold. This brings them to the attention of Excelsior, a support group for ex-costumed heroes who want to keep teens from vigilantism. Which is awesome enough, but one day, the antique time device is activated in the Pride's old lair, and a future version of Gert appears to beg the team to stop Victorious, a supervillain who's still a teen in their time. They find him and kidnap him, but discover that things are not always as they seem... Vaughan's struck off in a new direction with Runaways, and it's a fine one. Very good stuff, this. *** ½

"The Runaways" are an eclectic set of young heroes - multi-cultural and edgy - a younger, sexier version of the Fantastic Four. At this point in the story arc, all the "core" runaways are girls except for one. I love the way Vaughan writes strong girl characters. Nico, the un-stated leader of the pack has the most appeal and character development so far. She is "Japanese by way of Glendale", a Goth girl without the pretense. She's as realistic as a teenage daughter of wizards with a magical staff can be.

At this point, we still don't really know whether their parents were super-villains or super-heroes. With that mystery as running subtext, the real action centers on the Runaways. The dialogue is the sometimes witty, sometimes indulgent. Vaughan sprinkles his dialogue with allusions to pop culture, art, music, TV and movies.

Volume Four reaches new highs. I thought Volume 1 started the series too slowly, and even Volume 2 wasn't hot yet. Volume Three really kicked it into high gear, and in this Volume 4, the series is starting to achieve its potential. The kids are interesting, unique and cool. The challenges they face are tough but realistic. Even the artwork is stellar in this volume - Alphona has matured as an artist: the drawings of the kids are finally detailed - killer! The Runaways rip it up in this volume! Highly recommended: 5 Stars.

Volume 5 awaits!

With the first major crisis that the Runaways went through out of the way, it seemed as if their story was coming to a close. The Pride was--the way things were looking--defeated, and the kids were ready to embark on a new path in their lives. The series could have ended there. But it didn't. "True Believers" kicks off the `second act' (that is still an ongoing monthly series) of Runaways, continuing the story of the kids who fought back. The only question about "True Believers" I had in my mind was "Can it live up to the first eighteen issues of Runaways?"

For the most part, yes. It isn't nearly as epic, because what's really happening here is the planting of seeds that will eventually become a bigger story. It's interesting to see what will surely be a tale as epic as "Runaways Volume One" unfold, but it also makes me impatient to get to the juicier stories, but that's just a character flaw in me, not the writing. The story of this miniseries itself is a solid one, centering on a new major character named Victor, who will either grow up to be good or grow up to kill the Avengers and the rest of the Runaways in the name of his father (who, hint hint, is a major Marvel villain). The Runaways are torn whether to help him or to kill him before he becomes a supervillain, and Victor is as torn between using his newfound powers to harm the Runaways before they can capture him and to trust them with his life.

There are also a lot of new elements thrown in, such as a new team of superheroes "helping" the Runaways, as well as a new mystery that unfolds at the end. As with any Brian K. Vaughan series, we get heavy doses of emotion, darkness, humor, and sci-fi/fantasy action. The art is still done by Adrian Alphona, but the colors in this volume are the richest we've seen them, making each character leap off the page with vivid color. It looks like the second act of Runaways is shaping up to be just as mind-blowing as the first.

DISCLAIMER: It is best to buy Runaways, Vol. 2 instead of the separate digest paperbacks. It is a hardcover edition, much better quality, that includes not only this, but also #5 and a lot of extras.

7/10

This continues to be enjoyable, even if perhaps not as good as at the start. I am not sure that the break etc. is a good thing, or not. It is certainly getting crazier, as the offspring or various other creations and aliens turn up, along with revelations about the past.

Runaways may look juvenile, and indeed it is perfect for the young adult crowd of comic-book lovers out there. But it's also surprisingly amusing and applicable for adult readers too. Brian K Vaughen is, as always, a spectacular writer. His characters are believable and amusing, and the plots are great. I own all of the Runaways published so far, and am still impressed with the series after two volumes of appreciation. This is a great series for comic book veterans (especially those who like Vaughen) and people new to the medium. Its also perfect for a huge range of ages. My younger sister loves it, my older parents love it, and my friends in college love it. The collected paperbacks are a great deal since they're sturdy and the art is vibrant. This series if definately RECOMMENDED for anyone young inside or out.

Like the other volumes before it, this is a fun extension of the Runaways story. Kudos to Vaughn and team for keeping the fun alive and the story interesting this far into it.