Customer Reviews

Runaways, Vol. 3: The Good Die Young

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow. Where to begin without spoiling the whole story? The authors came through with one heck of an explanation for the Pride's evil doings. Realistic? Not at all. Plausible? Sure. The writing is excellent (even if I don't believe real teenagers talk this wisely and humorously, I believe these six do), the motivations believeable, the confrontation between the kids and their parents both touching and painful and action packed...and the unveiling of the mole was a real surprise. I thought I had it pegged and then had to revise my take on everything that went before. Was the ending a tad rushed? Yup. Did the mole spend too long explaining WHY they acted as they had? Uh-huh. Was the epilogue a little obvious? Oh yeah. Even so, this ol' children's librarian loved every page.
Highly recommended

Brian K. Vaughan really knows what he's doing. This volume, collecting issues thirteen through eighteen of the first run of "Runaways," ties up every loose end perfectly. The villainous characters that make up The Pride, the primary villains of the series, are finally--and gracefully--fleshed out.

The story, simple as it is (kids rush to stop their evil parents from sacrificing the soul of an innocent girl to giant monsters), will leave you satisfied with what you've got, though still wanting more. Also, instead of the straightforward good versus evil that many of Marvel comics offer up, "Runaways" is really all about ambiguity. No one in this story is pure evil; there are so many ways to interpret this story that it may in fact leave you pondering it for long after you put it down.

The story isn't perfect, though. Deus ex machina is heavily put to use here, from the convenient way that Chase both found and was able to operate his parent's "ship" as well as the sudden, unexplained appearance of a very popular Marvel hero at the end, who neatly brings things to a close. However, the story is simply tasty enough to ignore that. You don't get the kind of quirky fantasy-drama that "Runaways" brings to the table without a price, and the usage of deus ex machina in this volume was that price. In my book, it was more than worth it.

The final issue collected in this volume is one of the best comics I've read, period. There's not much action--though there is some--but it's a perfect wind-down if I've ever read one. That's a problem many writers have, whether it be in prose, comics, or script-writing. The wind-down of a story has to be equally as good as the climax, answering any questions that weren't answered at that climatic moment, and at the same time giving a little nod to every little plot thread that was addressed earlier in the work. Brian K. Vaughan, seemingly effortlessly, does that.

9/10

Was amazing. Volumes 1-2 only hyped this vol. You find out who the traito is and much more. Several figthts,heartbreak and romance. Its Great.

I love this series!!!! It is clever, thoughtfully written, and has strong female characters. I gave these to my niece and she adores them.

Revelations abound in Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona's teenage superhero comic. Just as the team finally discovers the origins of the Pride, their families flush them out of their hiding place. With nowhere else to run, the teens agree to take the fight right to the Pride. And it is in this climatic battle that the mole hidden among the teens is finally revealed.

Not having much to say about the first 2 volumes, Book 3 leaves a more lasting impression. If the backstory of the villains doesn't do it for you, the comic also guest stars a Marvel superstar and throws in some budding romance for added incentive. I'm still not feelin' the artwork, though, except for the included cover gallery.

This comic is rated for ages 12 and up: Violence, Adult Language.

The book Runaways Vol. 3 is a really good book. I have read vol.1-4 and the the books were really good, I want to read all the other volumes. The problem in this book is that they find three giant troll-like humans but with six hands and discover a lot of secrets from their parents. I enjoyed the book and didn't really dislike anything. This is a graphic novel book. The main characters are the six runaways that are trying to hide from their parents. Their names are Alex, Gert, Molly, Karolina, and Nico. There are a lot of settings in this book, first there is the house in the cave that is extremely massive, then the house collapses and they have to go to the van and they have and live there, last at the end they go to a warehouse and find themselves with something weird. They have to defeat them any way they can. If you like super heroes this would be a excellent book for you. This book is extremly excellent book I would rate it a five but, that's just my opinion you would have to read it for yourself to see if you think the same thing.

"The Runaways" are an eclectic set of young heroes - multi-cultural and edgy - a younger, sexier version of the Fantastic Four. Vaughan even writes some self-parody when the kids say, "These disguises make us look like those politically correct, multi-ethnic gangs that only rob people in bad TV shows." At this point, we know that their parents may be super-villains or they may be super-heroes. The dialogue is the sometimes witty, sometimes indulgent. Vaughan sprinkles his dialogue with allusions to pop culture, art, music, TV and movies.

Volume Three kicks into high gear. This is the fastest paced of the stories so far. I won't write any spoilers, but suffice it to say we know who the mole is with the kids. We get so much plot development that by the end of this volume, the series almost feels over.

What can Vaughan have waiting for us in Volume 4?

I love the story of the Runaways and this is the Manga/Trade Paperback version of the first group of writings. It is the last volume before the next grouping of writings start and its a doozy. It will leave you on the edge of your seat... trust me.

Brian K. Vaughan, Runaways, vol. 3: The Good Die Young (Marvel, 2005)

The first major story arc of Runaways (and I mean "major" as in "they started numbering at 1 again after this) comes to a close here as the Runaways and the Pride are set for a major confrontation... but with a mole in the Runaways and treachery in the Pride, no one can afford to trust anyone. We also learn the secret of the Pride's power source, and why they do the things they do. And, of course, the traitor is revealed in the climactic battle. As with all things Vaughan, this is a fun, fun series. *** ½

Instead of picking up this book, buy this edition instead: Runaways, Vol. 1.

Originally this brilliant run by Vaughan was collected in these small Reader's Digest sized books. Runaways Vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland is now out of print. As a result of that, to read the entire arc of the story line, you will inevitably have to buy the hard cover Runaways, Vol. 1, so don't even bother picking up this particular TPB. You will have to double dip in the end if you do, so don't waste your money.

And yes, all the positive reviews are right; this is an excellent read, one of the best original series Marvel has put out perhaps in decades. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up.