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36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazingly Original, Wonderfully Engaging; A Must-Read, January 5, 2006
A few months ago, I was walking around in a comic book store with a friend of mine. While I am a newbie in the world of comics, he knows his stuff, and he pointed out Runaways to me. I had never heard of it before, but he assured me that it was amazing. The premise is simple: 6 kids in Los Angeles find out that their parents are supervillains, and they run away from home and try to find ways to defeat them. I was intrigued by the idea, but I never picked it up until just now. The book was everything he said and more.
Alex Wilder, Gertrude Yorkes, Chase Stein, Karolina Dean, Nico Minoru, and Molly Hayes are six kids, ranging from 12 to about 17, living in LA. They exist within the established Marvel universe, meaning that heroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, and Wolverine, as well as supervillains like Dr. Octopus and Dr. Doom live in their world as well. That doesn't mean that they don't also live in "our world" as well. There are many references to popular culture, which I will touch on later. Since most Marvel stories are based in New York City, the six kids have never experienced larger than life situations that super heroes find themselves in. The closest Alex ever got was when he played online games with his friends.
Every year, the six families got together so that the parents could get stuff done for the charitable organization that they work for. At least that's what they tell their children. Meanwhile, the six kids, who aren't big fans of each other, are forced to hang out together and find ways to pass the time. Gert is a cynical girl who can't stand capitalist culture (if you've ever read/seen Ghost World, she's very much like Enid) while Chase is a lacrosse player without an overabundance of brains. Nico is a goth while Molly is a young firecracker. Karolina is an outgoing daughter of two movie stars while Alex is a calm and collected, somewhat shy boy (of all the characters, Alex is most like me).
One year, the kids decide that they are fed up with waiting for their parents to finish their business, so they decide to spy on the group, only to witness their parents murder a young woman. Terrified by the act, the group decides to run away. Soon, each child learns that they have received some sort of ability or gift from their parents. Gert, whose parents are time travellers, finds a genetically modified raptor that she can telepathically communicate with, Chase steals some gadgets and weapons from his inventor parents, and Nico learns that she, along with her parents, are sorcerors. Meanwhile, Karolina and her family are aliens with powers drawn from the Earth's sun, and Molly learns that she comes from a family of mutants. While Alex doesn't have any offensive abilities, he, along with his parents, is a master strategist.
Using their newfound abilities, the Runaways vow to atone for their parents' sins and become a West Coast-based team of superheroes. Along the way, they fight their parents a few times (and barely make it out alive), encounter Marvel superteam Cloak and Dagger, and find friendship (and a few find a little romance) in each other.
Despite being about a group of teenagers (and one pre-teen), this isn't kids' stuff. It does get very dark at times, and there are a lot of adult issues in the storylines (I don't want to mention what they are, because a few of them aren't revealed until the end). Although, it's interesting how certain aspects associated with real teenagers are twisted to fit the storyline. For example, while some real-life teens cut themselves out of anger, Nico cuts herself in order to get access to her magic staff (it will make much more sense when you read the book). Also, the characters are very well developed. Karolina may seem like a perky Hollywood girl on the outside, but there is a lot more going on under the surface. Molly may be the youngest, which causes the others to attempt to shelter her, she may be the most powerful among them, and can keep up with every other runaway. Not only are the kids developed, but they act and talk like real kids would. There are tons of pop culture references in this book. The best part is that it isn't all just about current culture. The Who, The Beatles, and James Dean's Rebel Without A Cause are all worked into the story, but that doesn't mean that things like The Matrix, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Smallville (a show involving a DC Comics character, mind you) also make the book.
The artwork in this book is great. A mix of American comic book art and anime, each character has their own distinctive look to them.
Originally, the book was cancelled after these 18 issues chronicled in this amazing hard cover set. However, wild fan support, some of which even came from Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and he is also referenced to in the story) helped get the book revived, and it is currently in its second "season". Speaking of Whedon, author Brian K. Vaughn even lists Whedon as one of his heroes in the book's forward, and it is amazing to know that he is a fan of this story, especially since it is written by a fan of him.
Runaways is definitely one of the most original stories I've come across in a while. Even if you aren't a comic book fan, you should definitely check it out. There will be a few references you might not get involving characters within the Marvel universe (there were a few I didn't get due to the fact that I'm not a hard-core comic book fan), but overall, it won't hurt your understanding or enjoyment of the story.
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by Brian K Vaughan
by Brian K Vaughan
by Brian K Vaughan
by Brian K Vaughan
