Runaways [2003] Volume 1: Pride and Joy

This was somehow exactly what I didn't know I wanted. ( )

Decent, pretty fast opener to the series. I'm already pretty familiar thanks to the tv show by the same name.

I still think the premise is strong. Kids of a bunch of supervillains run away, emancipating themselves from their dark, evil families. :)

( )

I enjoyed this a lot as a teenager when I first got into comic books. The premise of kids finding out their parents are supervillains is still a strong one. The art work is a bit dodgy, though. I'm glad it improved later in the series. ( )

I read this while I was interning at the local public library when it first came out, and I thought it was a pretty good. Seeing it and the second volume in the bookswap, I got them and my opinion stays the same. It sure as hell is more in-tune with kids and teens then the Power Pack ever were (remember them? ha!).

It is just because of that on-the-pulse touch that will date 'Runaways' in time, if it hasn't already. I will be the first to admit that what kids are into these days baffle me, one of my sister's friend's 8 year old daughter showed me her collection of Silly Bands and I couldn't help but think of myself solemnly explaining to my parents the Ninja Turtles.

'Runaways' is funny, sometimes cute and, as I've said a damn good try to attract kids to superhero comics when all they seem to care about is the latest issue of Shonen Jump. Apparently it's still going strong, so good on you Marvel.

The Runaways

Next: 'Teenage Wasteland' ( )

After I read Runaways: Find Your Way Home I was curious about how the story began, especially since I've enjoyed some of Saga which is also by Brian K. Vaughan.

A group of teenagers, plus an eleven year old, discover that their parents are super-villains. They escape together and learn more about their own usual abilities.

This was interesting enough that I read the two volumes after this one, until the end of the narrative arc (when the gang confront their parents). But even after three volumes, I didn’t feel a strong attachment to any of the characters. It’s quite odd. This is the sort of story I like, and yet...

I think it’s partly the storytelling, which doesn’t include enough scenes that allow the characters to convincingly form deep bonds, and partly the artwork style, which doesn’t really appeal to me and moreover colours how I interpret the characters. If they looked more realistic, they’d seem more like people with greater depth and then I might not feel so indifferent. ( )