Runaways

[Jerthanis]

Runaways is a series that I've recently gotten into and am currently very impressed by. I haven't seen a discussion thread about it and wondered if anyone else on here has read this title much. I would really recommend it to anyone who likes or at least has a tolerance for a teenage drama/superhero comic amalgamation, because the writing is very good and is one of the most original ideas coming out of Marvel these days.

The current story arc is written by Joss Whedon, and while I've yet to warm to the new story arc, he seems to continue writing the characters well and expanding upon the story in an interesting fashion.

Does anyone else in the Playground read this series?

[Grod_The_Giant]

:pukes: that kind of stuff's why I don't read Marvel much...too much angst and emotion, not enough action. What's the problem of just having a story that boils down to a hero and villain beating the **** out of each other?

[Little_Rudo]

Runaways is one of the few Marvel series I read outside of the Ultimate continuum, and one of the comic books that got me into reading them regularly, as opposed to browsing through the library's collection. It has great art, great characters that feel a lot more real than most comic book characters, and Gertrude Yorkes has become one of my favorite characters ever. (Way to turn the typical comic book heroine on it's head!)

Besides, as a female who's interested in a lot of male-dominated hobbies (D&D, comics, video games, etc.), it's nice to have a series that's so appealing to a female audience without going to the extreme of, say, Spider-Man Loves Mary-Jane. There are also quite a few cliche breakers, such as an asian leader who doesn't known martial arts or was trained by Wolverine. (Shock!)

Granted, I'm not terribly impressed with Whedon's arc. The first issue was bad, but the second seemed very clunky, and there are several little things that irritated me. (The use of 'Runaways' as a team name, Xandir using two powers at once, Karolina needing her bracelet...) Here's hoping the next few issues are as promising as their pretty covers! :smallsmile:

[StudlyDuck]

Runaways is a fun read. The writers really did a great job of capturing childlike personalities, though I think Molly might be a bit too exaggerated in her childishness. The characters act like real teenagers. There's also a good mix of action, characterization, and humor.

[Jerthanis]

:pukes: that kind of stuff's why I don't read Marvel much...too much angst and emotion, not enough action. What's the problem of just having a story that boils down to a hero and villain beating the **** out of each other?

I can actually totally understand this sentiment, despite not sharing it. I framed my recommendation of the series with the qualifier that you should have at least a tolerance for teenage agnst/drama. There are plenty of people who get most of their jollies out of the characters and drama in a story over its action though, so I felt okay recommending it, knowing there'd be people who would hate it as much as there are people who like it. The characters are its real strong point, and their unique blends of virtues and flaws in them will keep me interested for a long time.

I actually kind of miss when the cast consisted with fewer "superpowered" individuals. Alex was smart, but never supergenius level. Chase didn't have any real powers post-fistigons, and Karolina was their only flier, and they got along okay. Now they've got the dinosaur following Chase (eliminating him as a "what's your superpower?" "A poor upbringing" type) and they've got Vic, who is supposed to be capable of taking on a planet full of super heroes later in life, and Xavin, who is a Super-skrull with a rapidly diminishing limitation of one element at a time.

[Haruspex]

Read a bit of it, thought it was okay as comics went. They seemed a bit younger than your average super heroes, but meh. To each their own. An awful lot of extraterrestrials in that group, if I recall correctly.

[Konig]

I really like the series, and it's the first thing I check for on the shelf (Right before New X-men & The Initiative), but my major complaints are:
Karolina in the second volume - one particular issue was really haphazardly thrown together, and revelations that could have held a lot of weight, became something really nonsensical and rushed, mixed in with Xavin's introduction.

Gertrude dying. I liked the character, and I like the storyline that has developed, but I still dislike losing the character.

Molly is a likable character with minimal character development. I thought there was some hope when Mr. Wilder had her kidnapped and told her to drop the 'childish' act she was using to get attention, but she donned it right away, after.

Most interesting thing at the moment, IMHO, is the exploration of gender & sexuality regarding Xavin. There's definite confusion for all involved, and hints there's going to be a major blowup at some point.