Runaways was my first comic series. The core premise is rarely seen and Brian K. Vaughn crafts great teenaged characters who are multifaceted and fun to read about. For this review, I'll go a brief overview of the first volume, arc by arc, and give it a rating based on a variant of SF Debris scale for non-trek series.
Pride and Joy, vol. 1 #1-6: This arc introduces and sets up the kids, their parents and the premise extremely well. The first issue introduces all 18 characters in a basic manner and even hinting at their layers within the space of about 10 pages. From there, it can both tell the story and delve deeper as the kids discover the truth about their parents and themselves (in some cases) before setting up shop to be the Marvel Universe's newest super hero team. As such, this one gets a stamp of MUST SEE.
Teenage Wasteland, vol. 1 #7-10: This is the first test of the team. Dealing with living in a run down mansion, on their own for the first time and the first time to deal with super villains who are not their parents. Nico learns the limits of her powers as others explore theirs (Chase and the Fistigons get a special laugh from me) and the interpersonal drama ranks up to 11. They're teenagers, these things happen. Overall, I'd give this a stamp of STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Topher make a great catalyst for the kids and sparks a lot of drama. I love drama.
Cloak and Dagger, vol. 1 #11-12: Cloak And Dagger show up! Really, that's the thrust of it. The Runaways meet the original runaway super teens. They meet, fight for legitimate reasons and briefly team up. It really displays the ruthlessness of the 'rents and that when they aren't pulling their punches against their progeny, they really are intelligent villains. But, it's not that important a story. As such, I can only say it's RECOMMENDED.
The Good Die Young, vol. 1 #13-18: This is the big climactic arc of the series. We learn the origin of the Pride, the reasons behind the 'rents actions and it's a lot deeper and more complex than it would appear on the surface. It's pretty well known now for some of the bigger twists, but it's still a good read without relying on the surprise. As such, it's also a MUST SEE.
Average score for Vol. 1: STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. I love them, but I'm a harsh critic.
ComicBook Volume 1: My intro to comics and it still holds up today
Runaways was my first comic series. The core premise is rarely seen and Brian K. Vaughn crafts great teenaged characters who are multifaceted and fun to read about. For this review, I'll go a brief overview of the first volume, arc by arc, and give it a rating based on a variant of SF Debris scale for non-trek series.
Pride and Joy, vol. 1 #1-6: This arc introduces and sets up the kids, their parents and the premise extremely well. The first issue introduces all 18 characters in a basic manner and even hinting at their layers within the space of about 10 pages. From there, it can both tell the story and delve deeper as the kids discover the truth about their parents and themselves (in some cases) before setting up shop to be the Marvel Universe's newest super hero team. As such, this one gets a stamp of MUST SEE.
Teenage Wasteland, vol. 1 #7-10: This is the first test of the team. Dealing with living in a run down mansion, on their own for the first time and the first time to deal with super villains who are not their parents. Nico learns the limits of her powers as others explore theirs (Chase and the Fistigons get a special laugh from me) and the interpersonal drama ranks up to 11. They're teenagers, these things happen. Overall, I'd give this a stamp of STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Topher make a great catalyst for the kids and sparks a lot of drama. I love drama.
Cloak and Dagger, vol. 1 #11-12: Cloak And Dagger show up! Really, that's the thrust of it. The Runaways meet the original runaway super teens. They meet, fight for legitimate reasons and briefly team up. It really displays the ruthlessness of the 'rents and that when they aren't pulling their punches against their progeny, they really are intelligent villains. But, it's not that important a story. As such, I can only say it's RECOMMENDED.
The Good Die Young, vol. 1 #13-18: This is the big climactic arc of the series. We learn the origin of the Pride, the reasons behind the 'rents actions and it's a lot deeper and more complex than it would appear on the surface. It's pretty well known now for some of the bigger twists, but it's still a good read without relying on the surprise. As such, it's also a MUST SEE.
Average score for Vol. 1: STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. I love them, but I'm a harsh critic.