Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: Michael Ryan
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $2.99
Release Date: 4th April
No longer the newest super-team in the Marvel Universe (A title that’s effectively redundant with the multiple teams of the Fifty-State Initiative), or even the newest team of young people (Step forward Young Avengers and Loners, welcome back New Warriors, don’t think I don’t see you hiding behind the wall of non-continuity, Power Pack!), the Runaways may have to find themselves a new niche.
Or possibly just reaffirm their old claim, as best-written team in the Marvel Universe.
They’ve now had forty-two issues under their creator, Brian K Vaughan, a reasonably good shared mini-series alongside the Young Avengers by Zeb Wells, a Free Comic Book Day one-shot co-starring the Astonishing X-Men, also by Vaughan a recap “Saga” by C.B. Cebulski and Runaways uberfan Mindy Owens. Now Vaughn has handed the reins over to Joss Whedon, probably still best known for creating Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the results are not exactly surprising.
It’s not particularly different. At all.
Whether this is a good or a bad thing remains to be seen, but going on this issue, there are no complaints. The main cast are all still the same people they were in Vaughan’s final issue, and Whedon gives them all strong character moments both large and small – there are two back-to-back scenes on rooftops which show just how well Whedon knows these characters. Whedon also knows how to deal with a cast of teenagers (See: Buffy), and an ensemble cast in general (See: His TV career, Astonishing X-Men). A major worry was that Whedon would just overlay characters from his earlier work onto the Runaways – Molly, as the youngest member of the team, would be Dawn, Chase, as the pop-culture drenched non-powered guy would be Xander – but those fears appear to be mostly unfounded.
As for the team’s co-creator, original penciller Adrian Alphona? His replacement is Michael Ryan (New Excalibur, New X-Men), who brings his own stamp to the book but, once again, keeps the characters looking like themselves. He’s also very good, an artist with a modern style yet classic clear lines and figures.
The issue itself brings the team back to New York again, this time for a meeting with a mysterious “benefactor”, one of Marvel’s biggest characters. They ask for a favour, the “benefactor” asks them for a favour in return, and we’re off and running.
The identity of the benefactor came as a complete surprise, despite the pages leading up to their arrival having been released as a preview since January. It also shows how well the characters are integrated with the rest of the Marvel Universe, as the reasons for the meeting are completely logical.
Despite what you may think from having this issue’s other big name guest star on the well-publicised cover for issue 26, the ending will probably still come as a surprise.
Whedon is said to be sticking around for only six issues. On the strength of this one alone, he should stay longer.
MUCH longer.
-
Russell Hillman was born in London but now lives in Coventry. His hobbies include precious little. He doesn’t get out much, but thinks reading a lot of comics makes up for it. He’s wrong.