When I first read this, I thought it was one of the best Marvel books of all-time, a decade later I realise it was the innovative storyline and artwork that was so different at the time it astounded me. The tale of an eclectic group of five youngsters witnessing a murder, and finding out that there parents are crime lords! Still an innovative idea, but there's a fair few plot holes and artistic licence around, still mightily departs from the mainstays of the Marvel Universe. 7 out of 12, Three Star read.

2020 and 2010 read

I read this years ago, but after watching the series, I wanted to revisit it to see how it held up. Parts of it have not aged well (cell phones are minimal, there's a reference to the Menendez brothers), but the central story, of teens who discover their parents are super-villains, still works well. The art is good, the characters get a surprising amount of depth in a short period of time, and the parents are more differentiated than in the live series. The book moves quickly, and some of the plotting makes more sense here than in the series. But if you enjoyed the series, reading this will feel familiar but give additional insights. And give you a springboard to read further volumes.

What would you do if you and your Teenage friends discovered your parents were human sacrificing Super Vilains?

Things kick off at a brisk pace. Quickly they discover they have powers/abilities and have to go on the run.

Well plotted for sure, note Brian K. Vaughn.

Really enjoyed the character designs, and though the art is simplified by today's standards I began to enjoy the clean look.

Most of the media/ pop culture references are going to fall flat unless you are 35+ years of age. Always a pitfall to consider when a book starts to age.

Overall this was a good time and I've been wanting to read it since I saw it on the shelves way back when.

Vaughan is just on another level. He has a knack for writing youth characters without making them campy or ridiculous or unrealistic. On top of that, he does everything well: character development, dialogue, action, plot pacing.

This book, along with almost everything he touches, is pure joy.

2020


I read this a few years back, but wasn't that take in by it. It fell a bit flat in comparisons with Saga (which I was also reading at the time).
But the story kept hunting me... I really needed to know if these kids ever got to the bottom of what their parents were up to.
So I decided to re-read it and then jump straight into the next volume to see if it will grab me this time around.
I'm still not a fan of the art. This is a major info dump and I feel a bit overwhelmed in putting kids and parents together. But I'm going to stick to reading at least the next two volumes and only after that decide if I'm giving it up for good.


2017

Somehow I expected more.
Even being a very original story, the characters is too one dimensional and boring.
The art is very basic with no WOW factor.
So I'm a bit disappointed.

Should I keep reading?

This is a fantastic graphic novel. It works as a Young Adult story. I works as a Mystery. It is brilliantly interwoven with Super Hero/Super Villain tropes. Highly recommended.

Bullet Reviews:

I've now got a fangirl crush on Brian K. Vaughan. What an amazing writer! Who hasn't imagined he or she was on the run from the parents? I love how this book takes one of my favorite plot devices - being on the run - and combines it with a great, diverse cast of likeable characters.

I'm going to get poor from all the amazing comic book series I keep finding!

Good art, good story and in a world where superheroes are real why wouldn't it make sense that Super Villains are as well.

What happens when villain's have babies and those babies grow up to be teenagers with a wavering sense of right and wrong but understand the value of good and evil?

When parents are willing to kill their children, frame them for murder and give them pet raptors - it's a crazy mixed up world.

With classic rock references, modern day references and an old movie or two it's gonna be a good series.

This is my second read, and I'm going to try and review like I don't know who the mole is...


The thing I really like about Runaways is that in one issue we get a whole new crew of kids with a bit of a darker OG story than most, built-in supervillains, teen angst, and a pretty solid bonding experience which makes for a good start in a group/team comic. That's pretty solid storytelling!

My problems with the series are character flaws... Molly is 11 but talks like she's 8/9 yo. Super duper young and childish, with everyone babying her.
There's a whole bit where she wants to talk about her changing body and everyone pushes her off (haha a period joke, how unoriginal).

What really gets me is the future reveal of the mole. I'm paying super close attention to them in these early volumes, and there's no groundwork for it. Nothing they say or do supports their (secret) support of their parents. It comes totally out of left field imo, and I don't like it.

Trying to ignore that, and enjoying the volume as it is, I'd rate this around a 3.5 stars.

Partiendo de una premisa ya de por sí original (un grupo de adolescentes que descubren que sus padres son supervillanos), Vaughan consigue sorprendernos en cada capítulo con pequeños giros, descubrimientos y cliffhangers, pero lo que hace bueno este cómic, superentretenido y con un punto adictivo es, además de los personajes que construye Vaughan, el ritmo narrativo y el tono juvenil, que más de 10 años después sigue resultando fresco como el primer día. La lectura es rápida y ligera, caen los números que ni te enteras.

Los autores consiguen crear un gran cómic de superhéroes alejándose de los temas clásicos del género y de la épica y la gravedad de los superhéroes adultos... en este tomo tenemos un relato de origen que sin dejar de lado la fantasía se siente natural, nada de adolescentes que de repente se cargan con la responsabilidad de salvar el mundo, nada de los típicos episodios iniciales de reclutamiento para crear un grupo de superheroes, simplemente es un grupo de chavales que se ven obligados a colaborar por las circunstancias y que van descubriendo juntos lo que sus padres les han estado ocultando desde que nacieron.

El estilo de dibujo no es mi favorito estéticamente, un poco demasiado cartoon para mi gusto teniendo en cuenta que esto no deja de ser una serie de superhéroes, pero funciona bien en este cómic y narra bien la acción.

An interesting take on the superhero genre. Too bad the next installment is out of print!

n  Full review to comen

76th book read in 2014.

Number 17 out of 419 on my all time book list.

Follow the link below to see my video review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgkzP...