Runaways (series 3) #1

Posted by Jeb on September 3, 2008

(Marvel)

I suppose it had to happen. In the wake of the conclusion of Strangers in Paradise, Terry Moore has come on strong with both his new creator-owned series Echo, and the first issue of his run on Marvel’s Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, resolving any doubts about his ability to move on from the relationship comic that made his name. But I fear that the third time’s not exactly a charm: his initial issue kicks off the new series of Runaways in a highly disappointing style.

I’ll admit that a large part of my score for this issue has to do with my expectations, and the book’s potential, but there was ample reason for both to be high indeed. Not only is Moore a tremendously talented writer, but Runaways was almost unique: a completely new set of characters set in one of the Big Two universes with a compelling storyline that stood on its own. Yeah, there was the occasional nod to the rest of the Marvel U or big-name guest star, but at a time when comic writers and artists are saving their most original ideas for the creator-owned market, it was as though writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona had given Marvel fans a very special gift.

Not ALL Marvel fans, though. The series never sold well in individual issues (though the “digest-size” repackagings seemed to rack up numbers that Marvel was happy with). That was all going to change last year, though, when Joss Whedon signed on for a six-issue stint, his name alone promising the kind of sales excitement that had sent his Buffy and Astonishing X-Men high up the charts.

And, to be sure, the numbers for Whedon’s first issue of Runaways were miles ahead of where the book had been before. Unfortunately, like other writers with fingers in too many media pies (paging Frank Miller! Damon Lindlehof!), Whedon simply couldn’t turn in the scripts in a timely fashion, causing the six issues to drag on for what felt like six years. And that’s particularly disappointing, since those six issues, with stunning art by Michael Ryan, may actually have brought the series to its imaginative peak (for heaven’s sake, pick up the trade if you haven’t already).

Not sure the folks at Marvel saw it that way, though. Or maybe they’re just hedging their bets against a major dropoff in interest with Whedon’s departure. But by slapping a new #1 on this issue, it seems that Marvel’s not only trying to grab those folks who’ll buy the first issue of anything, but to “reassure” new readers that they can jump on here and skip what came before: including some of the most entertaining stories, and effective character development, that either of the Big Two have seen from a superhero book in years.

Yeah, I get the idea that every single comic issue is potentially someone’s first. But I don’t think that means you have to ignore everything that went before, for fear that new readers will be confused. Frankly, I think they’d be more confused by the fact that there’s nothing distinctive or interesting about this particular group of teens. I wouldn’t have wanted entire pages recapping the various adventures that shaped the dynamics of the team, but I’d like Moore to have made me feel that the investment I’ve put into getting to know the Runaways hasn’t been wasted.

Moore also plays it pretty safe with the storyline, as the old chestnut of one of the kids being hunted by aliens (in the presumably mistaken belief that she destroyed their planet) gets hauled out, along with some silliness involving their having to break in to a safe house, and mysterious happenings around an L.A. “shock-jock.” Not saying Moore won’t eventually make any of this compelling, but I’d like to have felt more of a need to keep reading right out of the box.

Some (most?) of the blame for this may rest with artist Humberto Ramos, who really makes you feel like we’re starting all over again. I’m not his biggest fan in the first place, but he’s made the Runaways virtually unrecognizable here… or, maybe, too recognizable: they look like the kind of cartoon caricatures that street artists charge five bucks for down on Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s all exaggeration, bulging eyes, gaping mouths, and interchangeable body types: Japanese stylings borrowed for their surface, not any real sense of structure. I guess it’s OK for the action sequences, but otherwise, I find it pretty offputting. And it’s not like cartoon versions of these characters can’t work: for comparison, take a look at the wit and restraint that Skottie Young employed with a similar approach in the X-Men/Runaways FCBD book a couple years back.

I doubt, though, that Ramos is wholly to blame: my guess is that this manga-lite compromise is what Marvel thinks will draw in the hip kids who like to read their comics right to left, and Ramos delivers.

It’s funny– for the first couple of years of Runaways, I pretty much bought the book for the scripts: I frankly found Alphona’s art work a bit stiff (and I liked it better when I’d occasionally see it in black and white, as the coloring seemed to darken and muddy it even further). When Whedon came aboard, I enjoyed his scripting (naturally), but was completely knocked out by the brightness and energy of Michael Ryan’s art. And, as I say, Skottie Young’s distinctive approach was entertaining (for one story, anyway). But what Ramos brings to the table has none of Alphona’s subtlety, Ryan’s detail, or Young’s imagination. And while I’d love to give Moore a chance to demonstrate that he has a better grip on this series than this first issue would suggest, I just don’t know that I can get past the art enough to keep trying.

[Raided] Runaways #29

Posted by Jeb on February 27, 2008

(Marvel)

I don’t see Runaways come up very often in discussion of late books, but you’d be hard pressed to think of a title that’s been hurt more by the tardiness that’s getting to be sadly common at Marvel and DC. Runaways was Brian K Vaughn’s most lasting contribution to the Marvel Universe, arguably the best young-superhero title to come along since the glory days of the X-Men, but Marvel never seemed able to break it to a wider audience (as a monthly book, anyway–I think the digest-sized trades sell pretty well). The announcement that Joss Whedon would be taking over the writing chores seemed to offer the perfect opportunity to win over his numerous fans, and the story that he and artist Michael Ryan have concocted is a doozy, full of time travel, sharp dialog, gorgeous period settings, and a truly interesting and distinctive collection of allies and enemies for the Runaways. It’s just a darn shame that it’s taking forever to complete: by the time each new issue comes out, after months of delay and rescheduling, the story’s momentum just takes that much longer to rebuild. And since I’m not particularly a fan of the digest-size collections, I think it’s really unfortunate that Marvel and Whedon couldn’t manage a workable schedule for this comic. At any rate, it remains a great read, and in this issue, we get revelations, confrontations, and the assembling of the various forces of good and evil that will contend for the fate of the future… a future that’s probably not going to arrive much before summer. Really, don’t wait for the trade on this one… you’re not getting any younger.