“Runaways” No. 24
By Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona
Marvel Comics
4 Paws
Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona’s run on “Runaways” has finally come to an end.
And despite returning to what can only be described as the “status quo” for these characters, they’ve managed to leave just enough unanswered questions for writer Joss Whedon (of “Astonishing X-Men” and TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) to answer when he comes onto the book next month.
In what can only be described as Marvel’s answer to the Scooby-Doo gang, “Runaways” turned out better than it had any right to be. Following the story of six teens (and one tame velociraptor) as they fight crime and bicker among themselves, “Runaways” showed that a major comics publisher could introduce new, interesting characters in a continuity and a universe already bulging at the seams with similar archetypes. It certainly didn’t hurt that Alphona’s art was actually new and different.
Dynamic and fluid, Alphona’s art actually lets the teenagers be teenagers ““ the boys don’t have absurd, terrifying musculature and the girls don’t have D-cups and eating disorders.
What sets “Runaways” apart from all the other myriad super-powered teenagers is the simple fact that the writing is, shock and horror, actually good.
Vaughan lets characters act their age without dumbing them down or insulting the reader and lets them get into thorny situations that never have easy answers.
And not only do they get to act their own age, but Vaughan gives them the chance to mature as a result of their decisions as well.
He even brought in forgotten characters such as Darkhawk, a relic of past teen-hero book “The New Warriors” as well as his own series, and expanded on his continuity.
By Vaughan’s last issue, the characters picking up the pieces of yet another apocalyptic fight bear little resemblance to the ones in issue No. 1, though without entirely redefining who the characters intrinsically are.
Quiet goth girl Nico is now the team leader, meathead Chase learns how to mourn, and preppy Karolina finally feels comfortable with her sexuality. Rather than force the characters into iconic, yet stifling archetypes, Vaughan lets them breathe, lets them change, lets them grow.
“Runaways” No. 24 allows the characters to come full circle without losing everything they have learned and experienced to the endless void that is the shift in the comic book creative teams.
In a medium known for its ability to remain stagnant and to keep its bankable characters in the same moment when so many fell in love with them in the first place, character growth is practically priceless.
Despite Vaughan and Alphona’s departure, here’s hoping that when issue No. 25 rolls around, the new creative team won’t be afraid to shake it up a bit and avoid that very same stagnation that has trapped countless equally promising books.