Runaways : Dead End Kids

So after taking time to give the team that created this little book of teenaged, superpowered misfits a little bit of a sendoff with last issue, I figure it’s up to me to go ahead and take a gander at the new boys at the helm—that being mastermind of the Buffyverse Joss Whedon and penciling veteran Michael Ryan.

Now, first things first, I’m already caught a little off guard because this book started in no way what I expected it to; with mixed feelings. When we last saw our ragtag band, they had just one upped the godlike beings that were the cause of the Pride (the evil organization that was headed by the RUNAWAYS parents), the Gibborim, and had returned home to find themselves staring face to face with junior fascist Iron Man. And from there I was expecting a full blown "Registered Runaways" and blah blah storyline, which I was almost okay with and even kind of prepared for since Marvel decided to go ahead and throw together a completely disposable RUNAWAYS VS. YOUNG AVENGERS mini for CIVIL WAR.

But alas it was not to be and instead of being treated to that we’re thrown into a scenario I’d have never imagined this book doing...having dinner with The Kingpin? And honestly, is he even the Kingpin right now? I don’t even know what is going on with the guy. First he’s in jail with Matt Murdock, and then he’s getting acquitted by MM as well, and then he’s putting out hits on Spider-Man, and now he’s offering our protagonists protection while they’re in the Big Apple in exchange for one little favor involving a little bit of theft. Oh well. I don’t know and I’m sure Marvel Editorial doesn’t either, no need to dwell, he’s there for a reason and gets to the point rather quickly.

Honestly, there isn’t much going on in this particular issue beyond that encounter with the portly crime lord. This issue is more to set the stage for the arc as a whole, it looks. The emphasis here is more on giving a little bit of a glimpse of a new foil for the Runaways, and for Whedon to flex his characterization muscles and show us he understands the characters. This is key given the whole drive of this book is the characters and their particular quirks and the changes they go through. Little side encounters between the team show that Whedon still knows his awkward teenagers, and understands the complex relationships Brian K. Vaughan instilled amongst his creations before he let them run free. There’s a nice little jolt of action towards the end of the book when the crew are attempting to honor their end of the bargain with the Kingpin that shows that next issue should be chock full of adrenaline as one very angry and heavily armed man in black is now involved in the whole debacle.

The art chores are also in good hands, as Michael Ryan brings some really detailed stuff to the world of the Runaways. As much as I still didn’t want to see BKV leave this title, I knew at least that Whedon had the same kind of touch and therefore could work well on this. But on art I wasn’t so sure. Alphona’s art was a very integral part of how this title worked as well, and his unique blend of realism and cartoonism was going to be sorely missed. And it still is, but Ryan brings the house when it comes to loading every single panel (or damn near) with so much detail that it really does bring a new life to the pages. Every page has so much eye candy going for it, but also never loses the heart of the book with the extra emphasis he puts on his facial ticks. Ryan’s art is also another successful "casting call" when it came to this new direction.

So overall this was a pretty solid read. We know our creative crew can handle these characters, so that’s a big plus, and there’s some pushing and nudging towards a greater story, so we’ve got something to look forward to. I was hoping for more of a "jump right in and go for it" approach (which to be honest this does have to an extent) but I can handle a slow burn for an issue and the interpersonal stuff was handled really well so the story paced itself well. This actually does make a good jumping on point if you’re one of the many fans who probably had no idea this book existed until Joss "Goth Overlord" Whedon’s name became attached to it, but there will be some details that will probably go over your head at first so it would be nice if you went out and at least tried some of those nifty digests that cover the span of the book thus far to see what you missed. But this was a nice start to what I hope turns out to be another great chapter in the saga of the RUNAWAYS. Go Joss go. I know you can do it.