Runaways : Dead End Kids

2007 PREVIEW: RUNAWAYS

Superstar writer Joss Whedon exposes his influences on his upcoming teen-team run

Joss Whedon doesn’t need pop culture. The creator behind successful TV series such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and the hit comic Astonishing X-Men admits he can fall behind when it comes to being trendy. “I’m a vacuum of culture, but, you know, that’s just who I am,” jokes the writer. But as he takes over writing chores on Marvel’s teen-centric Runaways starting in April with issue #25, Whedon offered Wizard a unique look at what inspires him-proving that inspiration can come from places you least expect.

NEW YORK CITY

For the nomadic Runaways, the road is home, and starting with issue #25, they’ll find themselves in the Big Apple. “I put the team in New York because that’s where most of Marvel comics take place. It’s either there or outer space. They’re not going to be in anything resembling a stable situation, but they’re not going to be ‘The Amazing Race,’ either. I grew up in New York, but I don’t think they’re going to my apartment-the view wasn’t that great. [Laughs]”

NEW EXCALIBUR #1

Former New Excalibur artist Michael Ryan will be on board for Whedon’s run. “When Marvel mentioned [Michael], I didn’t know him. I looked at New Excalibur and I said, ‘Oh, I like, I like!’ I enjoy him because he’s a very straightforward storyteller. The images are dynamic, but not so dynamic that they lose reality. My biggest problem is artists who are so idiosyncratic that the art is gorgeous, but you don’t know where your eyes should go.”

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE Don’t expect the MTV sensations anywhere near Runaways. “Although I have a reputation for spitting out a lot of pop culture references, I’ve actually lived outside of popular culture. Apart from getting the new My Chemical Romance album, I don’t have a lot of music I’m listening to. I’m [just as] interested in what they’re putting on the Royal Ballet Company in London.”

RUNAWAYS #1

Behold: The image that made Whedon discover the Runaways in the first place. “I picked up the first issue on the stands. I have [cover artist] Jo Chen to thank for that, because it had a great cover! I was just kicking myself in the head for not having thought of the plot. I got completely hooked. I think of Runaways as being kind of like ‘Buffy’-it’s an idea that could work even if it wasn’t that good. It could have existed on pulp charm, but it was so beautifully rendered.”

MORRISSEY

When it comes to character wardrobe for Runaways, Whedon borrows from a close friend. “The kids have to dress up for this extremely important meeting. [Their look] is based on my friend Jesse Tobias. He plays guitar for Morrissey, and to play for Morrissey, you’ve got to suit up. There, I have one influence-I’m totally in the now. The pulse of a new generation. [Laughs]”

HEATHERS

Teaching a high school elective course earlier in his life, Whedon learned a lot from a certain ’80s teen flick. “Everything the students said was from the movie ‘Heathers.’ It was about listening to the way they mess with everything-very liquid, very fluid. On ‘Buffy,’ we deliberately never had them speak the same way twice.”