Runaways - Volume 3

This book could not be more worthy of your cash. Instead of buying "Runaways" in those tiny little digest books, treat yourself to this beautiful, over-sized hardcover edition. The sheer size of the pages really allows fans to appreciate the art (pencilled by Adrian Alphona, complimented by Christina Strain's lush colors) and the details that go into making each page. The binding is strong, the covers are awesome, and the page quality is top-notch. And, for all of those who aren't familiar with Brian K. Vaughan's writing, please stop reading this review right now and buy "Runaways." The story is amazing, compromised of some of the best comic book writing--or just writing, period--that I've ever read. This story is made of an astonishing one-shot Molly story (#13), "Parental Guidance" (#14-18) which is easily the best arc of the series, "Dead Means Dead" (#19-21), and "Live Fast" (#22-24). I won't bog this down by reviewing each arc [for my review of #12-18, click here:Runaways, Vol. 6: Parental Guidance/ for my review for #19-24, click here: Runaways Vol. 7: Live Fast ], but I can safely say that you'd be hard pressed to find a better team: writer Brian K. Vaughan, penciller Adrian Alphona, colorist Christina Strain, and cover artist Jo Chen are forces of life in the world of comics, and they come together on this project with beautiful results. If Runaways, Vol. 1 is called "Season One" by fans, then this book acts as the finale of the second season. This is Brian K. Vaugahn's last work on "Runaways," but the series is not over. The "third season" starts off with a six-issue arc by Joss Whedon (Runaways: Dead End Kids Premiere HC (Runaways)) which I can only hope will someday be collected into an oversized hardcover. But until that day, we have this. Marvelous buy. 9/10

Runaways is one of my top three favorite comic book series. This hardcover trade is a must-have for collectors. This hardcover trade collects Runaways Volume 2 issues #13-24 The Story Arcs: Dead Ringers (issue 13) Parental Guidance (issues 14-18) Dead Means Dead (issues 19-21) Live Fast (issues 22-24) I suggest you pick up Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways as well. This trade, written by Zeb Wells with art by Stefano Caselli, occurs between issues 21 and 22 of Runaways. If you like the characters in Runaways, read the Young Avengers and Runaways crossover. You won't regret it. This trade concludes Brian K. Vaughan's run as writer of Runaways. Issues 25 - 30 will be written by Joss Whedon. After Joss' brief run, Terry Moore will take over as writer of Runaways.

Superb characterizations extend the simple (yet extremely interesting) original idea that control and authority are two very different things. These three hardcover volumes rework, refine and re-explore that idea brilliantly. The seven paperback volumes contain the same material. Wikipedia may help you avoid buying parts of this amazing saga more than once.

Knowing that the announcement that Joss Whedon was going to take over scripting duties on "Runaways," Marvel Comics put out a one-shot comic book entitled "Runaways Saga" that would help late comers such as myself get up to speed. The comic book recaped the entire 42-issue series and include four new original pages that I would learn were necessitated by the fact that at the end of "Runaways" #24, Iron Man shows up with a S.H.I.E.L.D. team at the gang's Los Angeles hideout, but at the start of Whedon's first issue a new story has started without any explanation for what happened with Iron Man. But the recap did not really make an impression on me and since "Runaways" was the 2006 Harvey Award Winner for Best Continuing Series in addition to being Whedon's third title for Marvel, I thought I would just go back and read all 42 of those previous issues, which have conveniently been collected into three hardback volumes, of which this would be the third. This volume collects issues #13-24 of the second "Runaways" title (which is why the 42nd issue is numbered #24), all of which are written by Brian K. Vaughan and most of which are penciled by Adrian Alphona (Mike Norton pencils issues #19-21), with Craig Yeung doing the inking. First up there is a solo-story for Molly Hayes, "Dead Ringers," that should remind you of "Oliver" (or even "Oliver Twist") when Molly ends up with a crazy old guy who teaches children the fine art of thievery. The rest of the volume consists of a trio of story-arcs. "Parental Guidance" is a four-part story that begins when Alex's online friends, who think the Pride was a group of heroes rather than super villains, work a spell to try and bring Alex back to life. Instead, they summon a younger version of Geoffrey Wilder, Alex's father, who promptly tries to sacrifice first Nico and then Chase to the Gibborim to bring Alex and his wife back to life. The good news is that the Runaways stop Geoffrey, but the bad news is that one of the Runaways is killed (no, I will not give it away). Obviously, this is going to be a major development for the series and not something that will be quickly forgotten, like when they decided Thunderbird was too much like Wolverine and killed the character off a few issues after the X-Men went international. The three-part "Dead Mean's Dead" is somewhat ironic, because it is hard to count on one hand the number of Marvel superheroes who have managed to die and stay dead. But one of the Runaways refuses to accept the death of their teammate and decides to do something about it, a story-arc that has both short-term and long-range implications for the group. "Live-Fast" is another three-part tale that starts when a giant pink monster attacks L.A, but it is more the second half of the previous story because the Gibborim want to make good on their offer to bring the dead Runaway back to life. Lots of times when major characters die in comic books somebody tries to do something about it, but i

I love the Runaways. Probably this is because in a superhero universe where all the other inhabitants seem to be variations on a theme, these guys truly seem to march to a completely different drummer. Other Marvel heroes can be considered outsiders, like Wolverine and Spiderman, but even they have forged strong connections with other heroes. But our Runaways not only want little or nothing to do with other heroes, they don't want anything to do with any adult either, caped or not. This is the third collection in the Runaways saga and brings to an end the stories by series creator Brian K. Vaughan. Luckily the series has continued is uniquely capable hands. One of the clear influences on the Runaways is the television series BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, and BUFFY creator Joss Whedon has taken over the kids from Vaughan. Based on the first two issues by Whedon to have appeared so far, there is going to be no decline in quality. In fact, some fresh blood is likely to keep this the most original line in the Marvel world of comics. The charter members of the Runaways were a group of kids whose parents turned out to form The Pride, a thoroughly evil criminal organization that dominated Los Angeles. After most of them accidentally see their parents commit a ritual human sacrifice that is the cornerstone to their power, they run away from home and eventually fight and defeat them, resulting in the death of their parents. One of the original kids turns out to be a traitor. The remaining members are led (somewhat ineptly) by the Asian goth teen Nico, who is a powerful sorceress who possess the Staff of One, with which she can cast any spell, but only once. She also has a tendency to develop sexualized relationships with others in the group, a real life character flaw that is a bit more real-to-life than that with which other Marvel heroes struggle. The oldest in the group is Chase, the child of two evil genius inventors. Chase, however, though goodhearted, is not the brightest bulb in the bunch. Karolina, who can channel the power of sunlight into a variety of powers, is actually an alien and a lesbian, whose betrothed, Xavin, is a Super Skrull warrior (who didn't complete his training and therefore can wield only one of his many powers at a time) and shape shifter, so that he/she appears alternately in alien, female, and male form. Xavin appears different in almost every frame. Gert is the child of time travelers and has no powers of her own, but she is psychically linked to a velociraptor named Old Lace that her parents got for her before they knew that she was going to reject them. Victor Mancha is a cyborg who is the son of Ultron. Gert traveled from the future to let the Runaways know that in the future Victor turns evil and kills most of the world's superheroes. Victor, humbled by this, is striving not be become the kind of person who would fulfil that kind of destiny. Finally, and physically least, is Molly Hayes, who I will co