Runaways: Pride & Joy

I am a comic book geek and a Teen librarian and I'd heard ALOT about the Runaways series. Not just in the comic world but also from other librarians as well. I went into this book a bit hesitant, sure that it couldn't live up to the hype that had been built around it. I was wrong. I sat down and read this digest in less than an hour and I was left wanting more. Mainly the story is about a group of kids that are forced into a sort of 'family reunion' every so often when their parents get together. What they don't know is that their parents are a group of Super Villians and are doing evil deeds during these get togethers. The kids find out what is going on with their parents and decide to fight back. The book was fast paced and very funny. They balanced the action and the humor very well and neither weighed on the other. I would definatly reccomend this book to any comic book fan and even to people that might not have as much of a background in comics.

Not so long ago, I was talking to a friend of mine about coming up with an original idea for a comic. He often said that all the good ideas were taken, and there was no originality in comics anymore. Well at the time, I thought he was right. Then the House of Ideas came up with Runaways, and that was it for the 'death of originality.' Here we have six teenagers who learn that their parents are secretly a clan of supervillains. Specifically, they're aliens, sorcerers, mutants, mad scientists, travelers from the future, and a couple of good old-fashioned gangsters, each of whom is a husband/wife couple who had their own child. Now that the (mostly) law-abiding children know, they run away from home with a few of their parents' weapons and gimmicks in the hopes of stopping them somehow. What's more, the parents have framed their kids for murder, and it is revealed at the end of this volume that... well, I'll just let you buy the thing and see it for yourself. Now, this story takes place in the Marvel Universe, and all the other Marvel heroes are there, so why aren't they helping? Because most of the Marvel heroes live in New York City, or somewhere else on the east coast. These runaways and their parents live out in Beverly Hills, California. Living a continent away from Earth's mightiest heroes makes it easier for a gang of super-villains to set up shop. Wonder why the Green Goblin or Magneto never thought of that? Hmn! Now, Runaways is a character book, and it hinges mostly on the kids themselves. The situations are actually very believable, and the dialogue rings true throughout. I would recommend this book to anyone I see, whether they like, comic books or not.

This great new series follows the story of six teenagers as they go from being normal kids to learning that their parents are more than they seem, and frankly, evil. One of the key elements that makes this story click is one word: fun. While maintaining a fairly serious tone, the story is full of humor and amusment. The whole books just has a freshness and sense of fun that really makes it not only work, but is good reading for people of all ages; similar to the appeal of "Ultimate Spider-Man" but even moreso because of the diversity of the cast.Brian Vaughn continues to impress with his writing that also makes "Y: The Last Man" so good: great dialogue and characterization, humor, action, and an unpredictable plot full of twists and turns; his writing here is even better because it has more appeal than "Y's" mature, post apocalypse story.Newcomer Adrian Alphona supplies very good artwork that really adds to the story and Brian Reber's colors are also great for conveying the vibrant characters as well as the dark settings.With fantastic writing and good artwork, "Runaways" is one of the best new series of the year.At such a good price, there is no reason why anyone should not miss this great new series.

This is not only one of the best books being published by Marvel, but one of the best reads in the comic industry, heck it's one of the best stories in the entire entertainment industry right now. Although it has great dialogue, characterization, and plotting, it is far from realistic--it's a SUPERHERO book; it's not supposed to be realistic. And it is about teenagers; it is not dark and serious like a lot of comics published today. But it is a ton of fun, from start to finish, if you want an entertaining read, you won't regret reading RUNAWAYS. So, realize what kind of an audience the book is trying to reach; if this does not sound like you, still buy it; it did not sound like a book for me, but I am now hooked. Help keep the series alive and buy it!

God, what else is there to say?Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean, Chase Stein, and Molly Hayes are all children of privelege. Unbeknownst to them however, this privelege comes from the fact that their parents are all members of a secret criminal organization called the Pride that has its hands in everything dirty to be had in LA. When they discover this, the kids must go on the run, discover the truth about their parents, and decide what to do with the new knowledge and abilities the journey grants them.The kicker of this book is the wonderful storytelling and characterization. Brian Vaughan, writer of the acclaimed Y: The Last Man, turns in taut and suspenseful scripts; reading this story in single issues, I couldn't wait for the next chapter to come out. The ideas come at a fast pace, but the story is kept manageable by the great cast. Each of the kids is a unique, believable individual, and cliched like so many teens written by adults these days. Very few can pull of writing young characters in a way that will appeal to young readers, but Vaughan is one of them. Kids and adults alike will fall in love with these characters. If nothing else, there's a dinosaur.So, in closing, buy this trade, and then rush down to your local comic store to seek out the following issues. 14 have been published to date; the first six are reprinted in this volume.