Runaways - Volume 3: The Good Die Young

I love the story of the Runaways and this is the Manga/Trade Paperback version of the first group of writings. It is the last volume before the next grouping of writings start and its a doozy. It will leave you on the edge of your seat... trust me.

Instead of picking up this book, buy this edition instead: Runaways, Vol. 1. Originally this brilliant run by Vaughan was collected in these small Reader's Digest sized books. Runaways Vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland is now out of print. As a result of that, to read the entire arc of the story line, you will inevitably have to buy the hard cover Runaways, Vol. 1, so don't even bother picking up this particular TPB. You will have to double dip in the end if you do, so don't waste your money. And yes, all the positive reviews are right; this is an excellent read, one of the best original series Marvel has put out perhaps in decades. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

Brian K. Vaughan really knows what he's doing. This volume, collecting issues thirteen through eighteen of the first run of "Runaways," ties up every loose end perfectly. The villainous characters that make up The Pride, the primary villains of the series, are finally--and gracefully--fleshed out. The story, simple as it is (kids rush to stop their evil parents from sacrificing the soul of an innocent girl to giant monsters), will leave you satisfied with what you've got, though still wanting more. Also, instead of the straightforward good versus evil that many of Marvel comics offer up, "Runaways" is really all about ambiguity. No one in this story is pure evil; there are so many ways to interpret this story that it may in fact leave you pondering it for long after you put it down. The story isn't perfect, though. Deus ex machina is heavily put to use here, from the convenient way that Chase both found and was able to operate his parent's "ship" as well as the sudden, unexplained appearance of a very popular Marvel hero at the end, who neatly brings things to a close. However, the story is simply tasty enough to ignore that. You don't get the kind of quirky fantasy-drama that "Runaways" brings to the table without a price, and the usage of deus ex machina in this volume was that price. In my book, it was more than worth it. The final issue collected in this volume is one of the best comics I've read, period. There's not much action--though there is some--but it's a perfect wind-down if I've ever read one. That's a problem many writers have, whether it be in prose, comics, or script-writing. The wind-down of a story has to be equally as good as the climax, answering any questions that weren't answered at that climatic moment, and at the same time giving a little nod to every little plot thread that was addressed earlier in the work. Brian K. Vaughan, seemingly effortlessly, does that. 9/10

Really excellent all ages superhero stories. This picks up again from the fist volume, with some unexpected about turns, some new revelations, some new antagonists, new locations, and run-ins with adults and other well-meaning types. The Runaways, of course, resist, thinking they know best for them. In this case, they probably do.

Wow. Where to begin without spoiling the whole story? The authors came through with one heck of an explanation for the Pride's evil doings. Realistic? Not at all. Plausible? Sure. The writing is excellent (even if I don't believe real teenagers talk this wisely and humorously, I believe these six do), the motivations believeable, the confrontation between the kids and their parents both touching and painful and action packed...and the unveiling of the mole was a real surprise. I thought I had it pegged and then had to revise my take on everything that went before. Was the ending a tad rushed? Yup. Did the mole spend too long explaining WHY they acted as they had? Uh-huh. Was the epilogue a little obvious? Oh yeah. Even so, this ol' children's librarian loved every page. Highly recommended