The Runaways are back
Battleworld: Runaways ( ongoing) Writer: Noelle Stevenson Artist: Sanford Greene Publisher: Marvel
THE Victor Von Doom Institute For Gifted Youths is a school that selects the best and brightest of each Battleworld domain and helps mould them into tomorrow’s leaders. Its headmaster is Valeria Von Doom, and its hall monitors include the likes of Bucky Barnes.
On the surface, it seems like a perfectly normal high school, albeit one for kids with superpowers. But there is something sinister going on behind the scenes, and when one rag- tag team of kids forced together by circumstances discover the truth behind the school’s “tests”, they decide to escape the school and become the “Runaways”.
Since I’m a fan of the old Runaways series ( orginally created in 2003 by Brian K. Vaughan), this was one of my most anticipated titles of all the current Secret Wars spin- offs. However, this series features a completely new team of Runaways.
With teen Goth witch Nico Minoru playing in the big leagues with A- Force and the other original members nowhere to be seen on Battleworld, the original team is represented by the infectiously childish ( and super strong) Molly Hayes, while the other members of the new Runaways include Jubilee, Cloak, Dagger, Pixie, Amadeus Cho, Delphyne Gorgon, Skaar ( son of Hulk), and new character Sanna Strand.
It doesn’t seem like a very cohesive team at first, but surprisingly, it works. Jubilee takes over the leadership of the team, Cho provides the brains while his bodyguard Skaar brings the brawn, and the others provide a balance of teenage angst, recklessness and rebellion. And then there’s Molly – who, like Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls, is the joy and the laughter of the team.
Stevenson’s youthful sensibilities play a huge part in making this one of the most fun books in the current Secret Wars lineup. Her take on a superhero high school is grounded in reality, the dialogue reads naturally ( as in the teenage characters actually do talk like teenagers are supposed to) and things get cranked up a notch ( when the team is finally forced to “run away”). She also shows a keen understanding of each character involved. Established ones like Jubilee and Pixie are familiar but feel fresh at the same time, while others like Cho and Skaar are also given sufficient room to develop.
Fellow rising star Sanford Green’s art is also instrumental in giving the characters a sense of teen spirit, adding to the fun, adventurous atmosphere of the book. His character designs are especially impressive, providing us with one of the most joyful depictions of Molly ever.
With the first two issues so far setting up the team and how they become the Runaways, there should be a lot more to expect from this group. Where do they go from here? What will their next move be? Will they play a part in the main Secret Wars story? Whatever happens next, let’s hope Stevenson and Greene continue to work on it, because they are the perfect match for this new era of Runaways.