Runaways (comics)
| Runaways | |
|---|---|
| File:Runawaystwo01.jpg Cover to Runaways (v2) #1. Cover Art by Jo Chen. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Runaways (first series) #1 |
| Created by | Brian K. Vaughan Adrian Alphona, |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | (current) A hidden base under La Brea Tar Pits (former) Branson Canyon Hostel |
Runaways is an ongoing comic book series, created and written by Brian K. Vaughan, ilustrated by Adrian Alphona (except a few issues illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa), and published monthly by Marvel Comics. The series is about six teenagers who run away from home and try to become superheroes after they discover their parents are secretly a group of super-villains called The Pride.
Publication history
Runaways was launched in 2002 as part of Marvel's Tsunami imprint. While it did not achieve high sales, it gained a sizable cult following and rave reviews from critics. After the Tsunami imprint was cancelled in January 2003, the series was moved to the Marvel Age imprint. In September 2004, the series ended at issue 18. At the time, the series creator Brian K. Vaughan insisted this was merely a "season finale" and promised that the series would return in a few months. Mindful of the long list of comic book series that have never returned despite similar promises, the fans remained apprehensive until November of the same year, when Marvel confirmed the release of a new Runaways series, which was to open with a six-part story arc entitled "True Believers". The revival of the series was attributed to comparatively high sales of the series' digest reprints. The first issue was released on February 16 2005 as part of the Marvel Next initiative.
Characters
The Runaways
Current members
- Nico Minoru - Current leader of the group. Carries the mystic "Staff of One," which allows her to cast spells, though never the same one twice. Went by the codename "Sister Grimm" during the first series run.
- Chase Stein - "Pilots" the "Leapfrog," their ship. Originally possessed gauntlets known as "Fistigons" that can make fire in any form that Chase desires, although the Fistigons were destroyed by Nico Minoru when Alex Wilder used them against the Runaways. Was given the codename "Talkback."
- Gertrude Yorkes - Possesses a genetically engineered deinonychus (whom she dubbed "Old Lace") under her telepathic control. Went by the codename "Arsenic."
- Molly Hayes - A mutant with super-strength which may be psionic in nature, she grows sleepy after exerting herself or using her invulnerability. Was given the codename "Bruiser", although she'd rather be called Princess Powerful.
- Victor Mancha - The cyborg son of the robotic Avengers foe Ultron and Marianella Mancha, an infertile drug mule. He has electromagnetic abilities.
Former members
- Alex Wilder - The former de facto leader of the group. Had no super-human abilities and refused to adopt a codename, insisting that he wanted to redeem the family name his parents had ruined. It turned out that he was in fact a mole, secretly passing information to The Pride. He learned of The Pride before the rest of the Runaways, and felt compelled to help his parents when he learned of a plot by the Hayes and Deans to overthrow the rest of The Pride.
- Topher - A teenager who joined the team after they foiled a convenience store robbery that was supposedly perpetrated by his evil, super-powered parents. The charming young man quickly seduced Nico and caused tension among the Runaways. Topher was revealed to be a vampire, and his "parents" were actually lesser vampires sired by him. Topher planned to turn Nico into a vampire and kill the other Runaways, but he spontaneously combusted after he drank Karolina's solar-powered blood.
- Karolina Dean - Her alien heritage gives her ability to fly and manipulate solar energy. Chose the codename "Lucy in the Sky," but parted company with the group in order to return to her home planet of Majesdane in hopes of stopping a war between it and the Skrulls. Although, there is some evidence that she might return.
The Pride
The Pride were the Runaways' parents, a group of archetypical supervillains who kept their illicit activities secret from their children. They were apparently killed by the Gibborim, their benefactors, at the end of the first series.
Excelsior
Excelsior is a support group for former teenage superheroes. Its stated goal is to help fellow teenage superheroes to adjust to mundane lives and dissuade other super-powered teenagers from becoming heroes. They were introduced in the first arc of the second series, "True Believers". Founded by Turbo, former member of New Warriors and Phil Urich, who was the heroic fourth incarnation of Green Goblin, their attendees are Chamber, a former member of Generation X (who was really Geoffrey Wilder using magic); Darkhawk, another former New Warrior who was briefly a member of the West Coast Avengers; Ricochet, member of the short-lived group , the Slingers; and Julie Power, formerly of Power Pack.
Summaries
 | It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled Runaways (comics) (story arcs). (Discuss) |
Volume 1
Pride and Joy
A six-part story arc, first printed in Runaways (vol. 1) #1-6 and reprinted in the first digest, "Pride and Joy". Written by Brian K. Vaughan, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by David Newbold & Craig Yeung.
The Runaways are introduced individually and meet at their families' annual gathering. When they see "The Rite of Blood," a ritual sacrifice of a teenaged girl, the shocked teens find strength in one another. Together, they run away and vow to turn the tables on their evil parents. They steal weapons and resources from their parents, and two learn they have special powers:
- Nico obtains a mystical staff called The Staff of One.
- Chase finds powerful, futuristic gauntlets called Fistigons and multi-spectral goggles.
- Karolina discovers her alien heritage.
- Molly discovers she is a mutant.
- Gert inherits a genetically engineered Deinonychus (which they mistook for a Velociraptor) named Old Lace, which shares an empathic link with Gert and is under her telepathic control.
- The group finds the Abstract, a sacred text and history of "The Pride," & Mrs. Dean's decoder ring, which is required to read it.
The Runaways call the cops, but receive no help (partly because the cops think it's a crank call, and partly because Alex's parents have agents in the LAPD). Nico and Alex kiss for the first time. "The Pride," with the help of LAPD Lieutenant Flores, frame their children for the murder of the innocent girl that was killed in the Rite of Blood. The Runaways are forced to retreat to a subterranean hideout nicknamed "The Hostel", that is a "missing mansion" swallowed up during an earthquake in the 1920s or 1930s. The Runaways, except Alex, pick new names to replace the ones their parents gave them. A note left at the Deans' house reveals that one of the Runaways is secretly loyal to the Pride.
Teenage Wasteland
A four-part arc, first printed in Runaways (vol. 1) #7-10 and reprinted in the second digest, "Teenage Wasteland". Written by Brian K. Vaughan, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung.
The Runaways are still in hiding. At a convenience store robbery, the Runaways encounter a boy named Topher. Nico discovers that she cannot cast the same spell twice. Topher claims his evil parents forced him to aid them in the robbery, and the group takes him back to the Hostel. Topher's presence ignites tension between Alex, Nico, and Karolina. Topher reveals himself as a vampire, and attempts to "turn" Nico. Alex rescues her, and Nico and Alex fall in love. Topher dies after biting Karolina, whose blood is infused with solar energy. The Pride track down and kill Topher's "parents" (actually his lackeys) and learn that their children have defeated Topher. They feel a modicum of pride.
Lost and Found
A two-part arc, first printed in Runaways (vol. 1) #11 and #12 and reprinted in the second digest, "Teenage Wasteland". Written by Brian K. Vaughan, pencilled by Takeshi Miyazawa and inked by David Newbold.
The Runaways meet Marvel's original teen runaway crimefighters, Cloak and Dagger. They were sent by Lieutenant Flores, who told them Molly was kidnapped by Alex, Nico and Gertrude. He does so without the approval of the Pride. Upon learning of his actions, Catherine Wilder shoots Lt. Flores in the leg. In the fight that ensues between Cloak and Dagger and the Runaways, Alex, Chase, Nico, and Karolina are drawn into the Darkforce Dimension by Cloak. Molly rips the cloak off of Cloak, turning him back into an ordinary human. Cloak is restored, the four older Runaways are rescued, and the misunderstanding is cleared up.Cloak and Dagger promise to contact the Avengers to help the Runaways take down the Pride, but the mole tips off the Pride, and they telepathically remove all memory of the Runaways from Cloak and Dagger. The Runaways, unaware of this, go out for tacos.
The Good Die Young
A five-part arc, first printed in Runaways (vol. 1) #13-17 and reprinted in the third digest, "The Good Die Young". Written by Brian K. Vaughan, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung.
Alex deciphers The Abstract and the Runaways learn how their parents' villainous organization began. The Pride were formed under the auspices of the Gibborim, an ancient race of beings who wish to wipe the Earth clean of humanity and start again. The six members of the Pride who serve them best will rule the Edenic world to follow. When the Steins became pregnant, the parents decided to give up each of their spots in Paradise to their children. Tipped off by the mole, Lieutenant Flores and the LAPD storm the Hostel. It is destroyed, and the team barely escapes in the confusion. Mr. Wilder executes Flores for his incompetence. Molly's and Karolina's parents plot to betray the rest of the Pride and divide the Gibborim's reward between their two families. The "Rite of Thunder" is a ceremony where all twelve of The Pride take the spirit captured at the "Rite of Blood" & feed it to the Gibborim. This year's Rite will be the last necessary to enable the Gibborim to destroy humanity. The Runaways crash the party, thinking the Pride is unarmed. Instead, they are attacked by a Golem. Chase defeats the creature, but nearly dies; he is saved by Gert, who reveals she has a crush on him. During the confrontation with the Pride, Alex manipulates his teammates into defeat and reveals himself as the mole. He learned of both the Pride and the Deans' and Hayes' betrayal a year ago, and planned all this as a way to save his parents and rule paradise with Nico. The Runaways defeat Alex and Molly destroys the sacrificial offering, freeing the dead girl's spirit. The Gibborim destroy Alex, and the Pride's undersea lair collapses. The Runaways escape in a vessel called The Leapfrog, and are met on the beach by Captain America.
Eighteen
A standalone epilogue to the first series, first printed in Runaways (vol. 1) #18 and reprinted in the third digest, "The Good Die Young". Written by Brian K. Vaughan, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung.
After issue 17, the following events have taken place. All members of The Pride were presumably killed. The Runaways were split up by Social Services:
- Karolina Dean was sent to a foster family and seeing a psychologist.
- Gertrude Yorkes was sent to boarding school, but she wasn't allowed to keep Old Lace.
- Chase Stein was supposed to go live with his aunt, but he didn't even have an Aunt and the address of her house was actually a PO Box for Chase's Playboy Subscription. Instead, Chase went on a hunt for Old Lace.
- Molly Hayes was picked up by a local branch of X-Corp.
- Nico Minoru was sent to Father Flanagan's orphanage and seeing a psychologist.
Three months pass and Karolina organizes a reunion, and the team heads off to an Avengers storage complex to spring Old Lace. After succeeding, the kids decide to stay together rather than return to their new lives, and disappear into the night in the Leapfrog.
Volume 2
True Believers
A six-part arc, first printed in Runaways (vol. 2) #1-6 and reprinted in the fourth digest, "True Believers". Written by Brian K. Vaughan, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung.
The five Runaways, now fighting the B-class villains that have moved to Los Angeles in the wake of the Pride's death, are visited by a version of Gertrude from the future. She warns the Runaways that a man named Victor Mancha will one day kill all of the heroes on Earth. Before she dies, she tells them to kill him now as a boy before he becomes too powerful, and that he is the son of a very powerful villain.
The Runaways locate and subdue Victor, a confused teenager with a super-hero fixation; in the struggle, Victor's energy-based super-powers are activated. While in the Runaway's custody, Victor calls his mother, only to find that she has been captured by his father, Doctor Doom. When Victor and the Runaways defeat Doom to save Victor's mother, it is revealed that "Doom" is a robot and that Ultron is Victor's true father. Ultron kills Victor's mother and takes control of Victor, forcing him to attack the Runaways. Victor's learns that he is a cyborg, created by Ultron to become a super-hero and join the Avengers, ultimately destroying the group from within. The Runaways manage to defeat Ultron and Victor joins them as a friend, although Nico secretly tells Chase that she will kill him if he betrays them.
This arc also introduces the teenage superhero support group, Excelsior, who tries to convince the Runaways to give up being heroes. Although they fight the Runaways at first, they ultimately help them to defeat Ultron. The end of the arc reveals both that Rick Jones is their benefactor and that, unbeknownst to the others, one of them is a disguised member of the new Pride (suggested to be Alex, somehow resurrected, though neither Excelsior nor the Runaways are aware of this).
Star-Crossed
A two-part arc, first printed in Runaways (vol. 2) #7 and #8 and reprinted in the fifth digest, "Escape To New York". Written by Brian K. Vaughan, pencilled by Takeshi Miyazawa and inked by Craig Yeung. The story is set a month after "True Believers."
After defeating Swarm, the group leaves quickly to avoid Excelsior. Pairing up, they all head out to restock on supplies. While Karolina and Nico are out, Karolina attempts to kiss Nico, coming out of the closet about her homosexuality. She reveals that she has feelings for Nico, but Nico becomes embarrassed and says that when she told her she was "finished with boys" after Alex's betrayal she didn't mean it like that. The rejection leaves Karolina feeling stupid and more alone than before.
Almost immediately however, a starship lands and a young man exits and appears before them. He explains that his name is Xavin, and that, due to a pact between their parents, he is Karolina's fiancé, as well as a Skrull training to be a Super-Skrull. The rest of the Runaways appear, and after fighting off Xavin they escape in the Leapfrog. However, Xavin follows them and states that everyone on Earth might die if Karolina will not talk to him. Xavin tells her that her parents saved Earth once by giving the Skrulls the coordinates of Majesdane, their race's homeworld from which they had been exiled. The Skrulls and Majesdane have been at war ever since (which the Majesdanes are winning and will attack Earth once the war is over for being the planet that caused the war). Xavin asks Karolina to come with him in the hopes of stopping the war by uniting the Majesdanians and Skrulls through their marriage. Karolina still resists, reluctantly revealing to Xavin and the Runaways that she likes girls, but Xavin simply points out that he's a shape-shifter and changes into female form. Though the others do not want her to leave, Karolina parts ways with the group and returns to her home planet with Xavin, in hopes of ending the conflict and righting her parents' wrongs.
East Coast/West Coast
A four-part arc, first printed in Runaways (vol. 2) #9-12 and reprinted in the fifth digest, "Escape To New York." The title is a reference to the movie Escape From New York. Written by Brian K. Vaughan, penciled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung. The story is set a month after "Star-Crossed."
The arc opens in an hospital in the middle of winter; two nurses are treating a critically injured Dagger when Cloak appears to visit her. He is confronted by Captain America and the New Avengers who accuse him of beating Dagger nearly to death and placing her in her coma. After a blow to the head from Luke Cage restores Cloak's memories of his previous encounter with the Runaways, he teleports away.
Back at the Runaways' new Hostel, Nico opens up to Chase, telling him how upset she is over Karolina's decision to leave Earth with Xavin (the Super-Skrull in training), and how empty she has felt since. Cloak's sudden appearance sets off the Hostel's alarms. After the Runaways 'shut down' the Hostel's security, Cloak tells them about his situation and that he needs them to go to New York to find Dagger's true attacker.
In New York, Cloak takes the Runaways to see Father Lanton, a Catholic Priest, and the teens split into two groups while Molly remains with Lanton. Nico and Chase look for a gang of narcotic dealers responsible for giving the imposter Darkforce powers, and they meet the eccentric drug pusher known as "Pusher Man". Gertrude and Victor look for Dagger's real attacker using evidence stolen from the police by Cloak, but run into Spider-Man, who had planted a tracer on it in anticipation of Cloak's actions. He talks with Gert and Victor about the situation with Cloak over sushi.
Chase handles the situation with Pusher Man by keeps his cool and, by dropping the name of the Pride, is able to talk his way out of the tense situation. During the 'bluff', he says he once beat a gang-banger to death and left his body in a landfill. After sucessfully bluffing the information they needed out of Pusher Man and leaving his pocket dimension, Nico kisses Chase as a 'thank you' for saving them. Chase rejects her advances and, in saying that his relationship with Gert is the only thing keeping him "good", causes Nico to doubt that his claim of killing a man was merely a bluff. Chase and Nico later meet up with Victor and Gert at the sushi restaurant. Nico knocks out Spider-Man over issues of trust (him being an adult and a half-member of the Avengers). They come to learn that Reginald Mantz, the hospital worker who is tending to Dagger, bought the drugs to duplicate Cloak's powers, using them to further his unhealthy fixation on her.
Back at St. Peter's, Molly helps Father Lanton with donations when Captain America, Wolverine and Iron Man arrive looking for Cloak. Molly gushes over Wolverine as he moves to separate her from Father Landon, only to be frightened by his demeanor. When Wolverine asks her to stop screaming, she punches him out of the church. Cloak is about to give himself up to stop the fight, but Iron Man gets a message that Dagger is under attack by Cloak at the hospital.
Mantz is about to abduct Dagger but is stalled by Luke Cage and Spider-Woman, and then stopped by the Runaways. In the course of the fight, Nico is knocked unconscious and Gert is pushed off the roof. Gert is saved by Victor while Chase uses Nico's staff to defeat Mantz. Cloak and Molly soon arrive and Cloak agrees to take the kids home. He remarks that he and Dagger may need to find a new city.
While this happens, the new Pride is spying on the Runaways using an "eye-spy" cauldron from the Minorus' house and a copy of the Abstract. According to the book, one of the Runaways will be dead by the end of the year.
Dead Ringers
While fighting with the Runaways, Molly falls into the L.A. Aqueduct and becomes unconscious. When she awakens, she find that she has been "recruited" by The Provost, who heads the School of the Seven Bells, a crime ring that uses children to commit thefts. The children are all runaways that the Provost captured. He places a collar on each child's neck and threatens to turn them into stone statues unless they do exactly as he says. Molly must use what she has learned from the older Runaways to recruit her classmates, defeat the Provost, and get home. The issue ends with Molly falling asleep on a bench outside the La Brea Tar Pits. She dreams that her life ever since the fateful night she and the other Runaways found out their parents were evil was only a dream. She "wakes up" to find her parents alive and telling her that they are leaving for Disneyland soon.
Parental Guidance
The story starts off with Karolina in space with Xavin. Xavin tries to soothe Karolina, whom she feels is apprehensive about their upcoming wedding (mosty due to home sickness). Meanwhile on Earth, Gert explains some of the team's history with Alex and the Pride to Victor. She explains that, while they are all very angry with Alex for his betrayal, they realize that things were simpler when he was around. Flashbacks of Alex and his MMORPG group show us the relationship he had developed with them. After Alex's death, his online friends met up and discussed his disappearance. One of them talked about how he had hacked Alex's account and learned that Alex's parents, Geoffry and Catherine Wilder, were part of the Pride, whom the group believes to be heroes. Using another file on Alex's account, the group attempts to perform a spell to bring Alex back. Instead, it brings a young version of Alex's father, Geoff, to the present. Geoff has been the man pulling the strings throughout the past 14 issues, not Alex, as readers were led to believe. That night, Victor has a horrifying dream of killing his friends under the influence of his father. He wakes to Chase's face, and after a moment of "confusion," Chase's confesses to being jealous of Victor, someone his parents would have loved. The scene cuts to Geoff and the new Pride discussing the situation at hand. They ready the old Pride's weapons and prepare an attack on the Runaways. The next scene is Nico waking up, believing to see Karolina, but only Gert appears. The two discuss Nico's leadership, and if it came down to it, Gert would recieve the position of leader. Gert then makes an opinion about trust, and Nico responds with guilt. Molly enters the room, then Chase announce's a police call from Malibu involving a masked individual. They move and realize that they have arrived at Alex's old house. To their surprise and horror, Alex himself appears, though Nico is suspicious. Nico asks him where they first kissed, and his confusion coupled with a spell from Nico reveals it's Mr. Wilder. The new Pride takes control of Victor, but before any damage is done, Chase knocks him out. Lotus reveals to Gert that Nico kissed Chase, who is soon knocked out with a spell by Nico. The Runawyas continue to fight themselves, and when the battle is over, Molly is missing, taken and binded by the new Pride.
The officially-released solicitation for issue #18, the terminal issue of the arc, states that a member of the Runaways will die in the book. Due to a (likely unwittingly) released - and rapidly pulled - preview for issue 18, many fans believe the Runaway to die will be either Chase or Gert.
X-Men Team-Up
A one-shot tale written by Runaways scribe Brian K. Vaughan & drawn by Skottie Young, which was given away for Free Comic Book Day. While searching for Old Lace, the Runaways encounter the X-Men team consisting of Wolverine, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Beast, Colossus, Shadowcat and Lockheed. The X-Men came to Los Angeles to tell Molly that she would have to come to New York with them and train at Xavier's school. However, the Runaways weren't going to let her go without a fight, and the two teams began to trade blows as well as insults. While most people were involved, Gert and Kitty sat at the sidelines discussing pacifism and their bizarre pets. The story ended with Emma deciding that they shouldn't force someone to come with them against their will, and if Molly decides to join the X-Men, she knows where to find them.
Young Avengers/Runaways
An upcoming four issue mini-series which will debut during Marvel's Civil War event.
Reprints
Reprints as digests (manga-sized comic book collections):
- Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy (reprints Vol.1 #1-6, ISBN 0785113797)
- Runaways Vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland (reprints Vol.1 #7-12, ISBN 0785114157)
- Runaways Vol. 3: The Good Die Young (reprints Vol.1 #13-18, ISBN 0785116842)
- Runaways Vol. 4: True Believers (reprint Vol.2 #1-6, ISBN 0785117059)
- Runaways Vol. 5: Escape to New York Digest (reprint Vol.2 #7-12, ISBN 0-7851-1901-9)
Reprints as oversized hardcover:
- Runaways, Vol. 1 (Hardcover, reprints Vol.1 #1-18, ISBN 0785118764)
External links
