A common complaint about Marvel’s launches is that they rarely go to the trouble of grabbing the reader right out of the gate. Three or four issues of material are stretched to fit a trade-friendly six, and there’s a deficit of momentum and energy. Two of Marvel’s teen groups have been showing the grown-ups how it should be done, packing single issues with plot, character, and fun.
One could almost argue there might be too much happening in the first arc of the re-launch of Runaways. In Runaways 5, the kids are keeping a watchful eye on potential menace Victor Mancha as they help him try and save his mother from his father, who may or may not be one of Marvel’s deadliest antagonists. It’s a nicely ambiguous scenario. It resonates for the group, given their own history with both villainous parents and potentially traitorous peers.
The confrontation with Victor’s possible father is pretty nifty. He’s a singularly menacing figure, and it’s fair to wonder how the Runaways could possibly survive the experience. Brian K. Vaughan writes his way around this. He knows his protagonists are out of their league and constructs things accordingly through a series of inventive fakes and reveals. At then end, he leaves his cast in an even worse situation, which is a pretty neat trick.
At the same time, the group is still being pursued by a group of recovering teen heroes who want to save them from the perils of developmentally inappropriate vigilantism. The subplot doesn’t mesh very well with the main story, which already has plenty going on thematically and in terms of action. The sequence featuring Excelsior seems to highlight the group’s ineffectiveness, or at least their marginal value in the bigger narrative picture. It’s kind of funny if that’s the point, but I wonder if it might not have worked better to give them their own arc.
The highlight of Runaways for me is always the characterization, and there are plenty of great moments. Watching the group argue with Victor and brainstorm solutions gives everyone nice, specific beats of their own. I particularly like what Vaughan is doing with Chase, who spent most of the first volume as a smart-mouthed red herring in the who’s-the-traitor subplot. This time around, he’s still a bit dim and abrasive, but he’s smart enough to appreciate the charms of caustic dino-wrangler Gert. It’s an odd pairing, but it works in unexpected ways that enhance both characters.
Penciler Adrian Alphona chimes in on the character work, too, particularly in his rendering of young mutant Molly. Alphona routinely does expressive work, but his Molly moments really pop. A panel on page three is the perfect portrait of tween sullenness. Molly’s contribution to the throw-down on pages 15 and 16 nicely illustrates both her mutant bruiser side and the fact that she’s still a little kid in a lot of ways.
Runaways has a lot going for it, and if it seems a little over-stuffed, that’s a much better problem than feeling like a comic book is malnourished. If you missed the first volume, you can vie for copies of digests and floppies from that 18-issue run at Yet Another Comics Blog. (Deadline is Friday, July 1 at 11:59 p.m.)
Comics newcomer Allan Heinberg’s introductory arc to Young Avengers has been equally impressive. New Avengers may be racking up the sales, but Henberg’s neophyte heroes outclass their elders in just about every regard.
The fifth issue finds the would-be heroes face to face with Kang, the time traveling despot who’s plagued the Avengers throughout their run. He’s come to collect Iron Lad, a younger version of himself, and thrown the world into a state of chronological chaos in the process. As in Runaways, the kids are outgunned and have to rely on instinct and improvisation to stay alive.
Heinberg uses the conflict to fill in more details of individual characters and their dynamics as a group. The lopsided battle against Kang gives Heinberg’s young heroes ample opportunity to show what they bring to the table. Patriot’s impetuous courage, Kate Bishop’s quick and improvisational thinking, Iron Lad’s essential decency, Hulkling’s mix of smarts and kindness – all of these bits blend together to illustrate the group’s potential.
Their abilities are impressive, but their personalities are the selling point. They’re all interesting individually, and their interactions have real chemistry. It’s great fun to watch Kate and Patriot bicker and spark. (I think it’s even better if you remember the early Avengers friction between Hawkeye and Captain America, one of Marvel’s seminal examples of “just kiss already” macho banter.) Even if it doesn’t evolve into a romance, the rapport between Asgardian and Hulkling is a sweetly supportive treat to watch. The only bit that seems abrupt or artificial is a moment between Iron Lad and Cassie Lang, but it might evolve into something deeper.
It all benefits from Heinberg’s gift for character-driven comedy. There are great throw-away jokes scattered through the book, but they never seem inorganic. They’re the natural result of smart, distinct personalities clanging together. The group’s underlying bond is equally sound. They genuinely want to use their abilities for good, in spite of the objections (either benevolent or self-serving) of the grown-ups around them. It’s a solid, flexible foundation for future adventures.
Pencils by Jim Cheung are strong for the action sequences. There’s a real feeling of energy and peril to the confrontations with Kang. I wish Cheung were more skilled at the character bits, though. His faces don’t have much variety, which is a bit at odds with Heinberg’s smart, specific character work. But it’s a nice visual package overall, and I particularly like the varied, eye-popping colors of Justin Ponsor.
With its mix of action, humor, and heart, Young Avengers is one of the best super-hero books on the market. It’s smart and exciting, precisely the kind of spandex adventure I like.