Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Comic Books >

Runaways

Page: 1(2)

01:40 / 12.09.06

Joss Whedon is taking over the writing of Runaways, once BKV leaves soon. With Michael Ryan (formerly of assorted X-Men books, both 'regular' and 'Ultimate' flavored) pencilling. ROCK!

04:54 / 12.09.06

Yeah, this is damned cool for the book. Maybe it'll jack interest up so that the book sustains itself after Whedon eventually departs.

I am so looking FWD to the oversized V2 HC...

Regrettable Juvenilia

06:27 / 12.09.06

You know how sometimes new writers on a book do very, very naughty things like bringing back characters the previous writer had killed off and intended to stay dead?

Do it, Whedon.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

04:39 / 02.10.06

Having picked up the Young Avengers & Runaways comics this week - I avoided it because of the weird art after #1, but then picked it up because of Noh-Varr....hmm.

Anyone else think that the future Avengers line-up hinted at by future Gert is going to be the Runaways and Young'uns? The panel in #3 has them all lined up to do some avengin'. And let's face it, Gert can come back at any time, so future Gert could still be leader of this Avengers...

Leaving aside, you know, the potentially dodgy bondage/torture sequence at the end where the two gay boys, the lesbian, and the gender-fluid/sexuality-fluid almost-trans character are all strung up and in serious peril...

00:41 / 27.11.06

I'm reading it in paperback version, so I don't know what happens after the sixth one (volume 2, issue 18). BTW, as the thread summary doesn't mention that the thread includes spoilers, I think we should mark potential spoilers in our posts.

Overall, I like the series, although it's a bit rough around the edges sometimes. It pokes a lot of fun at the Marvel universe: everybody seems to be used to living in a world filled with people with superpowers, and Captain America regularly is on the TV news. I really like the whole idea of a self-help group for recovering teenage superheroes...

The whole series is very self-aware that it takes place in a world filled with superpowered beings.

However, I sometimes feel that characterization is a bit rough around the edges and there's sometimes a feeling of political correctedness that I don't like.

SPOILERS - END OF VOLUME 1
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Bring back Alex! He'd make such a fantastic recurring villain! He's so clever and cool in his own way, he even goes down with dignity, unlike so many villains!

(START OF VOLUME 2)

And what if that resurrection spell Nico tried had worked without her knowing, in the end?

Bring back Alex! He's the true dark shadow of the Runaways, their most intimate enemy.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
SPOILERS - VOLUME 2
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I can't help but feel that Karolina is the token lesbian. It's a commendable effort, but mixed in with the whole alien heritage thingie, it sorts of comes off as a bit clumsy. I felt her sexual orientation really popped out of nowhere.

However, part of me can't wait for Chase to come out of the closet...

Which I don't think will happen, though... Well... he might be bi. There's sort of a hint of sexual tension between Chase and Victor (the gratuitous male nudity scene) and Chase is the kinda homophobic one of the bunch. Lol, wishful thinking...

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
ISSUE 18 SPOILERS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
God, they mess around so much with who is going to die, in this one. I really don't like the way Gert's death was drawn, though. That dagger punching in, that should have been a full-page panel in itself. It kinda felt like "oh yeah, and Gert gets mortally wounded on that page, among other things". She deserved better than that.

I can't wait for Chase to return, he's one of my favorite characters.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
END OF SPOILERS

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

02:40 / 27.11.06

It should be noted that there's apparently going to be a spin-off called "Loners," featuring the Excelsior kids. I'm looking forward to it, from the bits and pieces I've seen.

Karo's lesbianism was only handled badly once it was out in the open - it's referenced fairly far back, to the beginning - she's always been presented as having certain feelings about Nico, for example. But once she came out the discomfort - probably editorial - becomes palpable in her scenes.

18:19 / 06.01.07

I was deadly intrigued by this, so I've ordered up all six mini-volumes (at around £1.80 a pop! Thank you Amazon used and new, although your postage rate's not that great...) so I'm looking forward to this.

However, this does mean resisting reading most of the rest of this thread, but, hey, somehow I'll forbear.

The one thing I can't work out my opinion on is that Joss Whedon is, apparently, a "vocal fan" of the series, having had a letter printed and all. While I'm a big, big fan of Mr Whedon's work - big fan - I am beginning to wonder about some of the credence, voiced by people in (I believe) the current X-men thread, that he is suffering a slight case of ingenuity-fatigue - but I suspect that criticism could be levelled at quite a few writers.

(Ellis, I'm looking at you - well, no, I'm not, because you're, like, scary and INTENSE - but, general direction.)

Anyway, I will return to this thread some time next week, when I've had a chance to read and digest.

19:05 / 06.01.07

Sorry, but what exactly do people see as off about Karolina's depiction as a lesbian? There's possibly a slight excess of acknowledgment for humour's sake, and her partner's shape-shifting, pseudo-genderlessness nature makes things... contrived to say the least, but I'd consider the deal more slightly ignorant than "uncomfortable". Could either of you be a bit more specific?

23:25 / 06.01.07

I'm a little disappointed that they seem to have put the Karolina-Xavin-Nico love triangle on hold, or gotten rid of it entirely, and hooked Nico up with Victor. Not that I don't like Victor, but I was really digging Nico carrying a torch for Karolina while she was gone, only to have that heartbreaking scene with the bracelet when she returns with Xavin.

08:49 / 11.01.07

Is that a response to my question or not?

If so, I can see how that's an issue with the whole deal, but not with the character's sexual orientation, something about which out of curiosity I'm still waiting for Queer Pirate and Papers to elaborate on...

Phex: Dorset Doom

17:03 / 04.04.07

Issue #25 - Joss Whedon's first- is out today. The art, by Michael Ryan, isn't as pretty as Adrian Alphona's but the script is spot on. I went over every bubble with a fine bubble-comb and there's not a single line that feels out of place. Also: Punisher's in it.

Best line:

Kingpin: I don't like semantics.
Chase: Yeah? Well neither does Mel Gibson.

17:12 / 04.04.07

Closing my eyes and waiting for the trade.

It seems wisest.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

17:33 / 04.04.07

Does anyone know yet when the last Vaughan-writ Runaways digest is out? I want to see how his run ended.

17:47 / 04.04.07

Me too.

17:51 / 04.04.07

Last I heard it was April, along with the Young Avengers / Civil War crossover, but that was on Amazon.co.uk, so, not totally accurate

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

19:57 / 04.04.07

Franca: If so, I can see how that's an issue with the whole deal, but not with the character's sexual orientation, something about which out of curiosity I'm still waiting for Queer Pirate and Papers to elaborate on...

Once Karo was out of the closet, a lot of lip service was paid to her being a lesbian but Xavin was almost always presented in male form. In itself this is not a problem, obviously, but it's interesting that while Chase and Gert were allowed to be more explicitly affectionate with each other, Karo and Xavin were not, and Xavin was kept consistently in male form despite his awareness of Karo's preferences (especially given his desire to keep Karo "happy" is often shown as being quite central to their relationship) - which belied what was said about Skrull sexuality and gender flexibility and reinforced the appearance of heterosexuality.

It's not so much that I think Karo was handled badly after she came out, as a character, but I think there was a certain awkwardness to the use of it once it was out in the open; before, when it was being implied (quite heavily, in fact; I'd argue that it doesn't come out of nowhere because Karo's attraction to Nico starts off quite visibly in the very first issue), it felt more in-character and obvious without being beaten over the head. I worry that Karo will end up falling into the Northstar Syndrome of BEING!GAY! while the nuances are ignored.

16:09 / 08.04.07

I think the digest may already be out. The v3 HC is out at the end of this month.

Loved Whedon's debut, but sad that another writer will take the reigns (sp?) in a mere five issues. Sean McKeever would have been a wonderful fit, IMO, but he's off to DC to handle more major league characters than he was given at Marvel (or so he may have stated in an interview, according to my freind Tom (who had had a few beers at that point ((so don't quote this verbatim of your life depends upon it))).

Who would be good to follow BKV then Whedon...

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

16:14 / 08.04.07

After about two minutes of searching Marvel's reasonably well-designed catalogue, Runaways digest #7 - "LIVE FAST" - is out on April 25th. The hardcover coming out will include "PARENTAL GUIDANCE" (the one about Geoffrey Wilder & the New Pride) and "LIVE FAST."

Also, the new Loners series, featuring the cast-off C-list superteens called Excelsior, is out this week. With that cute Jason Pearson cover, even if Pearson isn't doing the guts of the thing.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

22:19 / 12.04.07

First issue's out of Loners, meh. I'm getting bored of the metaphor (perpetuated by Young Avengers, Buffy, et al) that powers=drugs. Art was pretty muddy and it seemed like the only body who's behaviour felt natural was Julie Power's -- she basically points out the problem with a lot of the Civil War mentality going on right now.

Page: 1(2)