I've been saving covering my Runaways books on the blog for a special occasion, and this week, such an occasion is happening. I'm very excited about this! BACKGROUND:
My love for Runaways is well-documented at this point. I grew up loving the characters, I enjoy the Hulu show, and I have a Runaways TPB collection that's only missing a few entries. While I've yet to get the rest of the 2017 run in paperback form, it should be no surprise that I own this book. Speaking of the show, its final season premieres this week, so of course I had to read a Runaways comic for today. The opportunity was too perfect to pass up. THE WRITING: By the time the events of this book happen, the Runaways have drifted apart years ago. Between then and now, Nico had both become a member of A-Force and endured the events of Avengers Academy, Victor Mancha became a full-time Avenger and was destroyed, and the rest of the kids have gone on to live quiet, relatively normal lives. That relative peace was disturbed when Chase went back in time in an attempt to save his once-girlfriend and fellow Runaway Gert from certain death (which happened during the climax of the Vol. 2 run of the series way back in 2004/2005). He and Nico actually succeed in bringing her back, but the reunion is bittersweet; Gert realized how things have changed since she died, and was heartbroken that the people who she's come to know as her family have all gone their separate ways. Gert is adamant in bringing everyone back together, and insists that they go and see the rest of the Runaways. Here, you see how drastically different everyone's lives have changed, and once the old gang starts interacting again, past memories and feelings start resurfacing. Everything that was once familiar now feels foreign to the characters, and that uncomfortable clash of emotions also came across to me as a reader. Eventually, a shocking discovery forces all of them to come together (not unlike how circumstances brought them together in the very beginning), and suddenly, it's 2003 all over again. The difference now is that they've spent years apart from one another, and that's sure to throw a wrench into their already tumultuous relationships with each other. As a longtime fan, everything about this book hit all the right notes. The characters are still how I remember them personality-wise, but have changed and grown since I first read about them. They call back to past relationships and events, but leave plenty of room to move forward and have new adventures. It truly feels like a brand new chapter to the original story as opposed to a complete reboot, and it has me excited to catch up on this new series to see how the story goes forward from here. While the book does recap some things from previous series and reintroduces the characters in a way, there is a clear assumption being made that you're already familiar with the Runaways and all they've been through. I don't imagine certain things (for example, storied relationships like Gert-Chase and Karolina-Nico) having the impact it should if you don't already have some form of familiarity or attachment to the series. This book is very much for fans who followed the original runs in that respect. THE ART: In terms of visuals, the Runaways are pretty much revitalized for the new decade thanks to the fantastic work of Kris Anka. The overall style feels fresh, the detail is impressive across the board, and the character redesigns are topnotch, perfectly showcasing how much they've all grown while also still remaining true to how they would dress in the original comics. On top of that, the color work is phenomenal, too. I remember seeing the cover art for the first time and being blown away that it was art of the same characters I grew up reading about. I wasn't familiar with Anka's work before this, but now I can't imagine a better artist to bring these characters to life. VERDICT: Runaways: Find Your Way Home is the perfect mix of old and new Runaways, calling back to the good old days while also building towards a future of completely new stories going forward. It's both nostalgic and uncertain, and I imagine other longtime Runaways fans will feel the same mix of emotions I did seeing all the characters interact with each other once again. If you're new to the Runaways, it's best that you read the original series first (also known as Vol. 1) and then Vol. 2 before checking this out, because a lot of things they call back to are presented as if you already know them. I know I give away a pretty massive spoiler talking about this book (it's impossible not to since the big selling point of this series when it first came out revolved around the return of a dead character), but there should be more than enough surprises left for you to uncover before you think about reading the new stuff. Alternatively, you can watch the show (and you should), but that won't really help you understand some of the callbacks in this comic since the show does a lot of stuff differently. In any case, here's Find Your Way Home in digital form on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/Runaways-by-Rainbow-Rowell-Vol-1-Find-Your-Way-Home/digital-comic/638271?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS9zbGlkZXJMaXN0L2l0ZW1TbGlkZXI - end -
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
June 2024
Derryck
|