Ye Olde Iowa
05-03-2007, 12:48 PM
Runaways #26
“Dead End Kids Part 2”
Written by Joss Whedon
Pencils by Michael Ryan
Inks by Rick Ketchum
Colors by Christina Strain
Letters by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover by Jo Chen
After being very disappointed by this week’s Astonishing X-Men, I approached this week’s issue of Runaways with a bit of caution. Whedon had done an admirable job with his first issue on the title last month, but AXM has bad enough to throw my perception of Whedon for a loop enough that I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this issue. Thankfully, however, the issue was even stronger than last months, as Whedon did a good job of building upon the rather thin plot while maintaining his commitment to driving the story with character moments.
The issue opens with the Runaways being confronted by the Punisher, who apparently wants to shoot them because they had stolen that mysterious device last issue. The kids don’t feel that they have done anything wrong and argue with the Punisher, who seems awfully focused on the idea of “punishing” them. Before he can, the team is attacked by the mysterious winged monster person from the first issue, but Victor saves them. Molly follows this up by taking down the Punisher with a punch to the gut (though bits of the dialogue makes it seem like she was supposed to punch him in the junk), which causes Castle to go down rather easily. The team then hits the road, hoping to regroup before they head out of NYC as fast as they can rather than return the stolen device to Kingpin. He has other plans, however, and he fills their apartment with ninjas. The kids fight back however, taking down the ninjas and escaping with the mysterious device. Chase and Victor have the bright idea of using the item in conjunction with the Leapfrog, which causes them to travel back to what appears to be olde-timey New York. At some point in the midst of this, the mysterious winged monster person (MWMP) also tries to give a warning to Victor, who is having none of that.
One of the things that Whedon improves upon from last issue is thickening up the plot a bit. The reason behind Kingpin wanting the device is revealed to be a powerplay on his part to help rebuild his crime empire, while the mysterious warning from the MWMP is just intriguing enough to keep me interested. The cliffhanger adds a whole new dimension to the idea of the kids running away and, given that the time-travel aspect of the Pride hasn’t been explored much, is a natural progression for the overarching storyline of the Runaways. So, with Kingpin after the kids, the Punisher presumably returning at some point, the mystery of the MWMP, and the kids being lost in time, the thin plot is now considerably more dense and, therefore, much more enjoyable.
Whedon continues to do a great job with the dialogue and character moments, which was always one of the highlights of Brian K Vaughan’s run on the title. He puts a lot of emphasis on the ever-popular Molly, which doesn’t always work, as there are times that her adorableness is forced too much. However, he makes up for it with great moments like her being exactly right about what had happened to Chase and Lace. His banter with Victor, who is in hero-mode much more so than the other characters is equally as strong and in character. Chase’s arrogance is toned down a bit, which works, and Nico has the right balance of jaded teenager and protective mother in her scenes. Unfortunately, Karolina seems to be falling into the background a little too much and Xavin is almost too hostile, both of which really hamper the team dynamic. However, in spite of this, Whedon continues to develop the characters individual voices, which makes him a worthy successor to BKV.
What I really loved about this issue, however, was the satirical portrayal of the Punisher. His obsessive drive, excessive sense of justice, and borderline-hysterical machismo is shown in a humorous light here as he confronts the kids. It’s hilarious enough to see him consider shooting the kids over their crime, but his “get up, soldier” lines when he is defeated handily by Molly really steals the scene. Whedon handles this especially well by keeping everything true to character, while letting the situation itself drive the parody. There is nothing too hilarious about how Castle is acting, it is all in-character, but placing it within the context of the Runaway’s actions makes for some very comedic moments.
Michael Ryan continues to do the best he can with the art, though its still weird seeing the characters drawn by anyone that isn’t Alphona or Miyazawa. Still, he does a commendable job throughout most of the issue. Ketchum and Strain, as always, does a wonderful job accenting the art and bridging the gap between the current penciller and those previous, though certain scenes are just too dark, which really takes away from the impact of the art.
Overall, Whedon and Ryan are two-for-two with their follow-up to the BKV/Alphona era on this title. They keep this up for another issue or so and I will see no reason to continue comparing the two. I still recommend that folks jumping onto the title simply for Whedon pick up the entirety of the back issues, as you are totally missing out if you don’t.
Story: A- Whedon rocks the party on this one by filling out the plot, continuing to show his love and understanding of the characters, and making the Punisher funny.
Art: B/B+ Ryan’s art is strong, but it still doesn’t really fit for me (much like fill-in artist Mike Norton a few arcs back). Ketchum and Strain do their best to adapt the art, but I think a whole new direction might be needed.
Cover: A This is one of my all-time favorite Runaways covers. Chen does a great job of capturing Molly’s playfulness while still giving a serious look to the situation as a whole.
“Dead End Kids Part 2”
Written by Joss Whedon
Pencils by Michael Ryan
Inks by Rick Ketchum
Colors by Christina Strain
Letters by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover by Jo Chen
After being very disappointed by this week’s Astonishing X-Men, I approached this week’s issue of Runaways with a bit of caution. Whedon had done an admirable job with his first issue on the title last month, but AXM has bad enough to throw my perception of Whedon for a loop enough that I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this issue. Thankfully, however, the issue was even stronger than last months, as Whedon did a good job of building upon the rather thin plot while maintaining his commitment to driving the story with character moments.
The issue opens with the Runaways being confronted by the Punisher, who apparently wants to shoot them because they had stolen that mysterious device last issue. The kids don’t feel that they have done anything wrong and argue with the Punisher, who seems awfully focused on the idea of “punishing” them. Before he can, the team is attacked by the mysterious winged monster person from the first issue, but Victor saves them. Molly follows this up by taking down the Punisher with a punch to the gut (though bits of the dialogue makes it seem like she was supposed to punch him in the junk), which causes Castle to go down rather easily. The team then hits the road, hoping to regroup before they head out of NYC as fast as they can rather than return the stolen device to Kingpin. He has other plans, however, and he fills their apartment with ninjas. The kids fight back however, taking down the ninjas and escaping with the mysterious device. Chase and Victor have the bright idea of using the item in conjunction with the Leapfrog, which causes them to travel back to what appears to be olde-timey New York. At some point in the midst of this, the mysterious winged monster person (MWMP) also tries to give a warning to Victor, who is having none of that.
One of the things that Whedon improves upon from last issue is thickening up the plot a bit. The reason behind Kingpin wanting the device is revealed to be a powerplay on his part to help rebuild his crime empire, while the mysterious warning from the MWMP is just intriguing enough to keep me interested. The cliffhanger adds a whole new dimension to the idea of the kids running away and, given that the time-travel aspect of the Pride hasn’t been explored much, is a natural progression for the overarching storyline of the Runaways. So, with Kingpin after the kids, the Punisher presumably returning at some point, the mystery of the MWMP, and the kids being lost in time, the thin plot is now considerably more dense and, therefore, much more enjoyable.
Whedon continues to do a great job with the dialogue and character moments, which was always one of the highlights of Brian K Vaughan’s run on the title. He puts a lot of emphasis on the ever-popular Molly, which doesn’t always work, as there are times that her adorableness is forced too much. However, he makes up for it with great moments like her being exactly right about what had happened to Chase and Lace. His banter with Victor, who is in hero-mode much more so than the other characters is equally as strong and in character. Chase’s arrogance is toned down a bit, which works, and Nico has the right balance of jaded teenager and protective mother in her scenes. Unfortunately, Karolina seems to be falling into the background a little too much and Xavin is almost too hostile, both of which really hamper the team dynamic. However, in spite of this, Whedon continues to develop the characters individual voices, which makes him a worthy successor to BKV.
What I really loved about this issue, however, was the satirical portrayal of the Punisher. His obsessive drive, excessive sense of justice, and borderline-hysterical machismo is shown in a humorous light here as he confronts the kids. It’s hilarious enough to see him consider shooting the kids over their crime, but his “get up, soldier” lines when he is defeated handily by Molly really steals the scene. Whedon handles this especially well by keeping everything true to character, while letting the situation itself drive the parody. There is nothing too hilarious about how Castle is acting, it is all in-character, but placing it within the context of the Runaway’s actions makes for some very comedic moments.
Michael Ryan continues to do the best he can with the art, though its still weird seeing the characters drawn by anyone that isn’t Alphona or Miyazawa. Still, he does a commendable job throughout most of the issue. Ketchum and Strain, as always, does a wonderful job accenting the art and bridging the gap between the current penciller and those previous, though certain scenes are just too dark, which really takes away from the impact of the art.
Overall, Whedon and Ryan are two-for-two with their follow-up to the BKV/Alphona era on this title. They keep this up for another issue or so and I will see no reason to continue comparing the two. I still recommend that folks jumping onto the title simply for Whedon pick up the entirety of the back issues, as you are totally missing out if you don’t.
Story: A- Whedon rocks the party on this one by filling out the plot, continuing to show his love and understanding of the characters, and making the Punisher funny.
Art: B/B+ Ryan’s art is strong, but it still doesn’t really fit for me (much like fill-in artist Mike Norton a few arcs back). Ketchum and Strain do their best to adapt the art, but I think a whole new direction might be needed.
Cover: A This is one of my all-time favorite Runaways covers. Chen does a great job of capturing Molly’s playfulness while still giving a serious look to the situation as a whole.