Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

Runaways #28

By Zak Edwards
October 19, 2007 - 12:53

Runaways #28

I have had a love-hate relationship with Joss Whedon and his run on Runaways and I think I’ve figured out why.  After the series creators Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona left at issue #24, Joss Whedon came on to write a single, six-issue story arc backed by the talented Michael Ryan (of Young Avengers fame) on pencils.  Given the fact that Joss Whedon is such a high-profile writer, I wasn’t prepared to give him any slack at all.  He has also been a public fan of the series, making me feel like I was reading fan fiction rather than an actual Runaways story.  Anyway, the love-hate relationship is in the love half after this issue of Runaways.  The Runaways have ran all the way back to 1907 and are stuck there for right now.  The subplot with Karolina Dean makes headway and the main plot of finding a way back home moves at a steady pace as well.  This combined with Whedon nailing these kid’s personalities and allowing them to entertain makes for a great read.

Now just because the story is going well doesn’t mean Whedon gets top marks.  After all, he’s just reiterating “Back to the Future,” complete with a quest for a “flux capacitor, or “overdrive” as it’s called here.  The “new” world of 1907 New Amsterdam is basically a mimicry of the Marvel Universe in present day.  This world has mutants, a crime-lord, a Punisher (although he’s called “The Adjudicator”) and other things making it too familiar for my liking.  If this came out a couple of years ago, before Neil Gaiman did a way better job of displacing the Marvel Universe in another time, then this story would maybe feel a bit more original.  But Gaiman’s award-winning 1602 preceded this, and so Whedon’s travels to the past feel even less original.  The subplot is more interesting and original than the main plot, fleshing out the setting and allowing a couple of characters to shine.  Readers are introduced to world of different culture, with different laws and practices than what we may be used to, and Molly is used as the voice for the reader in some of these confrontations, allowing these ideas to be diffused through humour while still addressing them.  The rest of the team are on the main quest, split up and not doing very well, as usual.  A team by circumstance more than choice, the Runaways have always been unsuccessful at their attempts at acting like a legitimate team, and that’s part of the fun.  The situations these kids put themselves in are revealing much more about their histories as well.  Funny, character driven, and great characterization still make for some great writing, despite the almost complete lack of creativity.

Michael Ryan’s art is great.  Having a grasp of what the characters look like, dress, and act is shown in every panel.  He can draw people of all ages and races, something that is not always evident in other artist’s work.  Ryan can draw a child with all their innocence and still not looking like a cartoon as easily as he can draw the elderly without their features being swallowed by wrinkles.  The use of lighting is unique and not often seen either.  Each panel feels like a picture or snapshot with elements of real pictures put right in amongst the drawing.  Ryan’s art gives a solid balance between reality and fiction, keeping things animated enough to allow for the humour and real enough to deal with the more serious themes of the story.  A few things, like Karolina seeming to have sideburns, take away from the art, but overall Ryan’s art consistently been impressive.

7.5    Completely recycled story with great individual parts.  Ryan’s art continues to consistently impress.

Feel free to e-mail me your thoughts and opinions at zak@comicbookbin.com

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51