REVIEWS-Runaways 1

MARVEL DC INDY MEDIA BOOK OF THE... ARCHIVES E-POP HOME

RECOMMENDED (* stars) RUNAWAYS #1, a MARVEL COMICS ongoing series CREDITS: Written by: Brian K. Vaughan. Art by: Adrian Alphona. SYNOPSIS: : The children of what they assumed were normal parents suddenly discover that their parents are not what they appeared to be and may have to kill them. RELEASED:** 04/16/03 COVER PRICE (USA): $2.50 YOUR ALTERNATE REALITY PRICE: $2.12	“…Alphona has a cute style that could be a natural for animation”

Review by Lawrence Evans Vaughan is the writer of the Vertigo series Y-the Last Man and someone that Marvel has had a liking for the past few years. He worked on a few X-Men Icons mini-series (the kind that Marvel has promised not to do anymore) but now he seems to have a home with Runaways, the third Tsunami book. I don’t know where they found Adrian Alphona but he is a promising newcomer. The Runaways haven’t run away just yet but here we see why they had to. We are introduced to the characters one at a time although all are referred to by the cover boy since they are all to arrive at his house that night. Vaughan skews our perspectives about the other kids because we only get the one dominant voice here until we take quick peeks at the others before they arrive at the house. When we see them things change a bit but by the time they arrive we think we know them. Once everyone shows up you know what happens-kids go to play (whether they want to be together is irrelevant) while the adults talk. Mom and Dad of course don’t realize that their industrious son has discovered the secret passageways that line the house that results in him leading the group inside and outside where the meeting is taking place. At first listen the kids think their parents are superheroes but as they listen further it is discovered different. As these things generally happen as the kids are trying to stay quiet someone makes a noise that will be dealt with next issue. Vaughan has a keen ear for dialogue and behavior. That quality should work well with this title. Alphona has a cute style that could be a natural for animation. It’s not cartoonish because it’s very detailed. He also has an eye for the clear layout. Nothing here feels cluttered or stuffed in just to show us he can impress us by showing that he can draw anything.

RUNAWAYS © 2003 MARVEL Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.
Review © 2003 Alternate Reality, Inc.