Runaways 6: Parental Guidance

Runaways 6: Parental Guidance (2006) Brian K Vaughan, Adrian Alpohna, Craig Yeung

I somehow missed publication of volume 6 of Runaways, but saw when volume 7 came out. Considering the events in Parental Guidance, I was quite confused when I started to read volume 7, and quickly realized I’d missed several important events. Luckily, Amazon ships quickly, so I didn’t have to wait too long.

In a slight change of pace, the collection starts off with a somewhat stand alone story: Molly Hayes finds herself separated from the rest of the Runaways, and has to rely upon herself to escape some the sinister Provost. It was interesting to see Molly, the youngest and seemingly most dependent and childish of the group, on her own.

The rest of the book, the Runaways spend discovering and attempting to defeat, a surprise enemy–a translocated member of The Pride. They also have to deal with the fact for some, past actions may be coming back to haunt them, and could destroy the family they have become.

As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed this volume of Runaways, and continue to be impressed not only with the story and the writing, but with Brian K Vaughan’s willingness to deal with topics that many other adult books won’t touch. I particularly appreciate the way that the subject of homosexuality is dealt with.

SPOILER
(rot 13)
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END SPOILER

Even if you’re someone who isn’t sure about comics, I highly recommend Runaways. Although volume 6 does a good job of covering the back story of the characters, I’m sure you’ll find it more enjoyable to start at the beginning–especially since the first several volumes seem to have just been released in a larger format. (With several of the smaller volumes combined into a single larger volume.
Rating: 8/10

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