Civil War: Runaways & New Avengers

Civil War: Runaways & New Avengers (2007) Zeb Wells, Stefano Caselli

As I have mentioned previously, I love Runaways and what Brian K Vaughan has done with the series. So I hesitated to pick up this tie in, because I know nothing about the whole Marvel “Civil War” storyline, and know nothing about the New Avengers.

But, I really wanted some more Runaways stories, so I finally picked this up after browsing through it at the bookstore.

If you like Runaways (and really, everyone should, it’s just that good) then you’ll want this volume simply because you want more stories (and maybe, like me, hate waiting for the graphic novels to come out).

Although the story wasn’t quite up to the Runaways volumes written by Brian K Vaughan, it wasn’t bad, and it did give us more information on some of the characters, including how Chase is continuing to deal with Gert’s death, and how Xavin is continuing to deal with living on earth. (There are visible strains in Xavin’s and Karolina’s relationship, but they are continuing to work things out.)

It was also interesting to see the Runaways dealing with other teens who had a similar agenda–keeping people safe, although I think the Runaways have a greater sense of duty, as they feel responsible for the situation in LA.

Did this story make me want to read more about the New Avengers? No. They were interesting in relation to the Runaways, but for me this was a Runaways story. They were just some of the additional characters that interact with the Runaways. Did this story make me want to read more of the Marvel Civil War storyline? Not really. Did this story make me want to read more Runaways stories? Definitely yes. I am waiting impatiently for the next graphic novel to come up (the fact that the current stories are written by Joss Whedon only adds to my anticipation.).

The other thing I didn’t much care for was how Niko and Molly were sometimes drawn. Niko was almost unrecognizable to me, and there was something just a bit… off about Molly. Everyone else seemed okay, although I much prefer the way the characters were drawn by Adrian Alphona–especially the much more realistic female forms. Niko and Karolina had almost ridiculous figures. I can only imagine what this artist would have done with Gert, who was never skinny and had a healthy physique as the series went on. Which was one of the (many) things I especially like about Runaways–normal teenage physiques.
So if you’re reading Runaways, then you’ll want this installment, so you can have more Runaways stories and see the continued development of Chase and Xavin. If you aren’t reading Runaways… what are you waiting for?! The collections are now out in hardback! Get to it! Start reading and enjoying!
Rating: 7/10

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