Runaways: Dead End Kids Premiere HC: Dead End Kids Premiere (Runaways (Marvel)) (Runaways (Marvel) (Hardcover))
 RRP £14.99 Lowest New Price £7.98 
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Marvel Comics Number of pages: 152 Language: English (Original Language) Language: English (Unknown) Language: English (Published) |
RRP: £14.99
Don't run away from the Runaways
Review date: 2008-10-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
I'd read mixed reviews of the original comic series so despite being a fan of both Runaways and Joss Whedon, I was prepared to be disappointed. As you can guess from the title of this review, this is one occasion where I was happy to be wrong.
The opening scene setting chapters featuring the Kingpin, the Punisher and an enigmatic duo of old woman and flying man-monster were okay but it really takes off when the group end up in New York of a hundred years ago. This is a pretty brutal time of social oppression and social change and Whedon doesn't attempt to prettify it. There are people with powers but they too reflect the period so even the good guys aren't very nice at all. The Runaways find themselves in the middle between superheroes and villains, complicated by their own inter-team strife, falling love, trying to find a way back home, and more. By the end, everything has been satisfactorily wrapped up.
Whedon has a very good handle on the characters (and he doesn't even have to invent a lesbian couple) and their interactions. The dialogue is sharp and Michael Ryan's art is the best the series has seen so far. This is as good as Whedon's Astonishing X-men and it's a shame he's left the title.
If you like fun, well-written, well-illustrated, teen superhero comics, then it doesn't get much better than this.
Reviews
Vintage Whedon, Classic Runaways... or both!
Review date: 2008-09-15 Rating: 10 out of 10
As the reviews below show, there are two apporaches to this title:
Either you review it as a Joss Whedon creation, or as an installment in Brian K. Vaughan's "Runaways"-series. Being a great fan of both, so I'm happy to see the two copme together.
Runaways is a newer Marvel title. The story centers around a bunch of ordinary teens, who discover that their parents are super-villains, and that they (well, some of them) have powers too! Only one thing to do: run away, and oppose the evil parents.
Whedon has now taken over the series, and it is hard to tell where he is going with it. Without spoling too much, I can say that old enemies reappear, Whedon takes the heroes to a new and interesting scene of his own devising, and yet another member is added to the group.
The nice touch, I think, is a general ambiguity towards the whole hero- business. The protagonists are kids trying to find a foothold a the world filled with super-powered individuals. Of course, the rag-tag bunch get caught up in all sorts of drama, but like most of Whedon's work, it is mainly character-based. He is an excellent choice to take up the writer's mantle after Vaughan.
This book is NOT a good place to start, if you haven't read the Runaways series. Sorry, Joss-fans. Instead, get your nerdy paws on the first books, and then move on to this. You won't regret it.
Overall, this is a well written and imaginative comic-title, with laughs, character development and an intigueing setting.
If you're already a fan of Runaways, pick it up right away.
If you're a fan of Whedon, get to know the Runaways-series, and then enjoy this.
Sassy!
Review date: 2008-09-11 Rating: 10 out of 10
Its hard to be disapointed with Whedon's creations. Although this took a long time to finish, and was horribly overdue--seeing it all together like this is a masterpiece. The artwork looks amazing and the story--as always had a lot of heart and focused on the characters inner struggles. Each character gets 'a share' of the story and shines in it wonderfully, reminding us why we love The Runaways in the first place--Joss Whedon will be missed.
A huge disapointment
Review date: 2008-09-06 Rating: 4 out of 10
Whedon's run approached the Runaways in an interested way, but ended up being a very weak story that was probably the weakest so far.
I liked some of Whedon's TV series despite glaring flaws, but his comics have always been rather weak (except for X-Men apparently), and this is no exception. Whilst some good progress is made for Nico, Karolina and Xavin in predictable Whedon style, the whole story feels quite cluttered and somewhat out of character, finally introducing an uninteresting character (though the next Writer has fortunately managed to portray her quite effectively and integrate her in a more natural way).
Quite Good.
Review date: 2008-08-24 Rating: 8 out of 10
Here's how I'd compare it to some of Whedon's other comic books.
Runaways Dead End Kids: Fairly entertaining.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight: Very good.
Astonishing X-men: Whedon's best.
If you've already read the others then check out Runaways Dead End Kids as it displays Whedon's talent for plotting, idealism and dialogue.
Product Details/Specifications
Authors:
Joss Whedon
Recording label: Marvel Comics
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
EAN: 9780785128533
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey decimal number: 741.5973
ISBN: 0785128530
Number of items: 1
Number of pages: 152
Publication date: 2008-08-06
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Published)
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