Runaways (comics)

Runaways
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Ongoing
Format	Monthly
Publication date	Volume 1: February 2003-August 2004 Volume 2: June 2005
No. of issues	Vol.1:18 Vol.2: Ongoing
Main character(s)	Nico Minoru Karolina Dean Molly Hayes Victor Mancha Chase Stein Xavin Deceased Members Alex Wilder Gertrude Yorkes
Creative team as of April 2007
Created by	Brian K. Vaughan Adrian Alphona
Written by	Joss Whedon
Penciller(s)	Michael Ryan

Runaways is a Marvel Comics comic book series created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. The series features a group of teenagers who try to make up for the evil done by their supervillain parents by becoming superheroes. They are commonly referred to as "the Pride's kids" or "those kids in L.A." by other characters in the Marvel Universe, due to the team's lack of an official name and the majority of Marvel's characters being based in New York.

In 2006, the series won the Harvey Award for best continuing/limited series.

In February 2007, series creators Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona left Runaways at issue #24 of the title's second volume. In April 2007, long-time Runaways fan Joss Whedon (of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly fame) signed up to take over the title for 6 issues. Marvel has announced Terry Moore, creator of Strangers in Paradise will take over the title after Whedon leaves, with Humberto Ramos on art.

Overview

Runaways launched in 2002 as part of Marvel Comics' "Tsunami" imprint. After Marvel cancelled the Tsunami imprint in January 2003, the series moved to the "Marvel Age" imprint - as such, the individual story arcs for "Runaways" are collected in small, manga-sized trade paperbacks, but the hardcover compilations are compiled in normal sized books. In September 2004, the series ended at issue #18. Marvel revived the series in February 2005 and it has continued ever since.

The series is unusual in that it does away with the concepts of superhero aliases, uniforms, and team names. All the characters in vol. 1 (except Alex) adopt codenames, but they are used with diminishing frequency over the course of vol. 1; in vol. 2, the codenames are mentioned once in passing but never actually used. Molly is the only character who makes a costume but it is crafted from old bed sheets and clothes, not the traditional spandex of superhero costumes; she never wears the costume again after vol. 1 #8. During battle, the runaways mainly fight in their street clothes and call each other by their given names or nicknames. Furthermore, the children never refer to themselves as "The Runaways" as the series' title might suggest; their team simply goes unnamed. But there was one instance where Nico called them "Runaways" in vol. 2 #26. Other Marvel characters usually refer to the nameless team as "the Pride's kids" or "those kids in L.A." Vaughan even mocks the notion of superhero catchphrases such as "Hulk smash!" or "Avengers assemble!" in Runaways vol. 2 #7 when Nico semi-sarcastically tells Victor that the team's rallying call is "Try not to die." However, despite Vaughan's efforts to break down the superhero clichés within Runaways, Marvel's handbooks and website still refer to the characters by their codenames. The upcoming Marvel miniseries Mystic Arcana features Nico Minoru under her superhero alias "Sister Grimm," a name she has not answered to since Runaways vol. 2 began.

Character histories

The runaways

Original members

• Nico Minoru - Daughter of dark wizards Robert and Tina Minoru. Uses the mystical Staff of One to cast spells, though never the same one twice. Formerly in a relationship with Alex, but is now seeing Victor. De facto leader of the group in the second volume.
• Karolina Dean - Daughter of Majesdanian alien invaders Frank and Leslie Dean. In her alien form she can fly, manipulate solar energy for a variety of purposes, and her skin glows with a fluid, rainbow-like light. Engaged to Xavin.
• Molly Hayes - Daughter of evil telepathic mutants Gene and Alice Hayes. Mutant powers include super-strength and invulnerability. Use of her powers originally caused her to tire very quickly, but has increased her endurance against fatigue with repeated usage of her powers.
• Chase Stein - Son of mad scientists Victor and Janet Stein. Used flame generating/manipulating gauntlets and X-ray goggles stolen from his parents in vol. 1. Pilots the Leapfrog, the group's transport, in vol. 2. Gains a telepathic and empathic link with Old Lace in vol. 2.
• Old Lace - Genetically engineered deinonychus from the 87th century. Formerly empathically linked to Gertrude, but now shares an empathic bond with Chase and obeys his mental commands. Mistakenly thought to be a Velociraptor for the duration of volume 1.
• Alex Wilder - Son of organized crime bosses Geoffrey and Catherine Wilder. Child prodigy at strategic thinking and planning. De facto group leader in vol. 1.
• Gertrude Yorkes - Daughter of time-traveling criminals Dale and Stacey Yorkes. Shared an empathic and telepathic link with Old Lace, however she transfers the link to Chase when she dies in volume 2.

Later members

• Victor Mancha - Cyborg "son" of the android Avengers foe Ultron. Possesses electromagnetic powers similar to X-Men villain Magneto and can also produce large electric blasts. In a relationship with Nico.
• Xavin - Child of Skrull alien warlords. Can manifest all the powers of the Fantastic Four, but only one at a time in addition to the Skrull racial ability to shapeshift. Engaged to Karolina.

Related groups

• The Pride - In vol. 1, a group of archetypal supervillains consisting of the runaways' parents; this Pride controls all organized crime in Los Angeles. In vol. 2, a new Pride forms consisting of Alex's MMORPG friends. Both work for biblical benefactors, the Gibborim.
• Loners - A support group for former teenage superheroes adjusting to civilian lives and dissuading other super-powered teenagers from becoming vigilantes. Founded by former teenaged superheroes Mickey Musashi and Phil Urich. Financed by former Avengers sidekick Rick Jones.
• Cloak and Dagger - Runaway teenagers-turned-vigilantes dedicated to aiding runaways and wayward children.
• The Gibborim - Old Testament era giants who employ both incarnations of the Pride. Require the sacrifice of an innocent soul once a year in order to remain in the material world.
• Young Avengers - Group of teenage vigilantes formed after the events of Avengers Disassembled. Each member is modeled after a member of the former Avengers.

Plot summary

Main article: Runaways story arcs

Nico Minoru, Gertrude Yorkes, Chase Stein, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, and Alex Wilder meet at their families' annual gathering, where they see their parents performing the ritual sacrifice of a girl. The teenagers run away, but before they go, each learns of their true heritage and takes weapons or discovers powers they didn't know they had. The runaways retreat to an underground hideout they call "the Hostel;" it is a mansion that was buried during an earthquake. The police eventually discover the Hostel, and Nico destroys it to facilitate escape. The teenagers learn that an ancient race called the Gibborim formed the Pride to help them destroy humanity, and they disrupt the ceremony that will give the Gibborim the power they need to achieve their goals.

After engineering his friends' defeat, Alex reveals himself as a mole for the Pride. Molly successfully frees the sacrificed girl's soul, and the Gibborim destroy Alex for his failure. The Pride die when their undersea lair collapses, but the runaways escape in a vehicle called the "Leapfrog". Upon emerging from the ocean, the runaways meet the Avengers who relegate the orphaned children to Social Services, and the band is separated. Months after their separation, the team covertly reunites and retrieves both Old Lace and the Leapfrog from an Avengers storage facility. They collectively decide to flee from foster care, and take refuge in an old Pride hideout hidden beneath the La Brea Tar Pits. The team feels responsible for the power vacuum their parents' deaths have caused, and resolves to fight the villains trying to fill that void.

A future version of Gert warns the group about a man named Victor Mancha who betrayed the Avengers in her time. Before she dies, she tells them to kill Victor before he becomes too powerful. Gert's death, as well as the memory of Alex's betrayal, drives them to subdue Victor, a confused teenager whose superpowers activate for the first time. Victor's father Ultron kills Victor's mother and reveals that he created Victor to destroy the Avengers from within. With the help of the teenage superhero support group Excelsior, the runaways defeat Ultron, and Victor joins them.

A Skrull named Xavin appears and tells Karolina that, due to a pact between their parents, he is her fiancé. Xavin asks Karolina to marry him to stop the war between their races. She resists, revealing that she is a lesbian, but she is convinced after Xavin shapeshifts into a female form. The two travel into space to be married. They later return after the wedding erupts into fighting. During the absence of Karolina, Cloak finds the runaways. He tells them that a villain mimicking his appearance has beaten Dagger into a coma and now the Avengers (who think he committed the crime) are trying to catch him. He brings the children to New York so that they could help him. Nico and Chase find a drug dealer who sells drugs which give the user temporary mutant powers. Chase manages to talk the dealer into giving them the name of the man who bought the drugs needed to copy Cloak's power. After they leave, Nico gratefully kisses Chase. Chase becomes angry and insists that he only truly loves Gert. He also implies that he is "evil" and killed a man when he was sixteen. Nico and Chase find Gert and Victor and the four head for the hospital. Dagger's attacker is a male nurse who works there and has been in love with Dagger. Chase uses the Staff of One to perform a detox spell and make the nurse throw up his power drugs. Dagger wakes up from her coma shortly afterwards and Cloak takes the children back to L.A.

Alex Wilder's online friends, thinking that the members of the Pride were heroes, attempt a spell to bring Alex back, but a younger version of Geoffrey Wilder appears instead. Geoffrey unsuccessfully attempts to sacrifice Nico and then Chase, but he mortally wounds Gert when she tries to save Chase. Gert transfers control of Old Lace to Chase before she dies, and Chase leaves his friends, who bury Gert behind the Hollywood Sign. Nico erases Geoffrey's memory and sends him back in time. Chase steals Geoffrey's decoder ring and his copy of the Abstract.

The runaways cope with the loss of Gert, and Nico begins a physical relationship with Victor. On his 18th birthday, Chase attempts to sacrifice the soul of Lotus, one of Alex Wilder's online friends, to the Gibborim in exchange for Gert's resurrection, but they reject Lotus because she is not innocent. Chase tells Lotus to burn the Abstract, but keeps some pages for himself.

Civil War

The Runaways intervene in a fight between the Flag-Smasher and S.H.I.E.L.D., whose agents damage Victor. The Young Avengers see the altercation on television, and something about it causes the Vision to suffer a seizure. The Young Avengers steal a Quinjet and use Wiccan's magic to find the Runaways. Molly attacks the Young Avengers, thinking that they are working with S.H.I.E.L.D., but the team subdues her (when she becomes drowsy as a side-effect of her powers) and enters the Runaways' base to talk to them. The Vision and Victor experience seizures when they are near; the Vision explains that this is most likely ultimately due to their both having been created by Ultron.

Noh-Varr, a brainwashed Kree from an alternate reality, is sent by S.H.I.E.L.D to capture the teenagers. He attacks, breaking Xavin's neck and getting the Vision's phase-shifted lower arm stuck in his torso. Noh-Varr's handlers capture Wiccan, Hulkling, Karolina, and Xavin's body and take them to "The Cube", a high-security metahuman prison. The remaining members of both teams follow and attempt a rescue. The Cube's warden attempts to dissect Hulkling, but his organs shift to avoid damage. Xavin - who possesses similar shapeshifting powers to Hulkling - is able to right his broken neck and attacks the warden. Victor realizes that the Vision's arm, embedded in Noh-Varr's chest, has begun to interface with the alien. Victor overloads him by coming near, as he did with the Vision, and the Vision becomes able to remove Noh-varr's psychological conditioning. The two teams part ways and Noh-Varr takes control of the Cube.

Post Civil War

Xavin expresses confusion about his identity to Karolina, and Chase learns from the Gibborim that the time during which he can resurrect Gert is short. Chase tells Nico that he intends to sacrifice himself on Gert's behalf and shuts down Victor when he tries to intervene. He takes the Staff of One and leaves. Molly hears a voice that tells her to alert the others, and they follow Chase, using a urine trail that Old Lace leaves for them.

The team finds the end of the trail behind a doughnut shop and leaves Molly behind with Victor. Using Chase's portal, they enter the realm of the Gibborim, only to find that the giants will not accept Chase as a self-sacrifice, since the choice to take his own life would taint his innocence. Without a suitable sacrifice, the giants instead move to consume Nico. As Victor regains consciousness, he and Molly enter the realm of the Gibborim to save Nico (thanks to a "Fastball Special"). Without their sacrifice, the Gibborim fade from reality. As the team returns to the Hostel, they notice one of their security robots has been destroyed. Xavin realizes that he did not make the group invisible when they floated out of the tar pits. Iron Man, the victor of the Marvel Civil War, greets the children with a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cape-Killers. Meanwhile, in another plane of reality, the Gibborim come face to face with the person who alerted Molly to Chase's plans in the first place: Alex Wilder.

After an off-panel escape from Iron Man (related in the text of Molly's journal as seen in the Runaways Saga recap comic), Chase and the others flee across the country in the Leapfrog, vandalizing five "Welcome to (state)" signs along the way.

The team finally arrives in New York City and arranges a meeting with Wilson Fisk, the former "kingpin" of crime in NYC. Fisk offers the runaways lodging and protection from the federal government in exchange for the team's assistance in procuring an artifact for him. Some team members, most notably Victor Mancha, express dissatisfaction at the prospects of meeting with Fisk and working for him. The runaways successfully remove the artifact from its vault, but are caught by the Punisher while fleeing the scene. The runaways, Punisher, and a mysterious winged monster engage in a three-way battle on the building tops of New York. They manage to escape the battle with the hoisted artifact and return to their apartment. In transit, they decide not to return the artifact to Fisk, but are met by him and an army of ninjas upon arrival at the building. During the ensuing battle, Victor is kicked off the roof of a building and rescued by the winged monster that attacked the runaways earlier; the monster says that Victor has a message to deliver, but it is unrevealed as of yet. Nico is injured during the battle, but manages to render the ninjas comatose with a spell before collapsing from blood loss. Victor hurries the runaways into the Leapfrog and plugs the stolen artifact into the control console. When the Leapfrog comes to a halt, the runaways discover they have traveled backwards in time.

Xavin takes the form of a white male and buys a newspaper stating the date Wednesday, June 27, 1907. The group starts to vote on using a spell to go back to the future. But the Leapfrog tells the group that it is impervious to magic. It then shows the group a hologram of Chase's and Gert's parents working on the Leapfrog, Chase's father made the Leapfrog to only go back 50 years but had stashed time jumping gadgets all around the century for if they ever overshot. The group decides to find one of the time gadgets and Nico castes a spell to give them outfits fitting for the era. While walking down the old New York streets the group spots a burning building and decides to help. While helping children out of the building Karolina sees a young girl who had created an enormous vine to break through the wall of the building and escape. The group tries to get away unnoticed but they are spotted by "The Swell," aka Eddie Gunnam, who tries to take the Runaways into his group of "Wonders", as he calls them. He takes the Runaways to his "Camelot" and shows them his gang; Lillie McGurty "The Spieler" who can dance on air if music is played, Jacob, Creeper, Hoyden, Yellow Kid (who is their most notorious member), Dead George Pelham, and Tristan, the winged monster from before. However he looks normal and is no longer deformed. Later that night, Karolina leaves to take a look at the city. While wandering around, a man tries to take advantage of her and she promptly blasts him into a merchant's cart. It was then when she saw the girl who could control flora being abused at home. At the sight of this injustice, Karolina became angered. The issue ends with Eddie talking to a large man about his new recruits. After he leaves, the large man relays the information to an unknown person who replies that they should either recruit them, or kill them. It is then revealed that the unidentified persons are actually Gert's parents with a large number of guns.

In the morning, after Molly wakes Victor up, the group has a meeting on how to get back. In order to do so, they need a replacement device. The Swell then list out their best options; meeting with the "Sinners", the group run by Gert's parents, going to the Merchant's trust or taking the old one to be repaired by someone although he cares to repeat to them that their best bet is with the 'Sinners'. Nico then separates the group to different tasks, Chase and Xavin to meet the sinners, Victor and Lillie to find a scientist to repair the old one and her to the Merchant Trust to search for one that might have been stashed there. Karolina, with Molly in tow, decides to look for the chlorokinetic girl to have a talk with her. After subsequently finding and allaying her mistrust of her, they invite her to eat with them where they are told that the man abusing her is in fact her husband.

Meanwhile, on their way to the scientist, Lillie encounters a group of strike breakers who wish to break up a group of unionists and decides to help out the unionists and Victor helping out when things looked bad. Nico, after getting into the Merchant Trust Building, managed to get a spell to look into the contents of the safe boxes but is attacked by the Upward Path, a rival group of the Sinners before being knocked out by the Ajudicator; a Punisher-like man of that era. She was subsequently taken prisoner by an old lady who claims to be her ancestor. En route to meet the 'Sinners', Xavin and Chase bond and talk about their group's love lives with Xavin revealing some insightful thoughts about his and Karolina's state of affairs. After punching the "Sinners'" liaison, the Yorkes appear and in a confrontatin learn about the death of Gert and the fact that she had loved Chase. With Xavin restraining Dale Yorkes and Maneater, Chase manages to knock out Stacy Yorkes and instead used their time machine leaving Xavin to escape with The Swell on his own. The Yorkes, enraged at the death of their daughter swear to return her to life regardless of the consequences.

Alternate Versions

Zombified versions of Chase Stein, Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean and Nico Minoru are shown feasting upon the carcass of Old Lace in a four panel cameo within the pages of Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness #2.

At one point, Gertrude's future self travels back in time. This future version is in her thirties and is no longer accompanied by Old Lace. Nico Minoru reveals, with the aid of magic, that this version of Gertrude is the leader of the Avengers of her time line. The roster for this incarnation of the team includes characters yet to make an official appearance in the 616 universe, including "Scorpion" and "Captain Americas". She, the rest of her team, the X-Men (led by Armor) and the "Fantastic Fourteen" are killed by Victor Mancha's future self, a villain called Victorious. Gertrude Yorkes' codename is Heroine in this time line.

Bibliography

• Runaways vol. 1 #1-18 (April 2003 - September 2004)
• Runaways vol. 2 #1- (February 2005 -)
• X-Men/Runaways (Free Comic Book Day 2006 offering)
• Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways (July 2006 - October 2006)
• Daily Bugle: Civil War Edition
• Runaways Saga (March 2007)

Runaways has been collected in the following digest-sized comic book collections trade paperbacks:

Title	Material collected	ISBN
Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy	Runaways vol. 1 #1-6	ISBN 0-7851-1379-7
Runaways vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland	Runaways vol. 1 #7-12	ISBN 0-7851-1415-7
Runaways vol. 3: The Good Die Young	Runaways vol. 1 #13-18	ISBN 0-7851-1684-2
Runaways vol. 4: True Believers	Runaways vol. 2 #1-6	ISBN 0-7851-1705-9
Runaways vol. 5: Escape to New York	Runaways vol. 2 #7-12	ISBN 0-7851-1901-9
Runaways vol. 6: Parental Guidance	Runaways vol. 2 #13-18	ISBN 0-7851-1952-3
Runaways vol. 7: Live Fast	Runaways vol. 2 #19-24	ISBN 0-7851-2267-2

Runaways has also been collected in the following hardcovers:

Title	Material collected	ISBN
Runaways, Vol. 1	Runaways vol. 1 #1-18	ISBN 0-7851-1876-4
Runaways, Vol. 2	Runaways vol. 2 #1-12, X-Men/Runaways: Free	ISBN 0-7851-2358-X
Runaways, Vol. 3	Runaways vol. 2 #13-24	ISBN 0-7851-2539-6

External links

• Brian K. Vaughan's official site
• Marvel Page on the Runaways
• Runaways cover artist Jo Chen's official site
• Comic Book DB Vol.1 page
• Comic Book DB Vol.2 page
• Comic Book DB X-Men/Runaways page
• Comic Book DB Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways page
• Runaways at Merging Minds