heather11483 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
heathershaped) wrote2010-08-25 12:27 pm
heathershaped) wrote2010-08-25 12:27 pm
in which I finish reading Runaways
...and learn all about the pitfalls of serials that switch teams a lot. And I mean a LOT.
I've also finally made sense of the numbering and the arcs and how they seem to have been grouped into three volumes after the fact. Last I posted, I was in the middle of the "Parental Guidance" arc, so two arcs before Whedon's run starts and right before shit got very real. Now, I'm finished reading the whole thing.
I have many feelings, not all of them good, and I think I'll go era-to-era.
Brian K Vaughan era: 'Pride & Joy' through 'Live Fast'
+ I thought every moment of Vaughan's entire era was perfection. Perfection! I seriously want to go and read everything Vaughan has ever done. He's got a great handle on storytelling and characterization, dialogue, balancing comedy with some extremely dark stuff... and I basically fell in love with everyone.
He gives us characters of color, strong female characters, queer characters - and everyone with their own backstory and motivations and unique personality that remains consisten. No one gets underwritten compared to the others. Characters without powers were just as intergral to the story as characters with powers (a rarity in supernatural stories). You've got Nico, my fave, struggling with the weight of leadership, who's brave and creative, but self-sabotaging and guarded (I love her like I love Kara Thrace, female characters like her are RARE). Chase, with the supergenius parents who were always disappointed in him, whose privilege leads him to make some insensitive comments about the others sometimes (that he always gets called out on). Gert, brilliant and funny and not-skinny, WITH A PET DINO and a sharp tongue. Molly, the youngest, constantly frustrated by the team's (kinda sweet) attempts to shelter her, who's always thinking outside the box. And Karolina, lonely and confused, trying to come to terms with who she is and slowly growing in confidence.
The new characters too - I loved watching Victor become a part of the group and earn everyone's trust. Then Xavin - man, things could've gone SO wrong with Xavin, a genderqueer character who's struggling to figure out her human identity and maintain a relationship with Karolina. Vaughan handled it delicately and ultimately I grew to love Karolina/Xavin even though Nico/Karolina remains my OTP. (Yeah.... I still ship it. I CAN'T HELP IT.)
I think my favorite arc after everything that happened with Alex (I loved all of that) was 'Parental Guidance', even though it BROKE MY HEART FOREVER, because there were so many interwoven plots, so much angst with things coming to a head within the group, Karolina and Xavin came back, and just ... so much happened and I couldn't put it down! And then Gert died and I was DEVASTATED, but it wasn't dramatically unsatisfying or contrived or poorly done at all, it was just --heartbreaking. Cried/had to stop reading/etc. The aftermath was every bit as heartwrenching.
Finally, Adrian Alphona's art is gorgeous - there's been nothing like it on Runaways since. So detailed and expressive that I forgot I was reading a comic.
I read that Vaughan chose to leave Runaways while it was still at the top of its game. Maybe a good decision creatively for him, but ultimately kind of disastrous for Runaways as a series.
Joss Whedon's Era: "Dead End Kids"
I don't know if this is a popular opinion or not, but I actually really liked Whedon's arc -- or I should say, I enjoyed it in the way I enjoy all of Whedon's stuff: extremely engaging but deeply problematic in spots. I heard there were really long delays between issues which must've been frustrating, but not having experienced that, I have to say I would've preferred him continuing to write it -- and Ryan continuing to draw it -- rather than the two eras that came after it.
Whedon was apparently a longtime fan of the series and had talked to Vaughan a lot before writing the arc - ultimately, I think that shows. There were some hiccups but the characters' personalities remained mostly true. It was a very cohesive arc over the six issues. It still grabbed me by the heart the way Vaughan's run did. I particularly liked that the aftermath of Gert's death was still deeply felt by Chase and the others, and the bit at the end where Nico and Chase talk about her made me teary.
Also, Ryan's art was as close to Alphona's as anything else we got - still very detailed, still very expressive, still with the great clothes (shallowly, the detailing on the characters' clothes and how it reflected their personalities was one of the coolest things for me visually in the first two eras).
I thought what the individual characters went through was good - glad that Nico/Victor ended in a way that I found believable even though Victor's love for Lillie sprung up kinda quickly. I loved the Nico/Karolina moments we got in the first issue, liked that things were kind of fraught and confusing between them still - that getting together with Xavin didn't immediately resolve her Karolina's feelings for Nico. I even thought Nico's encounter with her great-grandmother could've gone somewhere really dark and interesting for her.
I DIDN'T like that Whedon apparently had Xavin "settle" on an identity and decide/discover she was a girl after all - I don't think it was necessary and it sort of conveniently backed off of the genderqueer aspect of her character a little; even though throughout the rest of the series Xavin still shifts from male to female quite a bit, I still don't think it was necessary to have her pick one. But her relationship with Karolina is still satisfying to watch.
Whedon's run also had some tropes and plot devices that he seems to love, having to do with women and abuse of same.
Finally, he introduced Klara, which is kind of a neutral point. Because he disrupted the status quo by bringing her in right before leaving, but ultimately she had a lot of potential and it's not his fault that later writers didn't go anywhere with it.
So basically, Whedon's run was problematic for me in terms of the new things he brought to the series, but for the most part I appreciated that he treated most of the things that Vaughan created with respect - and he ended his run in a satisfying way. If I'd stopped reading there, I'd be happy.
But I kept reading, and that's when Runaways turned into one of the most frustrating narrative experiences ever.It wasn't until after Whedon's run that I stopped feeling like I was reading a great YA novel, and started feeling like I was watching a cartoon series.
Terry Moore's era: 'Dead Wrong' and 'Rock Zombies'
OH MY GOD THE LINE ART. I nearly stopped reading altogether because I didn't even recognise the characters anymore. I don't know what Huberto Ramos was thinking by changing the characters' appearances so drastically, but all of a sudden everyone looked vaguely like the Gorillaz. Even Old Lace looks weird. All their personality and expressiveness was gone. Their clothes were different - Nico wore this black shiny OTT dress all the time, rather than her outfits that used to look like she'd realistically sewn them from regular clothes.
It seriously almost threw me out of the whole thing, and I developed a massive appreciation for comics with consistent art.
Writing-wise, there was potential. The idea of survivors from Karolina's planet coming for her was a good one with loads of potential. It led to some good moments for Karolina and Xavin, and to a lesser extent Nico. But the characterizations flattened out, there was so much filler, and the idea of them all settling down in Malibu was ridic. Gone were the nuanced writing and dialogue I'd come to expect. Victor's personality vanished. Klara's never materialized. Chase was almost unrecognizable.
I hate that Xavin went away, but at least her final scene with Karolina was gorgeous, even visually. I stared at those final frames a lot.
The artist for "Rock Zombies", Takeshi Miyazawa, is much better but still way different from before - it looks like a manga. But that was pretty much the ONLY thing I liked about that arc.
At the end of the day, at Terry's run didn't end with anything the series couldn't come back from.
IDK about Immonen's era.
Kathyrn Immonen's era: 'Mollifest Destiny'- 'Homeschooling'
Things got back on track art-wise, or mostly. They still didn't look quite the same, but it was still GOOD art - the characters were recognizable again, though the coloring was a bit more washed-out looking.
The writing improved a lot from Moore's. A little of the gravitas was back, and the characterizations were better if still a little off. Chase stopped being just comic relief and heavier aspects of his character came back. BUT THEY KILLED OLD LACE, THOSE BASTARDS. And then it was plot device after plot device. Old Lace dies, there's random Chase/Nico, random Chase!uncle, then Chase maybe sees Gert but promptly gets hit by a bus... the only thing I liked was that the ridiculous Malibu beach house blew up and they can start over. (And that Gert might be alive.)
I'm still invested in the characters and I would be all over another installment - a good writer and artist would be all they need to get Runaways back to its original standard. But Vaughan set a really high bar and so far, no one else has been able to meet it.
Whew, long post is long! Ultimately I would recommend Runaways to anyone, though it does get a little disappointing after Whedon's run. The characters Vaughan created left a lasting impression with me; I wish there were tons of fic to read. And I still want icons.
Can't wait to read Y: The Last Man, which is Vaughan from start to finish. ♥
After that I might put my comics binge on hold to read the Hunger Games trilogy, which peeps on my f-list keep talking about.
I've also finally made sense of the numbering and the arcs and how they seem to have been grouped into three volumes after the fact. Last I posted, I was in the middle of the "Parental Guidance" arc, so two arcs before Whedon's run starts and right before shit got very real. Now, I'm finished reading the whole thing.
I have many feelings, not all of them good, and I think I'll go era-to-era.
Brian K Vaughan era: 'Pride & Joy' through 'Live Fast'
+ I thought every moment of Vaughan's entire era was perfection. Perfection! I seriously want to go and read everything Vaughan has ever done. He's got a great handle on storytelling and characterization, dialogue, balancing comedy with some extremely dark stuff... and I basically fell in love with everyone.
He gives us characters of color, strong female characters, queer characters - and everyone with their own backstory and motivations and unique personality that remains consisten. No one gets underwritten compared to the others. Characters without powers were just as intergral to the story as characters with powers (a rarity in supernatural stories). You've got Nico, my fave, struggling with the weight of leadership, who's brave and creative, but self-sabotaging and guarded (I love her like I love Kara Thrace, female characters like her are RARE). Chase, with the supergenius parents who were always disappointed in him, whose privilege leads him to make some insensitive comments about the others sometimes (that he always gets called out on). Gert, brilliant and funny and not-skinny, WITH A PET DINO and a sharp tongue. Molly, the youngest, constantly frustrated by the team's (kinda sweet) attempts to shelter her, who's always thinking outside the box. And Karolina, lonely and confused, trying to come to terms with who she is and slowly growing in confidence.
The new characters too - I loved watching Victor become a part of the group and earn everyone's trust. Then Xavin - man, things could've gone SO wrong with Xavin, a genderqueer character who's struggling to figure out her human identity and maintain a relationship with Karolina. Vaughan handled it delicately and ultimately I grew to love Karolina/Xavin even though Nico/Karolina remains my OTP. (Yeah.... I still ship it. I CAN'T HELP IT.)
I think my favorite arc after everything that happened with Alex (I loved all of that) was 'Parental Guidance', even though it BROKE MY HEART FOREVER, because there were so many interwoven plots, so much angst with things coming to a head within the group, Karolina and Xavin came back, and just ... so much happened and I couldn't put it down! And then Gert died and I was DEVASTATED, but it wasn't dramatically unsatisfying or contrived or poorly done at all, it was just --heartbreaking. Cried/had to stop reading/etc. The aftermath was every bit as heartwrenching.
Finally, Adrian Alphona's art is gorgeous - there's been nothing like it on Runaways since. So detailed and expressive that I forgot I was reading a comic.
I read that Vaughan chose to leave Runaways while it was still at the top of its game. Maybe a good decision creatively for him, but ultimately kind of disastrous for Runaways as a series.
Joss Whedon's Era: "Dead End Kids"
I don't know if this is a popular opinion or not, but I actually really liked Whedon's arc -- or I should say, I enjoyed it in the way I enjoy all of Whedon's stuff: extremely engaging but deeply problematic in spots. I heard there were really long delays between issues which must've been frustrating, but not having experienced that, I have to say I would've preferred him continuing to write it -- and Ryan continuing to draw it -- rather than the two eras that came after it.
Whedon was apparently a longtime fan of the series and had talked to Vaughan a lot before writing the arc - ultimately, I think that shows. There were some hiccups but the characters' personalities remained mostly true. It was a very cohesive arc over the six issues. It still grabbed me by the heart the way Vaughan's run did. I particularly liked that the aftermath of Gert's death was still deeply felt by Chase and the others, and the bit at the end where Nico and Chase talk about her made me teary.
Also, Ryan's art was as close to Alphona's as anything else we got - still very detailed, still very expressive, still with the great clothes (shallowly, the detailing on the characters' clothes and how it reflected their personalities was one of the coolest things for me visually in the first two eras).
I thought what the individual characters went through was good - glad that Nico/Victor ended in a way that I found believable even though Victor's love for Lillie sprung up kinda quickly. I loved the Nico/Karolina moments we got in the first issue, liked that things were kind of fraught and confusing between them still - that getting together with Xavin didn't immediately resolve her Karolina's feelings for Nico. I even thought Nico's encounter with her great-grandmother could've gone somewhere really dark and interesting for her.
I DIDN'T like that Whedon apparently had Xavin "settle" on an identity and decide/discover she was a girl after all - I don't think it was necessary and it sort of conveniently backed off of the genderqueer aspect of her character a little; even though throughout the rest of the series Xavin still shifts from male to female quite a bit, I still don't think it was necessary to have her pick one. But her relationship with Karolina is still satisfying to watch.
Whedon's run also had some tropes and plot devices that he seems to love, having to do with women and abuse of same.
Finally, he introduced Klara, which is kind of a neutral point. Because he disrupted the status quo by bringing her in right before leaving, but ultimately she had a lot of potential and it's not his fault that later writers didn't go anywhere with it.
So basically, Whedon's run was problematic for me in terms of the new things he brought to the series, but for the most part I appreciated that he treated most of the things that Vaughan created with respect - and he ended his run in a satisfying way. If I'd stopped reading there, I'd be happy.
But I kept reading, and that's when Runaways turned into one of the most frustrating narrative experiences ever.It wasn't until after Whedon's run that I stopped feeling like I was reading a great YA novel, and started feeling like I was watching a cartoon series.
Terry Moore's era: 'Dead Wrong' and 'Rock Zombies'
OH MY GOD THE LINE ART. I nearly stopped reading altogether because I didn't even recognise the characters anymore. I don't know what Huberto Ramos was thinking by changing the characters' appearances so drastically, but all of a sudden everyone looked vaguely like the Gorillaz. Even Old Lace looks weird. All their personality and expressiveness was gone. Their clothes were different - Nico wore this black shiny OTT dress all the time, rather than her outfits that used to look like she'd realistically sewn them from regular clothes.
It seriously almost threw me out of the whole thing, and I developed a massive appreciation for comics with consistent art.
Writing-wise, there was potential. The idea of survivors from Karolina's planet coming for her was a good one with loads of potential. It led to some good moments for Karolina and Xavin, and to a lesser extent Nico. But the characterizations flattened out, there was so much filler, and the idea of them all settling down in Malibu was ridic. Gone were the nuanced writing and dialogue I'd come to expect. Victor's personality vanished. Klara's never materialized. Chase was almost unrecognizable.
I hate that Xavin went away, but at least her final scene with Karolina was gorgeous, even visually. I stared at those final frames a lot.
The artist for "Rock Zombies", Takeshi Miyazawa, is much better but still way different from before - it looks like a manga. But that was pretty much the ONLY thing I liked about that arc.
At the end of the day, at Terry's run didn't end with anything the series couldn't come back from.
IDK about Immonen's era.
Kathyrn Immonen's era: 'Mollifest Destiny'- 'Homeschooling'
Things got back on track art-wise, or mostly. They still didn't look quite the same, but it was still GOOD art - the characters were recognizable again, though the coloring was a bit more washed-out looking.
The writing improved a lot from Moore's. A little of the gravitas was back, and the characterizations were better if still a little off. Chase stopped being just comic relief and heavier aspects of his character came back. BUT THEY KILLED OLD LACE, THOSE BASTARDS. And then it was plot device after plot device. Old Lace dies, there's random Chase/Nico, random Chase!uncle, then Chase maybe sees Gert but promptly gets hit by a bus... the only thing I liked was that the ridiculous Malibu beach house blew up and they can start over. (And that Gert might be alive.)
I'm still invested in the characters and I would be all over another installment - a good writer and artist would be all they need to get Runaways back to its original standard. But Vaughan set a really high bar and so far, no one else has been able to meet it.
Whew, long post is long! Ultimately I would recommend Runaways to anyone, though it does get a little disappointing after Whedon's run. The characters Vaughan created left a lasting impression with me; I wish there were tons of fic to read. And I still want icons.
Can't wait to read Y: The Last Man, which is Vaughan from start to finish. ♥
After that I might put my comics binge on hold to read the Hunger Games trilogy, which peeps on my f-list keep talking about.
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