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Jun 06, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

I always knew I'd like comic books (I really enjoy serialized entertainment; it's why I prefer TV to movies: the long story arcs, the fully developed characters, etc), but I have been hesitant to try them because comic book communities seem so daunting and insular. X-Men has always been a comic series that intrigued me, but at this point there are like six million issues. How do I know where to start? But, with this comic book being so recent and so handily packaged in bound volumes and being av More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Jan 12, 2009

Katyana rated it:

This is one of the few current Marvel titles that I follow. >.>

This series is about a group of kids who barely know each other. They have met once a year, for their entire lives, hanging out for an evening as their parents get together for the annual meeting of their club. Well, now our kids are teenagers, and they start getting curious... what is this club? They make the unfortunate decision to spy on the meeting, and they discover something horrific: their parents are sup More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 24, 2012

Miz Moffatt rated it:

Runaways chronicles the lives of six "normal" Californian teenagers who are forced together each year due to their wealthy parents' annual (and top secret) business meeting. On a whim, Alex Wilder offers to relieve the teens of their boredom and suggests the group spies on their parents' charity fundraising initiative; however, their nosiness reveals a shocking truth: their parents belong to a secret criminal society known as The Pride, a collective controlling all illegal activities i More...

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Jun 21, 2011

Jacki rated it:

Concept: A+
Plot: A
Art: A
Writing/Dialogue: B
Character Development: B+
Pacing: A
Ending: A+

Due to being so new to life that they're not up to speed on how it actually works, teenagers tend to believe their parents are either completely mentally challenged or actively trying to ruin their lives. In Runaways, we have 6 teenagers (well, 5 teens and a tween) who are thrown together to run for both their lives and justice when they find out their parents ar More...

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Feb 11, 2010

Josh rated it:

This is a classic young adult novel in graphic novel form. It's reasonably well-written, if sometimes a little cloying. It can get a bit angsty and over-hip at times, but it captures the voices of many young adults pretty well. I enjoyed the art style: it's bright and clear, with slightly exaggerated characters and something of an anime feel.
Summary: Basically, a bunch of kids are thrown together every year or so when their parents get together under the pretense of a social awareness cl More...

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Aug 01, 2011

Shannon rated it:

I’m not one of those people who knows anything about comics. Seriously, nearing the end of this arc, Captain America shows up, but he didn’t have his shield. I had to confirm with Alan who he was. I have been trying to find something to get my feet wet with the genre, beyond TV turned graphic novel, or authors I already knew, and I chose these books for this reason. They’re not full of characters you really should already know, and if they’re important, they’re given a little bit of context (A g More...

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Feb 25, 2011

Courtney rated it:

Why, oh why did it take me so long to start this series? I mean, I'm a fan of Vaugn's work, I love comics and graphic novels...Silly me. I loved this one.
So, we've got a group of kids whose parents get together annually. This particular year, the kids decide they're going to see what their parents talk about when they're out of the room. From a secret passage, they watch as their parents, in costume no less, murder a teenage girl in a ritualistic fashion. At this point, it has dawned More...

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Jan 23, 2009

Amy rated it:

Fabulous story and fabulous art! I was discussing this book with a friend over lunch the other day, and it pretty sums up my review. My friend is a very pro-superhero comic reader, while I'm not. My biggest complaint about the superheros is that there's no sticking the toes into the water -- you have to jump fully into the pool of superhero geekdom and dedicate your life to learning all the different universes and lineages and timelines and all that crap. I don't read to make commitments. I More...

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Mar 13, 2010

Rauf rated it:

Like every great book, Runaways began with a simple premise: what if you found out that your parents were super-villains?
One night, Alex Wilder and his friends saw their parents killed a young girl as a sacrifice. Their parents were a group of super-villains called The Pride.
They freaked out, yo. They wanted to report their parents to the bulls but who'd believe them? Not to mention some of the cops were on The Pride's payrolls.
But all agreed they must did something to stop the More...

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Nov 27, 2011

Lola rated it:

DC superheroes have capes, while Marvel characters have psychic dinosaurs. I mean please, I think that just proves my argument right there. For any and all of you comic book lovers, this is a wonderful read, and it just keeps going. Two more volumes, plus a guest appearance in Daken Dark Wolverine that I just had to get. I would even recommend this to people who have yet to get into comics. In this first volume, we follow these five kids, each uncovering more about themselves and their parents a More...

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Sep 05, 2010

Tatum rated it:

I love this book so much, I just bought it. Seriously. It's lying in my room, right now. Everyone who hasn't read it, read it. I will loan it to you (but only if you're careful, because it is in ridiculously close to mint condition). If you have read it, read it again, not only because of how awesome it is, but because the movie is currently casting (video submission only, I submitted for Gertrude), filiming will be from January to July 2011, and the movie will be coming out after (obviously). S More...

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Sep 01, 2011

Meekah rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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May 17, 2007

Mel rated it:

After hearing rave reviews about this series, I was a bit disappointed when I finally read it. I'm a huge fan of BKV, and think he writes great characters and dialogue. But my main issue with the series is its *tokenism*... whether done wholeheartedly or pointedly, it's just durn annoying...distracting from the greater elements of the story!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 11, 2010

Robert rated it:

OK... I am a comic book junkie since I was a kid and this was a no brainer for me to easily become attached to these characters... no one is ever to old to enjoy the comics...ooops... slip... I mean graphic novels.

This being the first book in the series we are introduce to an unlikely group of teen heroes pitted against their parents who turn out to be super-villians. DING.... what teen doesn't already think their parents are villains to begin with? There is always some moral ambigui More...

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Jan 27, 2010

Robert added it

Brian K. Vaughan, Runaways, vol. 1: Pride and Joy (Marvel, 2004)

The more of Brian Vaughan's work I read, the more I think he is incapable of doing anything wrong. (Dear government: please hire Brian K. Vaughan to fix the messes in Iraq, Afghanistan, New Orleans, and Haiti, plzkthxbi.) Y: The Last Man did wonderful things for science fiction, and Ex Machina does better politics than 80% of the political novels I've read. Pride of Baghdad was awesome. Now I've delved into Runaways, and More...

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Oct 19, 2010

Erica rated it:

Saw this on the NPR site and thought I'd give it a shot--
and I'm glad i did!

Very funny!
I don't read a lot of graphic novels,
but I really enjoyed this and look forward
to the rest of the series.

The characters are believable in their conversations,
making the story's sci-fi/superhero plot just a little
more convincing.

But who cares...it's essentially a comic book, right?
And it doesn't disappoint!

I think a lot of More...

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Jul 11, 2010

Yocheved rated it:

I did not like the idea that the parents were villains and their children had to protect themselves from them. Parents are supposed to protect and care for their children unconditionally. They are not supposed to be villains who do not mind harming their own children. Unfortunately, this is not always the case in the real world and realistic stories that portray parents as “the bad guys” often have merit. Many parents who properly fulfill their parenting roles are still viewed by their teens as More...

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Jul 12, 2010

God rated it:

Ok, I read this series in individual issues, so it is hard to separate parts of it out. I stopped reading it about a year ago because it bore very little relation to the series I began, so maybe that makes it easier. Started off so strong. Kids discovering superpowers, and such a variety too - mutants, aliens, sorcerers, techno-powers, dinosaurs - this has everything. i thoroughly enjoyed the first story arc, but i did think it was a bit formulaic, and that the characters are a little too easy t More...

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Jul 08, 2010

Mary Beth rated it:

I have to start by saying I'm not a fan of graphic novels. Never have been, despite the efforts of some of my friends to get me hooked. That aside, this wasn't a bad story. Like the jacket copy on my edition reads, "At some point in their lives, all young people believe their parents are evil..." How true! Herein lies the appeal of this title. While this is part of a series, I still felt like this book had a resolution at the end. It was like watching an episode of a TV show and More...

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Oct 31, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

A better then average series, this definately caught my interest and has me stirred to read more. I wish that there was an option for three and 1/2 stars because thats where I'd have placed this.

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Oct 20, 2010

Kokeshi rated it:

This graphic novel has something special to it. It seems innocent and simple, but has a dark and gritty thread running through it that you know will keep getting more interesting.

I thought the art was excellent and the story line is interesting to say the least. This is one of the better "superhero" type graphic novels I have read in some time. Runaways won a Top Library Award, a Harvey Award and was the lone comic to make the Library Association's top-10 YA list. It also More...

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Jan 20, 2010

Laura rated it:

I don't think this comic is for everyone even though it's got a bit of hype behind it. I've been keeping up with the series through the trade releases rather than buying all the comics one by one (for space sake). The cover of the comic got my interests up and I'd perviously hadn't heard of the series. I'm not a big fan of super heros but this proved to be a nice change of pace.

In this collection I enjoy the overal artwork but i can sadly amitt later a long in the series the artwork More...

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Jan 22, 2011

Sporkalicious rated it:

Well, the plot of the story isn't amazing, but the writing is. So is the art. I got so into it and couldn't stop. This is so far my favorite comic series of all time, but I dislike almost all the other comics after the original writer and artist stopped the series. The only story I like after the series was stopped was the one written by the guy who also wrote Buffy The Vampire Slayer.... so yunno, it makes sense that it'd be decent. All the other comics I've found trying their hand at this More...

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Jul 12, 2010

Annie rated it:

This is quite possibly the first graphic novel I've ever read and an excellent introduction to the genre. I really liked the premise, I liked the Marvel details (STARK (i.e. Iron Man) was the computer manufacturer), I enjoyed the characters interaction as they learned the truth about their parents and discovered their powers. I felt a little rushed when Alex was so quick to decide they were super villains, but since they live in a world where super heroes and villains exist, it's not a stretch. More...

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Apr 30, 2010

Cara rated it:

Victor: Do you guys have some sort of rallying cry? "Avengers Assemble?" "It's clobberin' time?" "Hulk smash?"
Nico: "Try not to die."

Victor: What's... what's your power?
Chase: [flipping open his switchblade:] A poor upbringing.

[Discussing the motto "With Great Power comes Great Responsibility" with Spider-Man...:]
Gert: Really? That's inane. Most people in life don't have great power, and the few that More...

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Jun 28, 2008

sweet pea rated it:

i picked up this series, based on a recommendation, with almost no knowledge about it. i quickly became completely absorbed. a group of teens with super powers - four of which are female - sign me up. there's a lot to love about the series. snarky Gertrude/Arsenic who provides witty repartee. fashionable and rad Nico/Sister Grimm. tiny little Molly/Bruiser/Princess Powerful, usually wearing pink, who can lift a bus without trying. seriously. these are my people.

i like how, as More...

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Dec 24, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

RUNAWAYS is a graphic novel published by Marvel Comics revolving around six teenagers with nothing in common except for the fact that their parents know each other. Once a year they are forced to spend an evening together while their parents have a secret meeting. Unable to stand the boredom during one of these nights, the kids decide to sneak in and see what really goes on behind the closed doors of these meetings. They learn that their pa More...

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Apr 03, 2008

Kevin rated it:

Here is a good drinking game: Watch any movie or TV show depicting teen-parent conflict in the last 50 years, and do a shot for each cliche that arises. Parent misunderstands/disapproves teen's choices of pop culture: shot! Parent punishes teen by taking away privilege: shot! Teen yells, "It's not fair!" shot! Double shot if door is slammed. Teen rebels in over-the-top, probably inappropriate manner: shot!

The best movie in this genre (IMHO) is Matt Dillon's screen debut in More...

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Feb 04, 2008

Pat rated it:

So, at some point we all think our parents are evil, especially when we are teenagers. They won't let you borrow the car, they aren't giving you the allowance you think you deserve, yadda yadda yadda. Well, it's not that bad, your parents don't ritualistically sacrifice others as per a pact they made with ancient demons, a pact that keeps them on top of the super power crime scene in your home town.

This is one of the series that got me back into American comics . I read the Civil More...

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Feb 02, 2008

J-Lynn rated it:

An interesting new look at the superhero/villain genre. While spying on their parents’ annual charity planning meeting, a group of diverse teenagers learn that there parents are actually a band of super-villians who call themselves The Pride. They decide to runaway, but, as their parents track them down, several confrontations occur and the teens soon learn that they have inherited their parents’ super-abilities.

The dialogue is believable and I love the fact that the teens are al More...

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