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Runaways Deluxe, Vol. 1 (Runaways Deluxe #1)

by Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona (Illustrator), Takeshi Miyazawa (Illustrations)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 4,636 ratings · 248 reviews

In Pride & Joy, six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains Finding strength in one another, the shocked teens run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives - vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy. In Teenage Wasteland, the Runaways find a kindred spirit in a daring young stranger and welcome him into th...more

Hardcover, Marvel Deluxe, 448 pages

Published August 9th 2006 by Marvel (first published February 1st 2004)

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Jun 06, 2011 Becca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read_2009, graphic, adventure, ya, series, read_2011, re-read, fantasy, science_fiction

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 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 available to me without necessitating a visit to a comic book store (also daunting and insular) and so well-loved by and then written by Joss Whedon, I had to try it. And I loved it.

Runaways is the story of six kids who find out that their parents are super-villains (although, as is always the case with truly interesting villains, you might decide they aren't so evil after all; my opinion? Oh, yeah, they're definitely villains.). After witnessing their parents committing a pretty heinous act, Alex, Nico, Gertrude, Molly, Chase, and Karolina decide to run away from their parents and then take them down. Along the way, they discover various super powers of their own and action, adventure, comedy, and romance ensue.

Runaways, however, is more than a superhero story and it's more than a good versus evil story. It's a story about being a teenager, about family, about loyalty, about friendship. It just happens to be set against a fantastical backdrop. Karolina, for example, on discovering a secret about her own identity has a very normal reaction: let's not tell anyone I'm a freak, okay? Molly, the youngest of the group, struggles with the idea that the people who love and care for her can at the same time be hateful and uncaring toward so many others. And her parents do sincerely love her. All of the parents love their children and like all parents they are just "trying to do what's best for them." Only the Pride (as the evildoing parents call themselves) aren't trying to get their kids to eat their vegetables. And this motley crew of teens (oh, come on, motley crew? I couldn't resist it!) has to defy authority in a way most teens don't even have to contemplate. This isn't staying out after curfew; this is ruining or maybe even ending your own parents' lives.

As you will probably see time and time again in my reviews, I'm a sucker for a good examination of parent-child relationships and this is a good one. (less)

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Jan 12, 2009 Katyana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel

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 supervillains.

So th...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Jacki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel-manga

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 are actually supervillains bent on terrorizing all...more

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Feb 11, 2010 Josh Stoll rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 club. The...more 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 club. The kids spy on them one year, however, and discover that in fact their parents are sacrificing people for some unknown ceremonial rite. They run away from their parents then, and, try to find the truth about their parents, using gifts that they essentially got from their parents, be it mystical powers, special technology, or just exceptional intelligence. What they find is that their parents are involved in a doomsday plot and it's up to the kids to stop them.
Main characters:
This is a bit of an ensemble piece, so the main characters are all pretty well-formed, but there were a few that stood out.
Alex Wilder: Possessing a preternatural gift for planning and strategy, Alex becomes the de facto leader of the group, as they follow his well-formed schemes. He is gung ho about stopping his parents, and becomes something of the moral center of the book.
Rachel Messina, aka "Sister Grimm": Steals a staff from her parents that enables her to summon just about anything, Rachel is Alex's love interest. She is something of a co-leader, another voice of reason in the group.
Gertie Yorkes, aka Arsenic: She steals a dinosaur that her parents planned to give to her when she was old enough, naming it Old Lace. She is independent, intelligent, and socially stunted. A classic nerd character.
Other interesting information:
The settings are primarily on the run-- this group finds bases, but they become destroyed by their determined parents. There are themes of parental independence, heredity, parental love, and most interestingly, the mean of a "greater good". If you enjoy graphic novels, I'd recommend Watchmen by Alan Moore, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, and Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi.
(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 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 good example of this is that it was explained that the Avengers were from the east cost, not the west coast, where these books were set).

So, the story is essentially six teens trying to stop their evil parents from destroying earth. They run away to a secret hideout, where there’s angst and antics and dinosaurs, and teens trying to grapple with seeing their formerly revered parents in a new light. The story isn’t grim, but the teens are certainly put in peril from time to time, and they have to make some pretty big sacrifices to pull off their plans.

I would say this is probably the first true “comic book” book I’ve read and I liked it. The art was clear enough that I usually knew who was saying what, and who the background characters were (something I’ve had trouble with in other books). The dialog didn’t feel stilted, and the jokes weren’t distracting from the plot. I wouldn’t say the plot was extremely brilliant, but there were enough twists, and a few of them I didn’t see coming. All in all, it was really fun, not too light, and I actually felt sad when all that bad stuff went down at the end. Oh, and there’s a dinosaur.

We like dinosaurs.

This is one of the books I picked up in my new love of the Hamilton Public Library, and let me tell you one thing: It took me less than a day to read this book, and it would have cost me nearly $100 to get off of Amazon, as it’s not in print any more. Unfortunately, the next volume is not in the library. Because I really do want to continue reading, I’m thinking about ordering it, reading it, and then donating it to the library. Does anybody know if that’s allowed?(less)

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Feb 25, 2011 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, graphic-book, misc-supernatural, series, teen-fiction

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 on them th...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Cyna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: keepin-track-of-comics

Runaways has a really strong opening. The first six issues are fantastic, and do a great job of setting up the cast, the premise, and the stakes, with wit and heart. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a cast of characters so much, in comics or prose, and the titular Runaways were likable, sharp protagonists. I'm not big on kids in general, and obviously kid lit isn't really my thing, but despite ranging in age from eleven to sixteen, the protagonists of Runaways manage to avoid falling int...more Runaways has a really strong opening. The first six issues are fantastic, and do a great job of setting up the cast, the premise, and the stakes, with wit and heart. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a cast of characters so much, in comics or prose, and the titular Runaways were likable, sharp protagonists. I'm not big on kids in general, and obviously kid lit isn't really my thing, but despite ranging in age from eleven to sixteen, the protagonists of Runaways manage to avoid falling into typical "child character" traps of being whiny or annoying or excessively naive or stupid. And while the premise plays out like a childhood fantasy - who didn't daydream as a kid about running away to live in a sweet-ass clubhouse without rules or restrictions? - the details of the situation and the kids themselves keep the story from tumbling into cheesy Disney Channel/Spy Kids-esque territory. The characters - their flaws, indecision, and bonds - keep the story grounded.

The diversity of the team here is so fucking refreshing, too. As you can (mostly) see from the group shot on the cover, the Runaways are quite a varied group. Our team includes four girls - one Japanese, one overweight, one a lesbian - and is lead by an African-American boy genius. No stereotypes in sight (er, Gothic Lolita Asian girl aside, but Vaughan has fun with her and a few Magical Girl tropes), and their powers are just as varied as the characters. It's a fun mash-up, really. You've got aliens, time-travelers, sorcerers, mad scientists, mutants, and plain old evil geniuses. My personal favorite power had to be Gert's: her parents traveled to the future to buy her a genetically-engineered telepathic raptor that she names "Old Lace".

There is nothing about that that is not awesome.

Unfortunately, while the first volume of the series ends strong (at issue six), the story kind of unravels from there. Volume two - issues seven through twelve - feel a lot like filler, and the logic behind the plot becomes very...loose. Things happen because the plot says so, and the relationship between the two lead characters, Nico and Alex, lacks in real development, and progresses far too quickly. One second they have a crush on one another, the next they're declaring their love. I mean, I know they're teenagers and infatuation and all that, but we barely even saw them spend any time together!

And I hate to say it, but following issue six, the story felt a little more...childish? It seemed like it didn't have to go into too much detail about the "hows" and "whys", perhaps because kids don't really think so hard about that sort of thing. Cartoon-logic, I'd say; there are some weird plot holes involving foresight and prophecy. However, this may also have something to do with the rather odd progression of time in the book - weeks pass between issues, so when reading in a collected format, the events end up feeling more condensed than they actually are, in-world.

The book also frequently falls prey to exposition speak. It's a common problem in comics, where writers will feel the need to have characters recap the last issue's events in stilted dialogue, to refresh monthly readers or bring new ones up to speed. We get the "what we're doing now and why" speech pretty frequently throughout the series, and I swear to God, a couple times we got it more than once per issue.

I was also pretty disappointed that this particular story arc never really expanded on the initial idea of the kids fighting crime to make up for their parent's mistakes. Given the outcome of the story, even though the team goes on to do so in future installments, you still kinda lose that redemption and oppositional dynamic with the parents.

Still, the arc has a pretty satisfying, if somewhat predictable, ending, and I liked that the book didn't go out of its way to demonize the kids' parents. Yes, they were evil super-villains bent on destroying the world, but they were also parents who loved their children, and that was more important. It's actually kind of rare to see cackling, mustache-twirling, bona-fide supervillains humanized in such a way, and I liked that. It's a bittersweet sort of ending, but it's also a relatively empowering one for the characters.

I'd definitely recommend Runaways to anyone interested in perhaps dipping a toe into shared-universe comics. There's absolutely no Marvel history or continuity you need to be aware of the enjoy the series - though they do become more heavily involved with the Marvel universe in later volumes - and it's probably relevant to mention that Joss Wheadon takes over writing the series around that point. I haven't read his run yet, but I am looking forward to reading more Runaways in the future.(less)

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Jan 14, 2013 Ashlie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I haven't read many comics or graphic novels, just a few here and there including Watchmen, Y the Last Man, and all of Lord Whedon's "Season 9/Season 10" series. This came to me as the suggestion of a fellow nerd who has similar taste to myself. I was eager to start it, and cannot wait to read the next volume.

Runaways follows six youngsters who learn that their parents are a part of a secret organization in service to creatures determined to destroy the earth. The parents are evil-ish, depending...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Year: 2006
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Series: Runaways ongoing title

Plot Summary: 5 teenagers and one tween discover their normal parents are really a group of super villains (called The Pride) working to overthrow the whole world. Confused, they run away and try to figure out how they can bring their parents to justice. Along the way, they discover unique abilities of their own as they go on the run, fight a hot vampire and, finally, confront their parents.

Red Flag/s: Charac...more

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Jan 23, 2009 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, library-book

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 don'...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Rauf rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: 2010-list, big_expensive_comics, fantasy-and-sf, fiction, imaginary-library, tangled_up_in_brians

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 parents.

The kids...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Lola rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 5 of 5 stars

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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Jan 27, 2013 Charlotte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit-1-12

When six children find out that their parents are part of an evil villain group called The Pride, they don't know what to do or what to think. They were supposed to be organizing funding for a charity, but they are sacrificing young helpless women? The only thing they can think of to do is run away and try to figure out how to stop their parents from doing any more evil. In the process they find they have powers of their own to help stop the evil. But one of them is a traitor, who is it?
I was pl...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Meekah rated it 5 of 5 stars

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

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May 17, 2007 Mel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, friendrec

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!

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Jul 11, 2010 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 ambiguity that neve...more

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Jan 27, 2010 Robert Beveridge added it

Shelves: 2010-goal-list, cuy-co-pub-lib, finished

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 it is equal...more 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 it is equally impressive.

Pride and Joy, the first book in the series, is setup. We meet our main characters (the runaways of the title, though that doesn't happen until late in the volume), six seemingly regular teenagers who are all getting ready for their parents' annual dinner party. This year is no different; the six, who have no contact with one another on any other day of the year (and are wildly disparate personalities), spend a couple of hours sitting around in the den, studiously avoiding interaction with one another. That does not a good graphic novel make, however, and it lasts for all of one panel before Vaughan creates a situation that allows some of the kids to find out that their parents are not going over tax documents while locked in that study, no, not at all. In fact, they're a group of supervillains known as the Pride, and the six kids sitting in the den are the heirs to the thrones. Now we've got a classic situation set up: what to do when you're basically a decent person, but you're being groomed to the position of supervillain? The older members of the newly-formed pack (eleven-year-old Molly, they decide, should probably be sheltered from the horrible truth about her parents) decide they should probably try to counteract as much of the damage their parents do as possible.

I've already gone as far as I'm comfortable into spoiler territory here, but there's much more to be had in this book, and there's far more to come after that. As in many of the best graphic novel series, the true pleasures here are the small discoveries; I'd give you examples, but that would defeat the purpose. Suffice to say Vaughan is as good as always, and Runaways is one to check out if you haven't already. *** ½(less)

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Feb 16, 2012 Josh Andersen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 16, 25

I had read comic books when I was younger but this was my first graphic novel. The beginning of it was very intriguing and the premise of the story where the parents are super villains was good. Then they throw in a unique twist in it that I thought was refreshing and new. But instead of building of it they killed it and the end just fizzled out kind of lame like. I think they needed a better balance of characters. In the end it was a story about parents being evil and if you follow them you are...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Miz Moffatt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, supernatural, young-adult

Originally published on Across the Litoverse

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 co...more Originally published on Across the Litoverse

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 in Los Angeles. As if their criminal tendencies weren't foul enough, these duplicitous adults are also ritualistically murdering young women from the city—an act their children witness from behind a two-way mirror. With their true natures exposed, The Pride will take all measures necessary to protect their organization—even if it means destroying their own children to do so.

"GAWD, Mom and Dad—why do you have to ruin my life like this?!"

Brian K. Vaughan imagines the ultimate comeuppance for the under-twenty set—he takes those victimized and angsty kids, infuses them with otherworldly powers and tools, and sets 'em loose against the world order envisioned by their parents. Runaways offers the ultimate revenge fantasy of wayward teens jonesing for their chance to outwit the authorities and rise up against the status quo. On that note, Vaughan delivers in spades.

However, due to a massive principal cast (re: six teens, twelve parents, and numerous secondary figures), a large portion of the characters were underdeveloped and offered little to the story arc. In particular, Victor Stein proves to be an one dimensional meathead versus the gang, and Molly Hayes, an eleven-year-old girl, often acts as though she's in fact seven-years old.

Though I had a mixed reactions to this first volume, I'm willing to hold out for Runaways in the long run—maybe I'm hearing the echoes from my own teenaged years buried within me, but I have the sense these kids aren't finished their revolution just yet…

Ideal for: Superhero junkies looking for a fresh spin on the good vs. evil dynamic; Rowdy adolescents who are either comic book–obsessed or rarin' for their own rebellion; Folks who like a little surrealism in their graphic reads.(less)

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Oct 19, 2010 Erica Leigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, graphic-novels-and-illustrations, adventure-horror-thriller-mystery, library, series-and-sequels, young-adult, paranormal-fantasy-sci-fi

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 us can relate to
the fear that comes with growing up
and fulfilling your parents' expectati...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Kevin Fanning rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel

Basically a YA graphic novel about kids--who in the process of learning their parents are evil super villians--have to discover and come to terms with their own powers, so yeah, this is basically as within my wheelhouse as a thing can possibly be. Loved it. If that sounds like your thing you'll dig it too.

I have thoughts which are more "notes to self" as someone interested in writing this type of thing, not really criticisms of the book by any means:

[spoilers ensue, I guess]

* Don't feel like I g...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Yocheved rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 O'Wax rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 3 of 5 stars

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 I'm sure the vis...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Jennifer Haight rated it 3 of 5 stars

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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May 26, 2012 Esther Yam rated it 4 of 5 stars

This one is good. Not, OMGWTFTHISISAMAZING! good, but still worth every penny I bought it for. It's not your typical coming-of-age story, although it does deal with that a little bit. Kids have superpowers. Their parents are the evil villains. It's a compelling premise and I'm inclined to get the second one, just to see how they fare.

It is Marvel after all, so the writing and drawing is exquisite, smart and funny at times and over all a good read. Devoured this in about a day and have put in my...more

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Oct 20, 2010 Kokeshi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel

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 won an Eisner award, w...more

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Nov 29, 2012 CLA_MA rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, boy-appeal, fiction, friendship, family, fantasy, ya

Every year six families get together for a 'business meeting,' and every year computer-whiz Alex is forced to hang out with the other families' kids. There's hippy Karolina who wants to save the world, overly confident Victor (smarmy if you will), eleven year old Molly who is going through the change, gothy artsy Nico, and nerdy Gertrude. Every year is the same, except for this year. This year Alex gets the others to spy on their parents' meeting. What they had always assumed was a business meet...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Brooke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, graphic-novels, fantasy

A group of urban teens discover that their parents are actually a group of supervillians called "the pride" when they witness a murder in one of the teens' parents' home/underground lair. Shortly after, the teens realize that they each have a unique superpower. It's teens against their parents (brilliant idea!) as they try to get to the bottom of all of their parents' mysteries, and not get killed...and also maybe do some good in the world to couteract the bad their evil parents have done. Fun a...more

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About Brian K. Vaughan

Born in Cleveland in 1976, Brian K. Vaughan is the Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster Award-winning writer and co-creator of the critically acclaimed comics series Y: The Last Man, Runaways, and Ex Machina (picked as one of the ten best works of fiction of 2005 by Entertainment Weekly).

Recently named "Writer of the Year" by Wizard Magazine, and one of the “top ten comic writers of all time” by Comic Boo...more Born in Cleveland in 1976, Brian K. Vaughan is the Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster Award-winning writer and co-creator of the critically acclaimed comics series Y: The Last Man, Runaways, and Ex Machina (picked as one of the ten best works of fiction of 2005 by Entertainment Weekly).

Recently named "Writer of the Year" by Wizard Magazine, and one of the “top ten comic writers of all time” by Comic Book Resources, Vaughan’s work has been featured and/or reviewed in countless mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, MTV, National Public Radio, and feminist magazine Bust, which photographed him for their “Men We Love” issue (don’t ask).

As an undergraduate film student at New York University, Vaughan got his big break as part of Marvel’s Stanhattan Project, a workshop for aspiring comic book writers. In the ten years since, he has written nearly all of the major DC and Marvel characters, everyone from Batman to the X-Men.

In September of 2006, Vertigo released Vaughan’s first original graphic novel, Pride of Baghdad, lavishly illustrated by artist Niko Henrichon. Inspired by an unbelievable true story of four lions who escaped the Baghdad Zoo during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Pride is equal parts anthropomorphic adventure and Animal Farm-like parable about the ongoing conflict in Iraq, and was described as "the best novel so far" about the war by the UK's Telegraph.

Along with his creator-owned work, Vaughan is currently writing The Escapists, a Dark Horse miniseries inspired by Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, as well as a new Doctor Strange limited series for Marvel with artist Marcos Martin.

This summer, the new WGA member/CAA client transplanted his poor playwright wife to Los Angeles, where Vaughan is currently working on the screenplay adaptations of Y and Ex Machina for New Line Cinema, as well as other new creations in film and television.

His home on the web is www.bkv.tv, and he’s become the last aging hipster to get a MySpace page: www.myspace.com/briankvaughan

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/234352.Runaways_Deluxe_Vol_1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1172969612l/234352.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/234352.Runaways_Deluxe_Vol_1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Runaways Deluxe, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan[/url]

Runaways Deluxe, Vol. 1 (Runaways Deluxe #1)

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