Teenreads.com -- RUNAWAYS: DEAD END KIDS by Joss Whedon, Michael Ryan and Christina Strain

RUNAWAYS: DEAD END KIDS
Joss Whedon, Michael Ryan and Christina Strain
Marvel
ISBN: 9780785128533
152 pages

The Runaways have always walked a careful line between trying to be heroes, fighting both the skepticism of their adult colleagues and trying to escape their lineage: their supervillain parents. Adults always seem to want to take control of the group. At this point, the Runaways are scared of being split up and shunted off into foster homes, not to mention being forced to register their superpowers with the government, now required by law. This doesn't leave them many options, and when they relocate to New York, they end up working out a deal with the infamous Kingpin: pull off a heist in exchange for protection. Of course, the heist is not as smooth sailing as they'd hoped, and they end up struggling with the Punisher, Kingpin and ninjas(!). Just when things couldn't get any worse, the time-travel device they were meant to hand over is activated, and the whole group ends up stranded in 1907.

Fortunately or unfortunately, 1907 New York isn't as different as the city they came from: turf wars are fought between different groups of Wonders, this generation's moniker for those with powers, and all of the issues of the era --- from strikes to street gangs --- are blended cleverly with the series theme of being super-powered and on the run. Everyone knows they must work out a way back home, and Chase sets out on the trail of the gadget that will restore them to their proper time, a challenge that conjures painful ghosts.

Nico, always uncertain in her role as group leader, gains confidence and power at a high cost, undoubtedly a transformation that will have repercussions. Victor is love-struck by an enchanting Wonder, leaving him torn between his own time (not to mention his rocky relationship with Nico), and what could be a chance at real happiness. Karolina, enchanted by being able to walk through history, discovers that period fashion and quaint customs mask some ugly beliefs. In going to the past, Whedon has a lot of fun imagining that era's superpowers: who they might be, how they might work and how they'd be treated. Part of me wishes there was a spin-off series in the works about those century-old heroes.

The fun of this volume in the Runaways series partly comes from enjoying the accomplished hand-off from series creator Brian K. Vaughan to new scribe (famous in his own Buffy-writing right) Joss Whedon. Whedon writes very recognizable dialogue, which could have been jarring, but his love for the series and characters shine as he melds his own style with the defined universe (he writes Molly particularly well, leading to some laugh-out-loud moments.) As with all of Runaways, humor lightens up the drama, and the strong bonds between these teens shows how much they've come to define a family with each other. Ryan's art is equally up to the task, and the period detail and engaging action sequence make for a great ride. While not completely a stand-alone title, this volume makes a good entry point for new readers that will hopefully inspire them to head back and see how it all started.

--- Reviewed by Robin Brenner

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