Runaways, Vol. 1: Pride and Joy

Summary: A lot of teenagers have problems with their parents, but for this group of kids, their problems aren't issues about curfews and allowances. Instead, a group of six teens find out that their parents aren't the socially-conscious do-gooders they'd always imagined; instead, they're a league

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of supervillans bent on world domination. The kids want to fight back, but a teenager's power is pretty limited, even when their parents don't control the police, city government, and the media. However, these kids are not about to take things laying down... and it turns out they have more than a few powers of their own.

Review: I'm not normally hugely into superhero comics, but this one just charmed my socks off. It's a cool concept, it's fast-paced, it's smart, it's slick, and it's funny. I like the artwork, which is a nice blend of clean lines and plenty of detail, and very colorful to boot. The kids are kind of a Breakfast-Club-slash-United-Colors-of-Benetton mix of archetypes, but it feels organic to the league-of-superheros theme, and also has the bonus of making them easy to tell apart right from the beginning. I also really liked that the kids weren't all bestest friends to start with; watching them squabble among themselves is just as much fun as watching them fight their parents. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: I'm really glad I picked this series up, and I think that most teens and adults who are at least conversant with superhero tropes will get a kick out of it as well.

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Totally great! A good choice for ages 10-16

Great start to the series. I came in later, with the second volume of the comic series. The art was definitely better for the later volumes, compared this one. But it stands up to BKV's reputation of drawing in non-comics readers. This book is a gateway drug for sure!

Six teenagers meet because thier parents are staging a 'benefit'. The teenagers don't like each other much, and only grudingly go. They spy on the meeting and see thier parents kill a prostitute. The parents then reveal that they are supervillians.
The teenagers find that they have superpowers as

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well.
Terrified, the teenagers head for the hills after trying to contact the police.

I love that this is written in langauge that teenagers use. The author doesn't look down on teenagers at all. After reading this graphic novel, I'm really interested in reading the rest of the series. The artwork is very good.

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This book is an amazing teen fiction comic. Its about 6 teen who have super power to try an defeat their evil parents( The Pride)and take them to justice. These teen have the will to do anything to put their parents to justice People who thinks books are boring, they should read this action comic,

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because it will capture your interest every single time you turn the page.

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A story about a group of kids who find out that not only do their parents have super powers but they are super villains. So, what else do kids to but run away. I love the variety in the characters, enjoyed the dialogue and will be reading the next one. :)

I love everything Marvel. The storylines are incredible! They have everything you could want: action, adventure, comedy, romance, political intrigue, allegories, metaphors, etc. Some stories drag, some end too soon.

An interesting little graphic novel about the children of supervillains. Although I can't say I'm completely convinced that's what's going on...

I'm enjoying the story, the characters, and the art, and I get the feeling there's something pretty big going on behind the scenes. I'm going to be pretty

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disappointed if it ends up being straightforward, which it probably will be.

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This is exactly what it promises to be. It's a classic teenage fantasy, complete with superpowers and genetically modified pet dinosaurs, but it somehow manages to work perfectly without causing the reader to wince.
I love books like this - when the storyline sounds suspiciously like what one would

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fantasize about while on the toilet, yet for some reason there's nothing campy about the execution. I don't know how it is done, and I don't want to know, because I'm afraid that it might spoil it for me. All I know is that, from where I stand, it looks pretty much like magic.

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4/5

I'm really becoming a Brian K. Vaughan fan. A group of kids find out their parents are super villains (though I'm still not convinced on whether or not they are) and decide to fight back. Off to request the next volume

And the Arsenic and Old Lace reference is awesome.

Six teens realize that their parents are a team of super-villains when they witness them make a ritual murder. As they discover their own powers, they must make plans to challenge their parents and run from the law that their parents control. Some violence. Ages 12+.

The first book in the RUNAWAYS comic series, it introduces readers to a new team of young and reluctant superheroes. The teens have known each other all of their lives since all of their parents meet up annually to discuss their group humanitarian efforts while their children sit awkwardly in

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another room. But this year, they decide to sneak around and listen in on their parents' meeting and to their surprise they witness a teen girl get murdered collectively by all the parents who are now in strange costumes. Upon discovering that their parents are actually supervillains, the teens become the Runaways as they uncover some of their own super powers and try to turn in their parents to the law.

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I had grown tired of the two major comic companies due to all the "major events" and eventual ret-cons those events would cause (any DC Crisis, Marvel's Onslaught event, which would lead to the horrible Heroes Reborn storyline), but Runaways was the book that brought me back to Marvel. The idea was

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different, the writing was excellent, and it made me want to pick up a monthly once more.

Collected here are the first six issues of the first run of the series. We are introduced to the kids who will become the Runaways, a varied group of California teens who learn the disturbing truth about their parents, that they are all part of a secret supervillain cabal called "The Pride." After witnessing an annual sacrifice, the kids freak and head out on the run. Looking for clues, they instead find their legacies as children of The Pride.

What I really love about this story is how much the kids still want to believe their parents are good people, even after they are threatened and attacked by several Pride members. They try to do the right thing by calling the police, only to discover that their parents have more control than they ever considered.

Like I said, this is the book that got me excited to pick up a monthly comic again instead of just waiting for the trade. This is also the series that introduced me to Brian K. Vaughan.

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Really enjoyed this -- such a great concept (kids find out their parents are super-villains). Have already requested several more volumes from the library! I'm looking forward to getting to know all the characters better.

Such a great idea for a graphic novel. Original and fun. I really enjoyed this one.

Great storyline. Cool artwork. Developed characters (although slightly stereotypical). This is such a great book. I read the whole thing in one sitting, because I just could not put it down. I can't wait to read

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volume two.

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This is a really great premise. Hoping the rest of the series lives up to its potential.

interesting premise, neat characters. he doesn't do a lot with it, though. but hey, he was young, lots of time.*g* Joss Whedon's Runaways: Dead End Kids late took all of this and ran with it, and made something great (and later still poached Vaughan to write Buffy too for a while).

I think I've been reading too much Vaughan and this one seemed kind of formulaic at some point with one person per issue discovering their powers. BUT it was fun and I'm interested, so I'll definitely be reading volume 2 if I can get my hands on it.

Six teenagers - Gert, Karolina, Nico, Alex, Chase, and Molly - are NOT friends, but they have to spend time with each other because their parents are friends. Bummer. Then one night they find out what their parents are really up to at their "friendly" gatherings - supervillainy! The teenagers are

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horrified by what they see, and decide to run away. But that's easier said than done, and only the beginning of the secrets their parents have been hiding from them.

A great start, and a very cool premise. I really enjoyed it and would love to read more! The only parts I did not like were 1) it is very dated, there are very specific references to things that happened in the early 2000s that seem silly now, and 2) out of the 6 main characters, 4 of them are girls... and yet there are zero women involved in creating the comic. Par for the course but disappointing none the less.

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Great start. I've heard good things about this series.

Something about this group of kids suddenly finding out that people close to them are super-villains is really resonating with me lately. What's best is that they remain hopeful and vow to fight together on the side of good.

After I read Runaways: Find Your Way Home I was curious about how the story began, especially as I've enjoyed some of Saga which is also by Brian K. Vaughan.

A group of teenagers, plus an eleven year old, discover that their parents are super-villains. They escape together and learn more about their

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own usual abilities.

This was interesting enough that I read the two volumes after this one, until the end of the narrative arc (when the gang confront their parents). But even after three volumes, I didn’t feel a strong attachment to any of the characters. It’s quite odd. This is the sort of story I like, and yet...

I think it’s partly the storytelling, which doesn’t include enough scenes that allow the characters to convincingly form deep bonds, and partly the artwork style, which doesn’t really appeal to me and moreover colours how I interpret the characters. If they looked more realistic, they’d seem more like people with greater depth and then I might not feel so indifferent.

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Runaways, vol. 1: Pride and Joy. Written by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. Illustrated by David Newbold and Craig Yeung. Marvel. 2004. 152 pages. $14.99 pbk. 978-0785157328. Grades 7-12.

Almost all teenagers have felt like their parents were “evil” – but what if they really were? Vaughan

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takes this common adolescent refrain and runs with it: five young adults (ranging in age from seventeen to eleven) realize their parents’ yearly “charity meeting” is actually a front for their supervillain scheming. The motley crew bands together, pledging to right their parents’ wrongs – and discovering along the way that they have some serious powers of their own. The comic’s artwork is vivid and inviting, and the story skillfully melds comedy and high-suspense drama. The protagonists’ diversity is a welcome addition to the genre, although the majority of the characters are still white, and each of their personalities is skillfully developed, even in the work’s short span. The all-too-brief first volume of Runaways leaves the reader hungry for more: the good news is there are 10 more volumes and some cross-overs with other Marvel comics (the bad news is that the series has been on hiatus since 2009). The work’s innovative storyline, engaging characters, and relative independence within the Marvel universe make it an excellent “gateway comic” for young adult readers.

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This was somehow exactly what I didn't know I wanted.