A review by unladylike
Runaways, Vol. 1: Find Your Way Home by Rainbow Rowell

3.0

I've loved these characters since I first read the original series roughly a decade ago. I didn't care as much for the direction Joss Whedon took the team after Brian K. Vaughan passed off his creation. Then, over the years, I'd occasionally see one or another of the characters somewhat involved in another superhero story, which gave me a nice nostalgic feeling. I vaguely recall some big Marvel Event where a version of Molly in the future played a role. Nico was on a team that's mentioned in this book as having been the all-time greatest girl gang - and it really WAS a fantastic concept and lineup! - but I don't think it was very well written and didn't leave much of a memorable impact. A few years ago, Tom King wrote a really incredible and underappreciated series about the Vision and his family living in Washington D.C. The title only lasted twelve issues, but used another character from Runaways that I had all but forgotten about: Victor Mancha. However, it was seeing the whole first season of the very well-made Hulu original series recently that reignited my interest in the Runaways.

This is called Volume 1, and it does try to introduce the basics details of everyone for newcomers, but it would be better enjoyed if you're already familiar with the first few volumes of the manga-style graphic novels written by BKV in the mid-'00s. Rainbow Rowell does a pretty good job with the tone, but too much of this volume is spent slowly getting the band back together, and the main villain and point of conflict is both boring and predictable. I have my hopes up that the series will gain momentum and improve in quality while also building an expanded fanbase. Only time will tell.