Runaways Vol 1 Issue 1

Published July 2003
Written by Brian K. Vaughan

The very first issue in the Runaways series of comic books. I heard good things about this comic, and since Joss Whedon is set to take over the writing duties very soon from creator Vaughan (and Vaughan will be taking over Buffy for Whedon), I thought I would give the comics a try.

The comic starts with Alex Wilder playing a computer game before being interuppted by his parents, Geoffrey and Catherine Wilder. They ask him to be ready when their party guests arrive to their home in Malibu, CA. Every year, the Wilder's hold an annual gather of the same five families. The following pages introduce those five families; Gerturde, the whiny yet intelligent daughter of Dale and Stacey Yorke; Karolina, the light-hearted vegan daughter of actors Frank Dean and Leslie Dean; Chase, the rebellious jock son of Victor and Janet Chase; Molly, timid daughter of Gene and Alice Hayes; Nicole, the goth-like daughter of Robert & Tina Minoru.

After all of the family's arrive at the Wilder's home and the family's mingle in the hallway, the parents head to the library while they send the children into the game room. Boredom ensues for the kids and so Alex suggests that they spy on their parents by way of a secret passage he found when looking for Christmas presents. Upon finding a two-way mirror into the library, the kids discover their parents dressed up and believe them to be superheroes; The Pride, as Alex's father calls them. However, as they watch, Catherine Wilder escorts in a young woman and the children begin to question their parents actions. The Pride proceeds to prepare a device as Geoffrey Wilder thrusts a blade into the womans stomach, stating that she is helping to forge a better tomorrow for their children. Before the meeting can continue, The Pride detects a noise from behind the mirror where the children are located and the issue ends.

A nice little set-up issue that gives the impression that everything may seem alright, but there is something going on in the background here. I am sure after the shocker of an ending in this issue, the second one is primed to be the real starting point for the series.

Score: 3 / 5