Brian K Vaughn’s Runaways Mixes Buffy and Superheroes for Excellence

by Josh Roth @ 11:26 am July 24th, 2008

Runaways is one of the most surprisingly fun and clever books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I first heard of Runaways after Brian K Vaughn did an arc of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 (titled “No Future For You”, and currently available in trade paperback). The story synopsis alone was enough to catch my interest, but the fact that Buffy creator Joss Whedon had worked on an arc of Runaways made it a must read for me. I got a chance to check out the first trade hardback today, just before Comic-Con. Brian K Vaughn’s brilliant writing, combined with some of my all time favorite comic artwork by Adrian Alphona make Runaways an incredible must read. It combines the quick wit of Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer with another of my loves, the world of Marvel superheroes and supervillains.

Brian K Vaughn’s writing is very similar Joss Whedon’s, it’s incredibly clever and quick witted, filled with throw away pop culture references In fact, Vaughn references Whedon at least twice in the first trade, so it was a no brainer that Vaughn should work on Buffy Season 8 and Joss should do some Runaways (which I am eager to get a hold of). He takes the teenage drama and deep themes that Whedon is known for and mixes them into the world of Marvel.

One of the great things about Runaways is it takes place in the pre-existing superhero realm of Marvel Comics. The Runaways are constantly talking about Stark Industries, and how to get a hold of the Avengers to help stop their supervillain parents. The kids grew up in a world of capes and cowls, so finding out they’re parents are supervillains still comes as a shock but it has a frame of reference. It’s great that Vaughn set his teenage drama in the well known and fully developed world of Marvel, it gives his story a depth that would have taken twice as long for him to create a world from scratch.

The characters are relatable and interesting, ranging from a eleven year old mutant with super strength, to the daughter of two sorcerers who can summon a magic staff through shedding some blood. All the Runaways are teenagers, from ages eleven to around eighteen, so they have your typical teenage rage against the Man and authority, but added to that they have to deal with gaining superpowers and learning their parents are all evil masterminds who worship giant trolls.

Like Buffy, and all of Whedon’s work, Vaughn is able to take a sci-fi/fantasy concept and use it as a front for an actual character story. Buffy and Firefly weren’t only about vampires and space cowboys, they were about people, the same goes for Runaways. Both Whedon and Vaughn understand that stories are driven by character not gimmicks, but they also know that gimmicks like superpowers and science fiction are a fun and exciting way to tell a new story, if you use them correctly.

I want to take a second to talk about the artwork, because it really is perfect. I’m picky when it comes to visuals, whether it be in film or comics. Some of the artwork in the Buffy and Angel comics is too still, and sometimes it’s not clear which character is who. The art in Runaways is just the opposite, it’s engaging and full of life. Each character really comes to life through they’re stances and look. The motion of each character is clearly represented and really brings them to life.

I sped through the first trade of Runaways in about two and a half hours, I couldn’t put it down! It was so interesting and fast paced that I needed to turn the page. Now I am extremely anxious to get a hold of the next trade, and see how Joss’ version of Runaways holds up (I’m sure it’ll be just as brilliant as Vaughn’s). Brian K Vaughn really proved himself with this series, it’s his magnum opus; much like Buffy is Joss’. I really look forward to seeing more from him in the future. If you are even remotely into comics, or enjoy the work of Joss Whedon go out and pick up a copy of Runaways, you won’t regret it.