I Salute You, Brian K. Vaughan

Marvel Comics hasn't been the same since the post-bankruptcy reorganization (a blight on you, Joe Quesada, for that awful Civil War crap!), but it's still capable of putting out a comic now and then that's worth reading (for example: Agents of Atlas). Runaways is one such title: I've read all 42 issues so far (published in two separate volumes), as well as the (immensely crappy) Runaways/Young Avengers: Civil War crossover and even the X-Men/Runaways mini-book they gave away during the Free Comic Book Day 2006 publicity event. I can't really say what fascinates so much about the series, since it doesn't do anything (i.e. plot, art, drama, romance, general suspense) exceptionally well, but if you dig deep down into my subconscious (stay out! It's not pretty down there), you'd probably find that I just appreciate a comic with characters who respond realistically to the problems heaped upon them through the wiles of the comic book gods. Also doesn't hurt that there aren't any, as David would put it, "narrative buzzkills" in sight.

Runaways is the story of six teens who, through mere happenstance, discover that their parents are super-villains plotting the destruction of the world. The original roster consisted of:

* Alex Wilder (16), the son of underworld mafia rulers.
* Nico Minoru (16), the daughter of dark sorcerers.
* Chase Stein (17), the son of mad scientists.
* Gertrude Yorkes (15), the daughter of time travelers.
* Karolina Dean (16), the daughter of space aliens.
* Molly Hayes (11), the daughter of evil mutants.

The teenagers ran away from home, decided to fight against their evil parents, and eventually succeeded. Then they had to deal with a slew of issues including being placed into foster homes by the Avengers, fighting crooks trying to fill the power vacuum left behind by their powerful parents, fending off a support group founded by former teenage superheroes, and combating an online cabal of role-playing geeks thinking they were the super-villains in that struggle against their "'rents." Two of the original members were killed off and replaced by:

* Victor Mancha (17), the cyborg son of Ultron.
* Xavin (???), the child of marauding Skrulls.

I recommend reading the newly released Runaways Saga for a quick "primer" on everything that's happened so far. Anyway, I like the way the series realistically portrays the doubt, confusion, and general insecurity of the Runaways. Hey, I was a teen myself not too long ago, so I can easily understand that how, in a situation like the one the Runaways found them in, the whole world would appear to them to have gone mad. Even though they hail from the same universe as such prolific superhero teams as the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the X-Men, the Runaways are not one such team: they're just a bunch of frightened, confused kids who have come to distrust adults and who have no choice but to rely on each other for support. Most of their adventures have been entertaining and provide welcome catharses from the over-dramatic, poorly written (and incredibly poorly edited!) "flagship" titles Marvel produces nowadays.

Sadly, though, an era has just ended for the Runaways. Brian K. Vaughan, who created and wrote all 42 issues of the comic so far, is leaving the franchise for a while. In his stead, Runaways will now be written by...

...

...Joss Whedon. Supposedly the change will only last for one six-issue story arc, but this is Joss Whedon. One can't underestimate the amount of narrative damage Joss can inflict over six issues of a comic.

Please don't kill us all off, Mr. Whedon!