Runaways

[Qwerty]

Finished the season up a few minutes ago. There is so much to unpack, I kind of wish I had watched it weekly to have more time to process a lot of it. It has done a great job in embracing its routes from the source material while still largely carrying on with the new story elements introduced in the previous season. As someone whose read the comics since he was a teenager, this was a better adaptation than we deserved.

We deserved a faithful adaptation. This isn't that. I wanted giant three toed monsters

[Personamanx]

I saw none of Victor in topher. Except they were both Spanish speakers.

spoilers:

Yeah, the only similarity besides both being bilingual would maybe be addiction. But of course, the vibranium addiction plot introduced in Tom King's Vision wouldn't likely be adapted if Victor shows up.

end of spoilers

We deserved a faithful adaptation. This isn't that. I wanted giant three toed monsters

It would have been mediocre at best, much like the original comic.

[Qwerty]

spoilers:

Yeah, the only similarity besides both being bilingual would maybe be addiction. But of course, the vibranium addiction plot introduced in Tom King's Vision wouldn't likely be adapted if Victor shows up.

end of spoilers



It would have been mediocre at best, much like the original comic.

I haven't read marvel in years so I didn't know about the addiction thing. The original runaways arcs are far from mediocre. Everything since has been. I'm not saying this series isn't interesting but I would have much rather had the actual comic.

[Personamanx]

I haven't read marvel in years so I didn't know about the addiction thing. The original runaways arcs are far from mediocre. Everything since has been. I'm not saying this series isn't interesting but I would have much rather had the actual comic.

The latest Vision series by Tom King is an amazing Twelve issues, I wouldn't hesitate to call it one of the best superhero comics published in the last decade. It very much hurt Victor Mancha's character however. In the current Runaways series by Rowell/Anka (Which is great btw) the fallout from The Vision is something that has slowly been creeping up for a while now.

The first volume was okay at best. Six boring issues based on an interesting concept, Six issues of nothing, and somehow by the last Six issues Adrian Alphona's art improved tenfold and BKV managed to cobble together a solid finish. I love it to death, enough to have spent over Two-Hundred dollars re-buying the original issues last year after my copies were lost. They mean the world to me, but I'd be hesitant to recommend them to anyone without several caveats.

The second volume was much better. More traditional superheroics, but BKV/AA cared to make them as good as they could.

[ZeroBG82]

The first volume was okay at best.

I can't agree with this statement. Even as somebody who prefers Vol 2. The first volume of Runaways is pure magic. It builds it's world, it's characters in such a thorough and meaningful way. Yes, it is much more disconnected from the main Marvel universe (by design, obviously, as it launched in a side imprint) and was less superhero, but those are actually among it's strengths. It's a tight, well crafted story with a beginning, middle and relative end. Maybe not BKV's finest (the man has written some seriously quality comics over the years), but excellent comics nonetheless.

The only reason I prefer volume 2 is Victor Mancha. But it loses a lot of steam with all the focus on the Losers. Geoffrey saves some of that, but not all of it. And honestly, the less said about what bridges the gap between BKV leaving and Rowell's run, the better, at least in terms of the Runaways as characters.

[Immortal Weapon]

I finished the season

spoilers:

Looks like the staff of one in this show will be tied to Dormammu. It would be nice if Tina cameo will get tied back to this show somehow but that would be wishful thinking Xavin not being a skrull is a huge disappointment

end of spoilers

[Personamanx]

I can't agree with this statement. Even as somebody who prefers Vol 2. The first volume of Runaways is pure magic. It builds it's world, it's characters in such a thorough and meaningful way. Yes, it is much more disconnected from the main Marvel universe (by design, obviously, as it launched in a side imprint) and was less superhero, but those are actually among it's strengths. It's a tight, well crafted story with a beginning, middle and relative end. Maybe not BKV's finest (the man has written some seriously quality comics over the years), but excellent comics nonetheless.

I think it does a lot right in selling the concept, and resonating with its intended audience but I don't believe it was all that well executed as a comics story. Naturally the first Six issues are rough in terms of art, and characterization but my real issue is that it very much feels that Vaughan had no idea where to take it afterwards. He clearly didn't expect the series to last long enough for him to worry about any resolutions. That resulted in the next two arcs feeling rather meaningless, and inconsequential. When the final arc came around, and BKV/Company had an end in mind it became significantly better. Not all that great, but more than satisfactory. So much is introduced in that final arc that feels like it came from nowhere when compared to the earlier issues.... It's hard to call it any more than okay.

That's without be going into some of the terrible dialogue, and topical (at the time) references that hurt much of its present readability. Like I said, I love it to death but that has less to do with its quality, and more to do with the fact that it was the comic I needed at the time.

spoilers:

Does anyone else think that "Xartan" was a GI JOE reference? Couldn't call Xavin a Skrull, so they looked around for alienish name, and fell onto the villain Zartan?

end of spoilers

spoilers:

After further investigation Xartans are actually a previously existing Marvel race. Visually they are similar in appearance to Skrulls albeit orange, and have shapeshifting/invisibility powers granted to them by celestials. That meshes with what we've seen of show-Xavin.

end of spoilers

[Qwerty]

The story is so compelling but I just wish they wouldn't call it Runaways.

[Captain M]

The story is so compelling but I just wish they wouldn't call it Runaways.

Why not? It's one of the most faithful adaptations marvel has done so far.

[Personamanx]

The story is so compelling but I just wish they wouldn't call it Runaways.

I can't agree with that.

Why not? It's one of the most faithful adaptations marvel has done so far.

I wouldn't agree with that exactly either, I just don't think a more faithful adaptation would be even half as enjoyable as the show has been thus far.

Allowing for the fact that the first season very much didn't want to be a "superhero" show*, I think the series has done a great job with taking what worked in 2003 with the original comics and updating that magic into 2017-2018. It's still the same song, and dance of a bunch of upper class youths having their lives thrown into disarray by their parents while trying to turn that betrayal into justice. That's what it's all about, I don't mind that they're picking and choosing elements to be faithful towards or to composite together. It's all come together rather nicely into a show that feels like a modern re-invention while being enough of its own thing that I'm always excited to see what's next.

*That largely resulted in the series focusing more so on character interaction rather than action, and the Pride members largely being divorced from the supervillain archetypes they were in the original comics. It also has done a good deal in making the parents not entirely one note.

Jolly Holidays folk, stay warm out there.

[Immortal Weapon]

The story is so compelling but I just wish they wouldn't call it Runaways.

I feel this show fleshed out what was present in the first volume. I for one like that the parents are fully realized characters rather than villain archetypes.

[Forseti]

I'm not finished with the season yet, but I want to drop something here before I forget about it: I liked how the Molly graffiti from the opening credit sequence became an actual thing. I wonder if the rainbow angel art will also make an actual appearance. Well, off to find out, episode 8 here I come! (Loving it so far.)

[Qwerty]

Why not? It's one of the most faithful adaptations marvel has done so far.

It's not faithful at all.

[Captain M]

It's not faithful at all.

It's not only faithful but better, much better than the already amazing source material.

[ZeroBG82]

It's not only faithful but better, much better than the already amazing source material.

I can't agree. It's a bargain basement family drama stealing the trappings of the Runaways. It is neither faithful to the characters, or the plot. And, considering I have found it to be an awful show, there's no way I'm ever going to agree with it being better than the comics.

I feel like I need a shower just thinking about it.

The acting is wooden. The plots are generic and cliche. The characters aren't given any kind of consistent personality beyond a few small ticks. And, most egregious of all, the parents are the heroes. The second season was marginally better than the first, it actually decided to spend some time with the kids. But still the overwhelming development is on the parents.

The only thing that got me remotely hyped in the back half of the season was the inclusion of a plot from the comics that I'd honestly believed they would avoid. But the more I think about it, the more I think I won't be back for a potential third season. I've given this show too long to try and find it's footing, and it just has no interest in keeping me as a viewer.

Especially disappointing given how strong the current comic run is. But at least I have Rowell's new issues to look forward to.