Runaways Appreciation 2018

[Johnrevenge]

Well she's become a full fledged time traveller. It's not something I ever actually saw her embracing, but here she is, travelling through time to cheat death and observe extinct animals.

Well, she didn't time travel to cheat death. That was Chase to save her.

[Personamanx]

Well she's become a full fledged time traveller. It's not something I ever actually saw her embracing, but here she is, travelling through time to cheat death and observe extinct animals.

You're right, that is something. While she didn't exactly cheat death of her own accord, she did go back in time to view and bring some butterflies back with her to the present. It's certainly more than her trademark cynicism.

spoilers:

So how do you think the story is going to continue? A choice between becoming a new Pride or having another Pride be formed with them as the primary targets. There's almost certainly a third option that's going to come up, but I think both could make for interesting long term stories. Would becoming the Pride themselves come with becoming criminal bosses or would they have to make due with their own resources? Who would the potential new Pride consist of? Existing characters with relationships to the Runaways or newly created ones.

end of spoilers

[Beetle]

Well, she didn't time travel to cheat death. That was Chase to save her.

It's a matter of semantics really. She's in a time that isn't her own, years after she originally died.

Sure she didn't initiate the travel in question, but she hasn't exactly reversed it either. It's not like she said "I was supposed to die, take me back" or worried about destiny or the sanctity of the timeline, or any of the stuff you usually hear from people against using time travel for survival.

You're right, that is something. While she didn't exactly cheat death of her own accord, she did go back in time to view and bring some butterflies back with her to the present. It's certainly more than her trademark cynicism.

spoilers:

So how do you think the story is going to continue? A choice between becoming a new Pride or having another Pride be formed with them as the primary targets. There's almost certainly a third option that's going to come up, but I think both could make for interesting long term stories. Would becoming the Pride themselves come with becoming criminal bosses or would they have to make due with their own resources? Who would the potential new Pride consist of? Existing characters with relationships to the Runaways or newly created ones.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

I see the potential in both options, I've wanted to see them try both at one point or another. Being forced to take over for their parents as a new Pride offers a lot of options for stories about growing up, making compromises, getting corrupted, becoming your parents etc. It also continues the theme of mistrust between the Runaways and the rest of superhero community, their friends and allies could think they're Breaking Bad in a way that Avengers Undercover attempted but failed to really nail. Think Angel Season 5 or Agents of Atlas. Creating a New Pride out of people with grudges against them or who've they've wronged is more standard superhero fare. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, you could get some nice introspection about how far they've come, how they've hurt people along the way, how they're becoming more like their parents in that way. You could already fill out most of a roster with people they've faced over the years Alex - Thief (although he might fit as Magician at this point) Abigail - Wise Man X'iv from Secret Invasion or a Majesdanian from Moore's run? - Colonist Topher - Outcast I wouldn't want a "Runaways Under Siege" story where the whole Pride attacks the group at once, but maybe more of a drawn out campaign where they're constantly fending off coordinated attacks on multiple fronts, like getting them fired from their jobs, getting the Hostel repossessed by the city, Molly having to deal with Abigail at school, etc. Psychological warfare

end of spoilers

[Pav]

Well now I want to see the Runaways go up against the Agents of Atlas!

-Pav, who really loved reading about that team...

[Personamanx]

[spoil]I see the potential in both options, I've wanted to see them try both at one point or another.

Being forced to take over for their parents as a new Pride offers a lot of options for stories about growing up, making compromises, getting corrupted, becoming your parents etc. It also continues the theme of mistrust between the Runaways and the rest of superhero community, their friends and allies could think they're Breaking Bad in a way that Avengers Undercover attempted but failed to really nail.
Think Angel Season 5 or Agents of Atlas.

Creating a New Pride out of people with grudges against them or who've they've wronged is more standard superhero fare. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, you could get some nice introspection about how far they've come, how they've hurt people along the way, how they're becoming more like their parents in that way. You could already fill out most of a roster with people they've faced over the years

spoilers:

Yeah, I remember back in the day that's the direction a lot of people were expecting if the hiatus ever ended. It's definitely something that could be done well in the right hands. I've always had a fondness for the "fight crime by controlling crime" methods of the Green Hornet or as you said Angel's Wolfram and Hart. I would be wary of the direction only in that this volume has done fairly well by just being a talking heads teen drama book. Alice Hayes would probably make sense. Unless that is, the Gibborim see her as a failure already. But hell, we could even look at former allies for this hypothetical new Pride. I don't see it happening, but Klara fits into the Traveler mold and Xavin could creep into a couple of them. Obviously under duress of course. Then again that may veer too closely into a "Dark Runaways Dark" situation, and we're like Six years past that trend.

end of spoilers

If Agents of Atlas returns in any major capacity I would eat my shoes. That would be one wild day.

[Beetle]

RUNAWAYS #16
RAINBOW ROWELL (W)
KRIS ANKA (A/C)
• Christmas comes to the hostel!
• Even when trapped in their HQ, the Runaways are going to find a way to have a great December.
• But a returned Runaway (well, and the certain destruction of Earth) could ruin everything.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

[Dante Milton]

• But a returned Runaway (well, and the certain destruction of Earth) could ruin everything.

Is this Xavin?

[Johnrevenge]

That cover is so great

[Digifiend]

Is this Xavin?

Seems likely. Wouldn't need to be vague about it if it was Alex, and Xavin's the only one left for Rainbow to explain the whereabouts of.

[Personamanx]

I'm betting the solicit is still referring to Alex in vague terms. With that being said I would like to Xavin show up.

So whose gonna save Christmas in this issue? Whose gonna ruin it? I'm betting on what is ultimately a neutral Christ-Mass.

[Drops Of Venus]

I feel like it would be kind of silly to try and hide Alex's identity when the cat's out of the bag for a while already, so yeah, I hope it's Xavin. I mean, it makes sense that things would be leading up to this. Rainbow has been covering all of her bases by bringing back all former members to her run.

Have we heard anything about the book going past issue 18?

[Beetle]

I wonder how they get trapped in the Hostel. Are they afraid to leave?

I want Xavin to come back. But having them come back to "ruin everything" would just be rude.

[Drops Of Venus]

I want Xavin to come back. But having them come back to "ruin everything" would just be rude.

Well, ''ruin everything'' doesn't have to mean Xavin deliberately doing something bad. Maybe it just means bad things followed them for some reason. Let's not forget last time we saw Xavin, they were a war prisoner in disguise. So it makes sense that wherever they go, there would be people after them.

[Personamanx]

Have we heard anything about the book going past issue 18?

I believe a few weeks ago Rowell mentioned on twitter she was in the process of writing issue Eighteen. But, that doesn't necessarily mean it will see the light of day. The print sales aren't great by any definition, but the Digital sales are supposedly 2-3 times print. But when print is barely breaking 11K a month this baby could be canned at any point.

We need the digests to piggy-back off of.

[Wiccan]

I believe a few weeks ago Rowell mentioned on twitter she was in the process of writing issue Eighteen. But, that doesn't necessarily mean it will see the light of day. The print sales aren't great by any definition, but the Digital sales are supposedly 2-3 times print. But when print is barely breaking 11K a month this baby could be canned at any point.

Nah, I'm pretty sure it's gonna go for at least 18 issues. She said that it had already been "greenlit" for that, plus we're already on the solicit for #16(and Anka said on twitter he's drawing #15 right now) and that's DEFINETELY not the solicit for a finale. The question is if it can go beyond that.