Runaways, Vol. 5: Escape to New York

Well, any issue that starts with Swarm is going to be a cheesy kind of fun, because... Swarm. That's one thing I like about Runaways, they aren't afraid to go silly for the simple fact that the premise is a group of kids trying to fix some of the bad their parents used to do as villains and stop outside baddies from filling the power vacuum they left when they brought down The Pride.

In this collection, Karolina meets her destiny, then the group goes to New York to help and old "friend" who has been accused of a crime he did not commit. And of course, what trip to New York would be complete without running into a bevy of Marvel A-listers!?

I do feel like the story with Cloak and Dagger could have been fleshed out a bit more and taken show more longer to tell, but it's still a good story, and I love all the cameos in this collection.

Another solid set from Vaughan and team. show less

Summary: The team is busy dealing with the wannabe supervillains that keep cropping up now that the Pride no longer rules Los Angeles, until they run into a seeming bad guy with a particular interest in Carolina. Meanwhile, they're also paid a visit by their old friend Cloak, who wants them to come to New York City to help him track down an imposter who's stolen his identity.

Review: Everything I complained about in Vol. 4, about the series basing itself more and more on established Marvel characters? Yeah, it gets even worse in this one. Ironman, Spiderman, and Wolverine all show up as guest stars, and while that's all well and good for them, it left me antsy to get back to plotlines that actually involve the kids... y'know, the main show more characters, the reason why we're reading? Yeah. Also, the pencils for the first two issues in this volume were done by a new artist, and while they're totally fine on their own merits, they're visually very different from the established tradition of how the characters should look, enough so to be jarring. Still, plenty of funny bits, and things move along as snappily as ever, so I can only hope that in the next volume they'll knock it off with the "famous superheroes" diversion and get back to their main storyline. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: The series as a whole is still interesting enough to keep me reading, even if the shift towards being more Marvel-y has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. show less

Ok, this book could have the same author but are two separate stories.

The first one didn't like me either dislike me, have some things that i already suspected but just that. Even the plot was so different from the other issues (before and after). And the drawings was n't my favorite, not a big fan of the Archie and Friends (Archie and Friends #82) look. Was really sad the goodbye and i hope maybe someday we'll see him/her again,

The second was a little better, we return to the artist from the beginning so...thumbs up. They go to New York to help an old friend who tried to help them before, but the journey isn't so easy...with the half of avengers against their mission, the drugs, obsessed lover and (again) a girl kissing everyone (i'm show more getting tired of that sh**t) we can meet more of they, are a little introspection that we already were needing.

P.D. The "Wolverin accident" was sooooo funny show less

I’m actually in the middle of reading Gone Girl, but am having a really hard time getting into it (for reasons which will be discussed in full detail when I am actually finally finished it), and desperately needed a break. So, I grabbed the next Runaways instalment, because these kids are seriously cool. I wish I could have been just as cool as they are when I was their age.

I found that this Runaways book is a little stale as far as character development goes – it seems like there’s not much more that we can learn about the main cast of characters… but it does give us the opportunity to see other Marvel characters and how they relate to these kids. Iron Man, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain America, Spider-Woman… all of these show more characters made an appearance in this instalment. I have to say, that this was the first time that I’ve seen Spider-Man where I actually didn’t hate him! He didn’t grate on my nerves, and that was rather astonishing in and of itself.

The story itself was a lot of fun – a real superhero turning to a group of kids to help him prove that he’s been framed and that there’s an evil drug dealer who is providing people with a way to temporarily get super powers of their own, only these people are using them to commit crimes? Awesome story! I love the fact that grown ups are turning to these kids for help – how often does that happen in real life?

I’m excited for when Karolina comes back and joins the Runaways – she got whisked off by a lovely woman/man who is her Skrull betrothed. I’m really looking forward to how the dynamics between them develop – whether Karolina will embrace Xavin or whether Karolina will see refusing this relationship as another way to rebel against her parents. But I absolutely love that we get the potential dynamic of two women in a relationship – it’s not something that I’ve read in other comics, so am seriously loving it!

The Bottom Line
I have the next Runaways books, and will be holding on to it until I need another get away into the Marvel universe. Highly recommending this series to newer comic book fans – it’s a great introduction into comic books! show less

Very different artwork. It was mostly distracting. Since I'm not a Marvel fangirl, I'm not aware of the Young Avengers/Avengers undercurrents. I'm just interested in a good story. This was ok.

As the title suggests, the bulk of this volume features the Runaways going to New York. Before that happens, though, the team encounters Xavin, a super-Skrull who had been betrothed to Karolina (by her parents) in order to prevent a way between Karolina's people and the Skrulls. This story includes a conclusion to Karolina's infatuation with Nico, as she comes out to the team and reveals her love for her fellow teammate. The whole thing was handled rather nicely, I think.
The main story, though, is the Escape To New York. Cloak (last seen in Runaways vol 2), has been framed for the attempted murder of his partner, Dagger. He enlists the help of the Runaways, who end up meeting Captain America, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Wolverine along show more the way. Aside from a few nice moments (especially one bit with Molly and Wolverine), the whole thing seemed kind of forced. I've said it before, but I'll say it again - tying this series close to the rest of the Marvel U only cheapens the entire series. (Of course, I say that realizing that this closer connection was probably the result of editorial decision-making) show less

Solid. Very solid run. Interesting stuff with aliens and how K leaves, building up to a whole new Cloak and Dagger run that was soooo much better than the last, and the whole requisite drop-ins with Cap, Wolverine, Iron-dude, (but no iron fist!) and even some Luke... but what was most fun was Spidey. Spidey is so cool.

All in all?

It was ONLY A LITTLE BIT of a puke-fest.

:)