Runaways 6: Parental Guidance

Comic Info

Runaways (2) #17

Reprints Runaways (2) #13-18 (April 2006-September 2006).  First, Molly finds herself lost and on her own in the seedy side of Los Angeles.  When she meets up with another group of Runaways, she learns that someone else is controlling them.  Then, one of the Runaways greatest enemies has returned…for the first time.  When a younger version of Geoffrey Wilder teams with Alex Wilder’s internet friends, he sets out to destroy the Runaways once and for all.  The Runaways have become the hunted and one will surely die.

Written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Adrian Alphona, Runaways Volume 6:  Parental Guidance is Brian K. Vaughan’s penultimate volume in his run on the series.  Following Runaways Volume 5:  Escape to New York, the volume collects the solo Molly story “Dead Ringers” and the five part “Parental Guidance” series.

Runaways was a fun series and this volume (despite a few moments) is one of better and more surprising volumes.  The team has already been shattered with the loss of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds to Xavin (but she does return in this volume) and also has been revealed a potential future where Victor has turned evil.  This collection starts a bit slow but hits hard at the end.

Runaways (2) #18

When I first read these issues when they were released, I genuinely was surprised by the end of the run.  In the previous volumes, it was revealed that Gert would survive only to be killed in the future by Victor…with a cover proclaiming “One of these Runaways is about to die”, you didn’t expect it to be Gert…again.  It was a nice twist and a bit of a mind-screw since it was totally unexpected.

I do have a problem with the pointless squabbling issue which has the Runaways quickly turn on each other due to romance issues.  It doesn’t really fit in with their character and seems a bit below the comic.  I know that the comic is a teen-angst comic but it was over-the-top.

Runaways is worth checking out if you are fans of some of Vaughan’s other stuff.  It is a bit closer to the tone of Y:  The Last Man but due to the more adult nature of that series, it isn’t really there either.  It is interesting to see him write a mainstream superhero comic, and for the most part, he succeeded in making something a bit different than the average.  Runaways Volume 6:  Parental Guidance is followed by Runaways Volume 7:  Live Fast.

Related Links:

Runaways Volume 1:  Pride & Joy

Runaways Volume 2:  Teenage Wasteland

Runaways Volume 3:  The Good Die Young

Runaways Volume 4:  True Believers

Runaways Volume 5:  Escape to New York

Runaways Volume 7:  Live Fast

Runaways Volume 8:  Dead End Kids