Running Right Back Again

So I read Runaways volumes 2 and 3, and while they were reasonably entertaining, I do have some reservations:

• That was their plan? It seemed like the Pride sub-group A's plan, and the Pride sub-group B's plan, and the mole's plan, and the kids' plan, all basically boiled down to "Hope the plan works". I am more or less compelled to draw a parallel to the neocon invasion of Iraq. I mean, really. About the only thing anybody did to make events break in the direction their plan needed events to break (i.e., strategy) was the mole's disabling of that one character, and even then, it didn't actually work, nor did it actually seem all that connected with the strategic goals. Tactics, OK; there were some tactics, I suppose, once the actual puncheminnaface was underway. But I was led to expect strategy.
• That was who the mole turned out to be? Ooo-kay. Sure, whatever, I guess. I mean, I guess there's not any specific evidence against it I can point to, but it sure feels violative of POV. There's not any evidence for it, either. Or for or against anybody else, really. I guess what I'm saying is that I hope it wasn't supposed to be a whodunnit, where the careful reader can be on board with the big revelation and agree that it all makes sense.
• They were supposed to be on the run for months? Within the context of the story, I don't think you could justify even weeks, and certainly not months.
• Like, two fights are enough to make the kids think they've tactically improved enough to take on their parents?
• Why did Captain America show up?
• Was the last issue supposed to make any sense at all? It's like this weird hybrid of a real-world treatment of the kids crossed with a kid gang story, and as a result, it doesn't work on either level.

Anyway, pretty entertaining, I guess, but I now don't believe it's sustainable. Excellent art, though.

Posted by Greg at November 2, 2008 12:21 PM