Reviews

Collecting issues 7-24, these installments of the popular "Runaways" series from Marvel find our gang of superhero teens dealing with wannabe supervillains, loss, and that good ol' teen conundrum of finding one's personality. Escape to New York and Parental Guidance are excellent additions to the series but stray from the teen focus when Wolverine and Spider-Man guest star and steal the spotlight. Live Fast signals a return to the basic premise when the group has to deal with the loss of one of their own while juggling a battle with a giant monster in downtown Los Angeles. To make the situation even more drama-tastic, the Runaways face the possibility of turning back time to save their fallen friend. The artwork is clean, detailed, and easy on the eyes-a nice match to the consistent storytelling, and vice versa. Verdict Runaways will easily find a spot on the shelves of your teen and adult graphic novel collections but won't stay there long. The compelling characters, rich artwork, and teen-friendly stories will make this an easy one to book-talk.-Justin Hoenke, Portland P.L., ME (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.