If you don't know the Runaways, know is the time to start educating yourself. These renegade teen heroes are making their live-action debut in Hulu's Runaways TV series next year. And before that, Marvel is gearing up for a new Runaways comic as part of the Marvel Legacy relaunch.
Clearly, now is the time to get caught up on this cult-favorite franchise. That's where we come in. We've broken down the main Runaways saga chronologically, covering all the team's major appearances and other key stories they've appeared in over the years. We've tried to keep this article as spoiler-free as possible, as there's no substitute for experiencing the Runaways comics for yourself.
The original volume of Runaways spanned 18 issues and told a pretty complete story about the rise of new teen superhero team. Here readers are introduced to strategic genius Alex Wilder, neophyte witch Nico Minoru, jock/tech whiz Chase Stein, surly loner Gertrude Stein, ethereal alien Karolina Dean and super-strong mutant Molly Hayes. These six Los Angeles-based youngsters discovered that their parents were all members of a secretive cabal of supervillains known as The Pride. Even as they come to terms with their own budding superhuman powers, these characters decide that the only way to escape their parents' influence is to go on the run and try to take down the Pride themselves. That innate distrust of authority (even groups like The Avengers) is one element that immediately set the Runaways apart from other Marvel teams. That, and the fact that Gert gained a pet dinosaur named Old Lace.
These first 18 issues lay the groundwork for everything to come with the team, following their struggles to remain one step ahead of their parents and the group dynamic that forms over time. The series eventually culminates with a shocking betrayal and the final confrontation between the Runaways and the Pride.
Essential Graphic Novels: Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy, Runaways Vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland, Runaways Vol. 3: The Good Die Young
While original writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona remained on board the series after that initial 18-issue run, Marvel elected to relaunch the series to reflect the fresh jumping-on point after the end of the Pride conflict. With Runaways Vol. 2, the team settled into a more ongoing status quo, one that saw them remain off the grid and try to prevent other villains from taking advantage of the void left behind by the Pride.
The series introduced two crucial new members to the team in the form of cyborg Victor Mancha and Skrull refugee Xavin. The Runaways also began to interact with the wider Marvel Universe in this second volume, battling the New Avengers and meeting Marvel's original teen Runaways, Claok and Dagger.
Vaughan and Alphona wrapped up their run in issue #24, following a confrontation between the Runaways and a race of gods called the Gibborim, as well as the debut of a new incarnation of the Pride. However, the series would continue on for one more storyline, as Joss Whedon came on board to tie up loose ends and craft a a new time-travel storyline where the Runaways were dragged back to 1907. The end result was that they wound up recruiting another new member to their ranks, young Klara Plast.
Essential Graphic Novels: Runaways Vol. 4: True Believers, Runaways Vol. 5: Escape to New York, Runaways Vol. 6: Parental Guidance, Runaways Vol. 7: Live Fast, Runaways Vol. 8: Dead End Kids
The Runaways weren't the only new teen superhero team Marvel introduced in the early 2000s. The publisher also put the spotlight on the Young Avengers, super-powered teens who modeled themselves after classic Avengers members. It was only natural that Marvel would choose to link the two teams together, especially since they had a demand to fill with all the shipping delays on the main Young Avengers series.
That led to two Young Avengers/Runaways mini-series, both of which also tied into larger crossover events. The two teams first met in Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways. The notoriously private Runaways were understandably hesitant about the idea of the Superhuman Registration Act. The Young Avengers helped their new friends evade S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and deal with the unwanted threat posed by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Marvel Boy.
The two teams crossed paths again in Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers. It was a logical time for a crossover, as both teams counted a Skrull among their ranks , and both had a vested interest in halting the Skrull Empire's invasion of Earth.
Essential Graphic Novels: Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers
Whedon didn't remain on board Runaways Vol. 2 for long, much to the chagrin of his fans. Instead, Marvel chose to relaunch the series again with a fresh creative team in the form of writer Terry Moore and artist Humberto Ramos. The new series saw the team attempt to return to their old stomping grounds in LA, with Karolina being a major focus as she dealt with her alien heritage and the unexpected consequences that arose as a result. The tea also dealt with a zombie plague, which is pretty much a rite of passage for any superhero these days.
Unfortunately, the new volume didn't seem to strike a chord with readers in the same way its predecessors did. Marvel brought in a new creative team on board in issue #11 - writer Kathryn Immonen and artist Sara Pichelli. The team dealt with new tragedies, as the unexpected death of a team member caused Klara's plant powers to rage out of control.
Marvel wound up quietly and abruptly cancelling the series after issue #14, giving the new creative team a mere four issues to work with in the process and leaving readers with an agonizing cliffhanger that has yet to be addressed even now. Many readers were perplexed, especially given the warm critical reception to Immonen and Pichelli's issues. But sales just weren't what they had been on previous volumes, and Marvel seemed content to let the franchise go dormant for a while until the ideal story direction and creative team could be found.
Essential Graphic Novels: Runaways Vol. 9: Dead Wrong, Runaways Vol. 10: Rock Zombies, Runaways Vol. 11: Homeschooling
At that point, the Runaways transitioned into becoming recurring guest stars in the Marvel Universe. They briefly appeared in books like Daken: Dark Wolverine (where they helped Daken take down a Pride-connected criminal) and Avengers Academy (where they turned to the Avengers for help in finding a kidnapped Old Lace). Marvel also published a What If? storyline called "What If the Runaways Became the Young Avengers?", which basically had the effect of overhauling the team's origin story to include more traditional superhero tropes.
Eventually, the Runaways disbanded and the various members took on new roles in the Marvel Universe. Victor became a member of Avengers A.I., a team led by Hank Pym and featuring mainly cyborg and robot heroes. That also paved the way for Victor's role in Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta's Vision. Nico and Chase, meanwhile, were among several dozen teen heroes kidnapped by Arcade and forced to fight each other to the death in Avengers Arena. The survivors of that series continued their journey in Avengers Undercover, as they dealt with the fallout of their Hunger Games-style tournament being broadcast around the world.
Essential Graphic Novels: Avengers Arena Vol. 1: Kill or Die, Avengers Arena Vol. 2: Game On, Avengers Arena Vol. 3: Final Boss, Avengers Undercover Vol. 1: Descent, Avengers Undercover Vol. 2: Going Native, Vision Vol. 1: Little Worse Than a Man, Vision Vol. 2: Little Better Than a Beast
Marvel's only attempt at publishing a comic called "Runaways" in recent years came in 2015. That incarnation of Runaways was a tie-in mini-series for Secret War and took place on Battleworld, the planet Doctor Doom created from broken fragments of the Marvel multiverse. Despite the title, Runaways Vol. 4 featured only one regular member of the team (Molly), and this incarnation of the team had more in common with the Future Foundation than anything else. But like the Runaways of old, this team devoted itself to going underground and trying to bring down the villains secretly running their world.
Secret Wars also introduced a new, all-female team of heroes called A-Force. Nico was a member of the team both in the Battleworld incarnation and the new group that formed in the aftermath of Secret Wars, making her another Runaway who's taken her place alongside the traditional heroes of the Marvel Universe. But with A-Force done and a new Runaways comic finally on the horizon, it seems Nico would rather get the old gang back together.
Essential Graphic Novels: Runaways: Battleworld, A-Force Vol. 0: Warzones!, A-Force Vol. 1: Hypertime, A-Force Vol. 2: Rage Against the Dying of the Light
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Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
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