Comic Reviews for September 21, 2005

Got something special for you this week. I think you'll like it.Runaways 8 – "Star-Crossed, part 2"
By Brian K. Vaughan and Takeshi Miyazawa

Okay, this one I can't talk about without ruining the ending. At the end of the issue, Karolina goes off with her Skrull fiancée to stop a war between her people and his. It's left open-ended whether or not she'll come back, but it appears that either way her time as a Runaway is over. In evaluating the story, I have to decide if the change is worth making. I think, after a great deal of thought, that it is.
Since the beginning of the series, Karolina has been unsure of who she is. Well, that's not quite true: she knows who she is, but doesn't know how to fit that persona in with the world around her, and so she's been masking it. Like many teenagers, even the ones who aren't gay or from another planet, she's been too caught up in fitting in to really explore herself. Faced with this choice, I can't really see her making any other, and so the character moment makes sense. Sometimes, a drastic change like this can be the best thing for a person.
Dramatically, it is a bit of a deus ex machina, but somewhat mitigated by my personal belief that Karolina will return in the future. It's not really an ending, but an intermission, and that's easier to swallow.
The other Runaways take a backseat, of course, but Vaughan is able to work in small moments that reinforce their established personalities and get a few laughs. There's also an interesting development with the Leapfrog that I didn't see coming, and I'm interested to see where it goes.
Miyazawa's art fits the emotional, slower tone of this script; there's a silent page toward the end that drips with emotion. And I like his design for Victor Mancha better than Alphona's.
Runaways' best quality is its ability to keep me guessing, and this issue showcases that, while also bringing to life a piece of adolescence that most serial fiction would be unwilling to touch.
Grade: A-

Exiles 70 – "World Tour: House of M, part 2"
By Tony Bedard and Paul Pelletier

The exposition (What's this place?)
The exposition (Who's that face?)
We've got a mission to explain the plot!
We're gonna tell you who is who
We're gonna give you a little clue
As much as we can with the space we've got.
Mutant X is running wild
Inside Beak's ex-gal
But he's also Moira's child
And tell us about his entire life she shall
The exposition (What a show)
The exposition (Here we go)
We know you're wishin'
We'd cut to the chase
But the exposition's something we use to fill space!

They go to a homeless shelter
(Except for Beaky, he gets kidnapped)
And they listen to McTaggart's "blah blah blah"
She tried to take away his powers
Which made Magnus rather sour
So he's free to kill while she runs from the law.
That's not so logical
It's a hard pill
But who cares we've got 22 pages to fill

Meanwhile Beak's at Angel's paddy
Still thinking he's her baby-daddy
It seems the boy just isn't catching on
"She" starts talking like a villain
Explaining 'bout the killin'
And then the star of wisdom starts to dawn
Where's the fighting?
Where's the fun?
Shouldn't all this have been covered in part one?

The exposition (What a show)
The exposition (Here we go)
We know you're wishin'
We'd get to the fight
But the exposition's we use to fill –
Hey, Tony Bedard, whattaya say?
"I wrote an issue of Exiles today"
What part of the story did you try to convey?
"The part I oughtn't to write, but I wrote anyway"
Was there a story? "No no no no"
Was there an plot? "No no no no"
Was there some glory? "No no no no"
Was there a lot? "No no no no"

So what do we have, when it's said and done?
An issue of filler, and not much fun
The story is kind of a wreck
Go on Bedard, cash your check
(Put it in the car)

The exposition (What a show)
The exposition (Here we go)
We know you're wishin'
We'd cut to the chase
But we know you fanboys, you don't mind
You'll still drop $2.99
We'll take your money, and your time to waste
'Cause the exposition's something we use to fill space!
Grade: C