SARA PICHELLI WHAT THE HELL.
Oh hi. I just read Runaways #12, titled "Homeschooling: Part Two - Functions and Relations." It made me sort of angry.
I'm not sure why Kathryn Immonen decided to vague things up at the beginning. Who is making this speech? I thought Karolina, JC thought Nico. Either way, it's a great emo introduction to the issue, but there's nothing to really tie it in. Is this meant to express the group's feelings about losing their home (again) and their friend (also again)? Or just explain why Karolina is so ridiculously thin (anorexia caused by test anxiety)?
The conversation between the teens is less hip but more stilted even than in the last issue. Maybe it's because I'm a Bendis girl (and JC writes the same way, with as many words per panel as humanly possible), but when a four-panel page includes two largely identical shots and one close-up with only 10-20 words per panel? Too slow. By the time Karolina responds to Victor, I've forgotten what he said or why she's making a snide (vaguely racist against Cyborg Americans) comment.
However, Molly busting out the BSG reference? Never not hilarious.
More troubling is the way the teens are acting towards each other. Though they've argued before, I can't recall an entire issue in which NOTHING HAPPENED. A few arcs ago, they were affected by Nico's Scatter spell, after which they realized that their strength as a team was in sticking together. Now, Klara has been randomly plot-bunnied into a completely unexpected mental breakdown (...seriously?) and the rest of them are fussing about what to do.
Look, Immonen. The point of the Runaways is that they've gotten past the normal teenage shit. Well, not the prom and the crushes and the not infrequent stupid decisions, but the indecisive irresponsibility. These kids have taken the weight on their shoulders because of their evil parents. They grew the fuck UP. I get that you want them to be carefree teens thrust into a world of pain and danger and high stakes, but they've been there and done that. They know that above all, they have to DEAL WITH IT.
[I think the opening monologue is more of the same, here. The blank page is Nico's metaphor for how she feels when she's trying to come up with a spell to fix whatever the team's gotten itself into now. It's the pressure she's under as both a leader and a literal miracle-worker, every time she has to step up to the plate. But while that's an interesting pressure to explore, like RD says, but the execution is just not Runaways. They are NOT freaking Hamlet. They act first and angst later. Runaways are dynamic by definition. - JC]
For that matter, why the hell has Nico suddenly decided to not be the leader? In the past, Karolina has been the nurturing earth mother flower child while Nico puts on her stompy boots and makes a plan. Apparently Nico forgot to wear her big girl panties (did she lose them along with the rest of her outfit and her fashion sense?) and is just cuddling Klara while the others bicker and stall until Chase's uncle shows up. I'm pretty stoked about that - JC says Chase mentioned that he murdered a carjacker during Vaughn's run - and the military guys are usually fun, so I'm not done reading yet.
And back to my first point, SARA PICHELLI WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON WITH
THOSE SLUTTY FAIRIES. Are we supposed to assume that Nico generated them on purpose? Somewhere in her subconcious she thinks that fairies are wee, buxom, naked lasses? Aside from what that says about Nico's character, did YOU really think that the exaggerated proportions and maximum skin showing was absolutely necessary in this comic? I AM SO TIRED OF THAT.
And... I sort of hate to bring it up, because I'm not an artist so it's not like I could do it better, but I get the feeling that Chase's facial expression on the last page was meant to be very important. However, and this is a big however, I can't tell what the f#$% it's supposed to be. At first I thought it was a sneer, then I thought it was disgust, then I thought maybe Chase smelled something nasty or he had to pee really badly. Maybe next time just go for "stone faced" if you can't pick out a clear expression.
Enough from me. I'm going to go take the cat for a walk.
- RD
Oh hi. I just read Runaways #12, titled "Homeschooling: Part Two - Functions and Relations." It made me sort of angry.
I'm not sure why Kathryn Immonen decided to vague things up at the beginning. Who is making this speech? I thought Karolina, JC thought Nico. Either way, it's a great emo introduction to the issue, but there's nothing to really tie it in. Is this meant to express the group's feelings about losing their home (again) and their friend (also again)? Or just explain why Karolina is so ridiculously thin (anorexia caused by test anxiety)?
The conversation between the teens is less hip but more stilted even than in the last issue. Maybe it's because I'm a Bendis girl (and JC writes the same way, with as many words per panel as humanly possible), but when a four-panel page includes two largely identical shots and one close-up with only 10-20 words per panel? Too slow. By the time Karolina responds to Victor, I've forgotten what he said or why she's making a snide (vaguely racist against Cyborg Americans) comment.
However, Molly busting out the BSG reference? Never not hilarious.
More troubling is the way the teens are acting towards each other. Though they've argued before, I can't recall an entire issue in which NOTHING HAPPENED. A few arcs ago, they were affected by Nico's Scatter spell, after which they realized that their strength as a team was in sticking together. Now, Klara has been randomly plot-bunnied into a completely unexpected mental breakdown (...seriously?) and the rest of them are fussing about what to do.
Look, Immonen. The point of the Runaways is that they've gotten past the normal teenage shit. Well, not the prom and the crushes and the not infrequent stupid decisions, but the indecisive irresponsibility. These kids have taken the weight on their shoulders because of their evil parents. They grew the fuck UP. I get that you want them to be carefree teens thrust into a world of pain and danger and high stakes, but they've been there and done that. They know that above all, they have to DEAL WITH IT.
[I think the opening monologue is more of the same, here. The blank page is Nico's metaphor for how she feels when she's trying to come up with a spell to fix whatever the team's gotten itself into now. It's the pressure she's under as both a leader and a literal miracle-worker, every time she has to step up to the plate. But while that's an interesting pressure to explore, like RD says, but the execution is just not Runaways. They are NOT freaking Hamlet. They act first and angst later. Runaways are dynamic by definition. - JC]
For that matter, why the hell has Nico suddenly decided to not be the leader? In the past, Karolina has been the nurturing earth mother flower child while Nico puts on her stompy boots and makes a plan. Apparently Nico forgot to wear her big girl panties (did she lose them along with the rest of her outfit and her fashion sense?) and is just cuddling Klara while the others bicker and stall until Chase's uncle shows up. I'm pretty stoked about that - JC says Chase mentioned that he murdered a carjacker during Vaughn's run - and the military guys are usually fun, so I'm not done reading yet.
And back to my first point, SARA PICHELLI WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON WITH
THOSE SLUTTY FAIRIES. Are we supposed to assume that Nico generated them on purpose? Somewhere in her subconcious she thinks that fairies are wee, buxom, naked lasses? Aside from what that says about Nico's character, did YOU really think that the exaggerated proportions and maximum skin showing was absolutely necessary in this comic? I AM SO TIRED OF THAT.And... I sort of hate to bring it up, because I'm not an artist so it's not like I could do it better, but I get the feeling that Chase's facial expression on the last page was meant to be very important. However, and this is a big however, I can't tell what the f#$% it's supposed to be. At first I thought it was a sneer, then I thought it was disgust, then I thought maybe Chase smelled something nasty or he had to pee really badly. Maybe next time just go for "stone faced" if you can't pick out a clear expression.
Enough from me. I'm going to go take the cat for a walk.
- RD
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