"The Children Are Still Running"

Yesterday was my last day of work before four days off, which will involve a mini-vacation. Yesterday was also the last of nine days of work in a row, some of which were comprised of thirteen hour days between two jobs. Word to the wise: don't do that. After a few days into the stretch, I definitely began checking out the moment I stepped in the door and keyed up the auto-pilot.

That said I'm glad I came into work yesterday as my friend James stopped by to say hi and to give me a hardbound collection of issues #25-30 of the limited-run comic Runaways. But even before I realized what it was, I knew why he had given it to me. "Joss Whedon" is boldly emblazoned across the front in shiny metallic letters beneath "From the Creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which is a slight misnomer since the original characters were created by Brian K. Vaughan who has done some work on Buffy Season 8. Another familiar name is that of the cover artist for some of the works, Jo Chen, also a regular contributor to Season 8. Whedon is the writer of this particular story arc in the Runaways series, subtitled "Dead End Kids." The above picture is the cover for Runaways #25.

Having not read the previous 24 issues, I'm a bit lost in the plot, but there are some great Whedon-moments so far that I am loving and do a great job of giving depth and individuality to the characters. And what's not cool about a team of superhero kids that includes a novice mystic, a cyborg, a shape-shifting alien, and a cosmic girl who rebel against their parents who are of some of the world's worst villains? Appearances by or references to some familiar Marvel characters, The Punisher, Kingpin, She-Hulk, Wolverine, the Avengers? Not to mention time-travel...

Thanks for the nice surprise, James!