Runways Volumes 1 to 4 Thoughts
Sep. 8th, 2010 09:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI read the first four volumes of ‘Runaways’ and really enjoyed them.
• What I really appreciate most about them is how the series isn’t in the usual ‘lead white guy/one female’ mold that so many other books and shows follow.
Yeah, the team is still predominantly white but the first group leader Alex was a black male and our second group leader is Asian female Nico. The team is made up of four girls and two guys in pretty much a direct reversal of how it usually is. And for most of the fourth book that’s down to four girls/one guy until (Hispanic male) Victor, apparently joins the team in the final pages (it’s... uncertain. I mean he’s in shock, Chase doesn’t trust him and Nico’s last words are about ripping his heart out so...)
It also gives us: one character who is gay (Karolina) though it hasn’t been stated right out nor has she gotten to kiss anyone, interracial relationships that are no big deal (Alex/Nico) and, something I am really pleased about, an inversion of the less attractive/fatter person dating the tall hottie with the girl being the ‘fat’ one (aka basically average in the real world) dating and being loved by the hot jock guy. After the recent spate of ‘shlubby geek guy gets hot girl’ movies/TV, which I am sick of at this point, I am so pleased that we finally get it the other way around. Yay.
• Characters: Gertrude was my first favourite. I love her snarkiness. Karolina was my second favourite. I love how compassionate and sweet she is. Nico was my third favourite. I love her toughness. But honestly I love them all – Molly is sweet, and Chase is kind of an idiot at times but he’s a friendly, adorable idiot. I also love that he’s on this team full of mainly girls all of which are more powerful and smarter than him and there is no jealousy or resentment or misogyny at all in him. I love that.
• I was spoiled slightly because when they started the casting for the movie and didn’t specify ‘Asian-American actress’ for the role of Nico there was some wank. Actually that’s why I started reading the series. There were so many glowing reviews for the series that I went and looked it up on Wiki to see if I’d be interested in it. That of course meant to I did get semi-spoiled. I knew that Alex was going to die, though not when, and even though I read that he’d betrayed the rest of the kids I’d actually forgotten so I was having a fun time trying to figure out who the ‘mole’ was. I was actually considering everyone but Alex. The only other spoiler I remember is the fact that Gertrude dies at some point as well. That really sucks.
• Pairings: I love Karolina/Nico. I loved them before I even knew that Karolina was crushing on Nico. So far Nico hasn’t shown any return interest but it would be so cool if she did. I’m not spoiled though (or not a lot) and am not going to spoil myself anymore then I already have. But it would be awesome. Chase/Gertrude are very cute but I don’t really ship them.
• One issue I had was how fast the series is going. The timeline is moving so swiftly that it means that everything is happening very quickly – like the kids bonding into a family (I want to see more of them interacting) and Gertrude/Chase falling in love. Of course, that latter half just could be them being teenagers.
• I hadn’t realised that this series was taking place in the same one as, well, the rest of the Marvel-verse and thus we get the mentions of all those other Marvel characters. At the end of the third volume Captain America even shows up and I wonder if that could mean a Captain America cameo in the movie?
• I was kind of hoping that some of the parents survived. I mean there were aliens, sorcerers and mutants among them. I liked that for all their evil and selfishness they all did put their own kids ahead of their own well-being. I think it could be interesting if some of them came back (either to go good and make it up to their kids, or to continue to be evil and try to lure their kids to their side while securing their powerbase again.)
• What I really appreciate most about them is how the series isn’t in the usual ‘lead white guy/one female’ mold that so many other books and shows follow.
Yeah, the team is still predominantly white but the first group leader Alex was a black male and our second group leader is Asian female Nico. The team is made up of four girls and two guys in pretty much a direct reversal of how it usually is. And for most of the fourth book that’s down to four girls/one guy until (Hispanic male) Victor, apparently joins the team in the final pages (it’s... uncertain. I mean he’s in shock, Chase doesn’t trust him and Nico’s last words are about ripping his heart out so...)
It also gives us: one character who is gay (Karolina) though it hasn’t been stated right out nor has she gotten to kiss anyone, interracial relationships that are no big deal (Alex/Nico) and, something I am really pleased about, an inversion of the less attractive/fatter person dating the tall hottie with the girl being the ‘fat’ one (aka basically average in the real world) dating and being loved by the hot jock guy. After the recent spate of ‘shlubby geek guy gets hot girl’ movies/TV, which I am sick of at this point, I am so pleased that we finally get it the other way around. Yay.
• Characters: Gertrude was my first favourite. I love her snarkiness. Karolina was my second favourite. I love how compassionate and sweet she is. Nico was my third favourite. I love her toughness. But honestly I love them all – Molly is sweet, and Chase is kind of an idiot at times but he’s a friendly, adorable idiot. I also love that he’s on this team full of mainly girls all of which are more powerful and smarter than him and there is no jealousy or resentment or misogyny at all in him. I love that.
• I was spoiled slightly because when they started the casting for the movie and didn’t specify ‘Asian-American actress’ for the role of Nico there was some wank. Actually that’s why I started reading the series. There were so many glowing reviews for the series that I went and looked it up on Wiki to see if I’d be interested in it. That of course meant to I did get semi-spoiled. I knew that Alex was going to die, though not when, and even though I read that he’d betrayed the rest of the kids I’d actually forgotten so I was having a fun time trying to figure out who the ‘mole’ was. I was actually considering everyone but Alex. The only other spoiler I remember is the fact that Gertrude dies at some point as well. That really sucks.
• Pairings: I love Karolina/Nico. I loved them before I even knew that Karolina was crushing on Nico. So far Nico hasn’t shown any return interest but it would be so cool if she did. I’m not spoiled though (or not a lot) and am not going to spoil myself anymore then I already have. But it would be awesome. Chase/Gertrude are very cute but I don’t really ship them.
• One issue I had was how fast the series is going. The timeline is moving so swiftly that it means that everything is happening very quickly – like the kids bonding into a family (I want to see more of them interacting) and Gertrude/Chase falling in love. Of course, that latter half just could be them being teenagers.
• I hadn’t realised that this series was taking place in the same one as, well, the rest of the Marvel-verse and thus we get the mentions of all those other Marvel characters. At the end of the third volume Captain America even shows up and I wonder if that could mean a Captain America cameo in the movie?
• I was kind of hoping that some of the parents survived. I mean there were aliens, sorcerers and mutants among them. I liked that for all their evil and selfishness they all did put their own kids ahead of their own well-being. I think it could be interesting if some of them came back (either to go good and make it up to their kids, or to continue to be evil and try to lure their kids to their side while securing their powerbase again.)
