Book Review: Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy by B. Vaughn et al.

 Runaways Volume 1: Pride & Joy written by Brian K. Vaughn, pencils by Adrian Alphona, inks by David Newbold and Craig Yeung, colors by Brian Reber

Six teen-age kids get together once a year when their parents have a secret meeting about their charitable activities. They all live in Los Angeles and have no other connections to each other. Alex, whose parents are hosting the event, has recently discovered secret passageways in the house. He convinces the other kids to spy on the secret meeting, though everyone thinks it will probably be boring. Once they get to the one-way mirror looking down into the locked library, they make a shocking discovery. Their parents are a group called The Pride and they are just about to sacrifice a teenage girl as part of their annual ritual. One kid shouts and the rest panic. They barely make it back to where they were supposed to be when some of the parents come to check on them. The kids feign innocence. They meet up later to decide what to do about it. Soon enough they are on the run from their parents, who also have moles in the local police and media. Going public is no help to the children. Things look pretty bleak.

On the other hand, the children do have undiscovered superpowers or technology that lets them fight against their parents. Another of the kids, Chase, knows a secret cave where a hotel sunk into the ground during an earthquake. That's their new lair where they plan how to undo the damage their parents have done and right the wrongs in the world, etc.

The premise is very interesting and full of promise. Author Vaughn delivers fun characters in an intriguing storyline. The kids' dialog is laced with lots of hip and up-to-the-minute references, but it was originally published in 2003, so it reads slightly dated. Still, it's fun and I'm certainly old enough to know what they are talking about. I originally read this series about ten years ago and am thoroughly enjoying a revisit.

There's a television series on Hulu which I would watch if we were subscribers.

Recommended.