Runaways #11

Posted: Tuesday, February 10, 2004
By: Jason Cornwell

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Takeshi Miyazawa (p), David Newbold (i)

Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Plot:
In a bid to locate the Runaways, we see Cloak and Dagger are brought into town, and they agree to bring in the children, after hearing the falsified story that paints them as murderers/kidnappers. Meanwhile the Runaways are quickly growing bored of laying low, and they collectively decided to head out and do some good with their powers. To this end we see the Runaways run up against Cloak and Dagger, who make pretty quick work of the novice heroes.

The Good:
I realize that there will be readers who will be annoyed that the plot device that restored Cloak and Dagger's powers was handled in-between appearances, but I have to say that I rather like the idea that the two are back to their status quo, as frankly writers have been a bit hard on the characters in their previous appearances, by setting up a situation that directly impacts the two and then leaving it unresolved. I like the simple way that this issue handles the problem, by simply restoring everything to normal, and giving credit to an adventure that to the best of my knowledge was never actually delivered. I also like the idea that the two characters have gotten back to their roots, as it's good to see the two have reaffirmed the commitment to helping the children like themselves that have fallen through the safety net. This in turn makes them an ideal choice for a guest appearances, as the Runaways are exactly the type of situation that would draw Cloak and Dagger across the country. I also enjoyed the plot material that centers around the Pride as we learn there are more groups like the Pride on the West Coast, and they actively discourage the arrival of costumed crime-fighters. There's also some fun material involving the Runaways, as one has to love the scene where Molly offers up her suggestion of what they should be doing with their powers, and I had to smile at the final page as we get our first look at her crime-fighting costume.

Since I've gone out of my way in previous reviews to argue that it was wrong to dismiss this book's art as big-eye manga, naturally Marvel reinforces my argument by bringing in Takeshi Miyazawa as the guest artist. Nevertheless, Takeshi Miyazawa brings elements from manga like the characters suddenly sweating profusely to sell the idea that they are concerned about an aspect of the plot, I do have to say I enjoyed the art on this issue, as the action is clearly laid out on the page, and the characters and their abilities are readily identifiable. There's also some interesting visual touches like the opening sequence where Cloak and Dagger depart from their meeting, or the scene where Lucy in the Sky learns that Cloak is possible the worst opponent she could've picked to square off against. The art also does some nice work on the expressions of the various characters, as there's little doubt the Runaways are bored out of their skulls when we first meet them, and Gertrude's indignation as she defends the idea that defacing a Stark Industries billboard doesn't count as a crime is perfectly captured.

The Bad:
Cloak and Dagger aren't exactly a big name draw when it comes to guest-stars as I believe they've played host to two canceled series, plus the original miniseries, and a stint as the back-up feature in the second volume of "Strange Tales". Given that none of these series really made displayed much staying power, one can only assume the characters are likely destined to remain as the occasional guest-heroes, unless of course a writer along the lines of a Kevin Smith comes along to handle them. Now I'm not exactly a big fan of the characters as frankly I find their powers don't exactly lend themselves to exciting battles, as one strike from Dagger's light daggers is enough to incapacitate most opponents, and Cloak pretty much absorbs all his opponents into his body and when they emerge from his darkness again they are hardly in any shape to fight. So in essence what you have are two characters whose primary abilities bring an end to a battles in a manner that is hardly dramatically rewarding, and as such while I like the visual look of the characters, and the idea that often times the character's own powers prove to be a greater danger to the characters that the generic thugs they normally run up against, the simple fact of the matter is that I find the characters to be a bit dull. It doesn't help matters much that Brian K. Vaughan decides to play up the quick and decidedly uneventful manner in which these two are able to take down the Runaways.

Free Teddy The Turtle:
I'm not sure the arrival of Cloak and Dagger is the shot in the arm that this book needs to grab the attention of fans that haven't paid much mind to this title, but their arrival does open the door to the idea that this book is part of the Marvel Universe, which in turn presents the opportunity for future interaction. This issue also does a nice job of developing Cloak and Dagger into rather endearing characters, as there's a cute running gag in which the characters popularity, or rather their lack of popularity is openly acknowledged. Their interaction with the Runaways also generates a couple funny moments, like Dagger's response to Talkback's insult, or the summation of where the Runaways place of the difficulty scale, as they embarrassingly rate below Stilt Man. The cliffhanger moment is also a lot of fun as one has to love the fact that Molly's idea of a super-hero costume perfectly reflects her young age, with the snow boots being the perfect finishing touch. There's also a couple interesting revelations in this issue, like the reaction of the Pride to the arrival of Cloak and Dagger in Los Angeles, or the revelation that one of the four inside Cloak is likely to be the mole.