"True Believers, Chapter Five"
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Adrian Alphona (p), Craig Yeung (i)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Plot: Victor Mancha finds his mother being held captive by a big name villain who claims to be his birth father. The Runaways prove their courage when they offer to help Victor save his mother. However, when the Runaways' plan to slip in and out unnoticed with the hostage fails, the team finds itself doing battle with one of the heavy hitters of the Marvel Universe. However, after the team manages to get a leg up in this battle, things take an even worse turn.
Comments: After reading this issue I have to give Brian K. Vaughan full marks for aiming far higher than most new titles would even try for. I've been reading comics for a good long time, and if there's been one constant it's that the titles that feature new characters tend to be saddled with grade Z baddies, and that the fan favourite villains rarely venture outside of the titles that already have a secure fan base. Now I guess one could argue that if Marvel did use their big gun villains to give their lower selling titles a shot in the arm, then these villains might lose some of their lustre, and start to suffer from overexposure. However, if a writer has a good story that has these villains doing more than simply playing the role of the villain of the month than I welcome this practice, especially since Brian K. Vaughan effectively sells the idea that the pair of villains that he makes use of in this issue are worthy of the heavy hitter reputations that they have earned over their decades of villainy. Now I'm trying my best not to spoil the surprises in this issue, but I do think it's safe to say that Brian K. Vaughan lives up to the promise that the identity of Victor Mancha's father is a big deal. I'll also say that the more I think about it, the more I'm kicking myself for not seeing the big picture earlier, as when one looks back on this character's history the idea of creating a son who would threaten the entire Marvel Universe is perfectly in keeping with this character's well established pattern of behaviour. Now there are still some lingering questions that need to be addressed, but I can't help but be impressed by Brian K. Vaughan's swinging for fences on this series. Plus how can one not be concerned for our cast after getting a look at that final page? That final panel perfectly captures the idea that they are in well over their heads. The secondary plot involving the Excelsior group is starting to feel like a bit of an intrusion though, as frankly the Runaways adventure is far and away the more exciting of the two.
Before I offer up my usual positive comments about Adrian Alphona's work I'd like to get a little rant out of the way regarding this series' covers. This is a title that is looking to build its reading base, and when one looks inside the book it's hard not to see a wealth of exciting visual ideas that would do a far better job of grabbing a potential reader's eye, starting with the big name villain that the Runaways spend a large chunk of the issue battling for their lives against. I mean given they plaster Spider-Man and Wolverine on a cover for making what is often times little better than a quick cameo, it seems downright strange this book doesn't sell itself to new readers with attention grabbing cover images that do a better job of representing the story one gets inside. In any event, Adrian Alphona continues to provide some very solid work on this series, as the Runaways find themselves in a high intensity battle with one of the heavy-hitters of the Marvel Universe, and the art effectively sells the idea that our young heroes are in way over their head. The same holds true for the big surprise revelation about Victor Mancha's father, as the one-page shot where this character steps out of the shadows is a great looking piece of art.
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