(I originally read these comics in June 2015)
I consider Runaways a 'recent' Marvel series, even though it came out over a decade ago. I heard some buzz about it at the time, but just got around to reading the first series. It's pretty fun, well written by Brian K. Vaughan, with many charming moments. The series concerns a group of five teenagers (and one eleven year-old) who meet once a year while their parents attend a clandestine gathering, ostensibly for business. Turns out it's not for business, but to perform a sacrificial ceremony; they're in the thrall of evil, ancient beings who plan to eliminate mankind and start over. When the kids discover this they go on the run, with their parents' shadowy operatives in pursuit.
Cloak and Dagger guest star and Captain America turns up for a couple of pages in the last issue, but it's easy to forget this takes place in the Marvel Universe and instances where other characters from the wider sphere are name-dropped are clumsy. I think 'Runaways' would have benefited from greater integration into the Marvel U., but that setting it on the West Coast was a conscious decision; the idea of a shadowy organisation infiltrating all levels of society under the noses of the NY super-heroes would have raised too many questions.
Runaways (2003) # 1-18 are collected in:
Hardcover:
Softcover:
Runaways (2003) # 1-6 are collected in:
Hardcover:
Softcover:
Runaways (2003) # 7-12 are collected in:
Hardcover:
Softcover:
Runaways (2003) # 13-18 are collected in:
Hardcover:
Softcover:
