Runaways Vol. 2 #1 was all about being accessible and new while still welcoming in the new readers. Now that everyone is on more or less equal footing, issue two has the feeling of the story really getting moving, and it's off to an intriguing start. Vaughan has an interesting mystery in terms of who the father of Victor Mancha is, as well as another interesting mystery about the mysterious benefactor of Excelsior... or is that just one mystery with two aspects? On this intriguing mystery, he's added his usual strong characterization, and Alphona, Yeung and Strain continue to provide distinctive, attractive artwork to complement the strong story.
I almost hate to say anything even remotely negative about Runaways, because I still love this book, but I have to admit that I wasn't as impressed with issue two as I was issue one. Unless Vaughan has some surprises up his sleeve, his take on the members of Excelsior feels kind of off to me. Vaughan previously did a great job of having his cake and eating it too with Cloak and Dagger in terms of using the "heroes fight each other" cliche without it feeling stale or forced. However, for the Excelsior members to buy blindly into the notion that their benefactor is benevolent with the easy answer of "he doesn't want us to kill him," even when he offers up a fairly sinister and even mocking admission to Phil Urich about "having dealings with your kind" comes across as a little unbelievable. It has all the feeling of the misunderstanding-fight-team-up formula, which is a shame.
Fortunately, the other familiar aspect of the plot, a dire warning from a dark future, is given a much more original approach. I love the uncertainty about what they're seeing as much as I love what the kids do when they decide it is legit. Vaughan has always had these kids feeling more like teenagers and less like adult superheroes, and they're method of approaching Victor Mancha is loud, funny and perfectly in keeping with their amateur superhero experience. I'm also quite intrigued by the mystery of who Victor Mancha's dad is... Vaughan offers up a strong possibility with Mancha's powers in this issue, but I'm betting it's a red herring, as that master villain already has kids and it seems too obvious.
However, the identity of Mancha's dad reinforces another aspect of Runaways I enjoy, and that is that while it is new, it is also very much of the Marvel Universe. The conversation comparing Hawkeye to Tupac is pretty funny, and adds a little meta commentary on the complaints about Hawkeye's death in "Avengers Disassembled" (which I don't agree with, but it was funny anyway). I'm still enjoying seeing these B- and C-list characters who make up Excelsior, and I like that the notion of teen heroes, aliens, mutants and such have been around in the Marvel Universe long enough that you can start exploring some of the ramifications of that the way Vaughan is doing in these pages.
There's a lot of important visual storytelling in this issue of Runaways. The shame that Nico feels when she has to admit trying a resurrection spell and the mixture of rage and sadness running through Chase after the "death" of Gert are very important emotional cues that are as much a part of the art as the writing. Alphona, Yeung and Strain also add some nice comedic elements to the book, like the after-effects of Victor's powers on Molly or the depiction of the Leapfrog's arrival at Victor's school. And I like the mix between more realistic and spandex elements, especially with Excelsior, who get some costume makeovers to make them look like a more unified team, but who also have a subtle, "I don't want to be here" vibe, especially from Ricochet. 8/10
