THE RUNAWAYS continue their emotional journey in ‘But You Can’t Hide Pt IV.’ They’ve been facing a lot of changes of late, with lots of surprises and twists. And it looks like it’s finally time to talk things out.
***SPOILER WARNING***
If you’ve been following the series lately, then you already know that there’s been a lot of internal drama going on within our Runaways team. Relationships are changing, characters are feeling and expressing doubt, and others are branching out to try new and different things.
In short, it’s a bit of a hot mess. But at least that makes it an exciting read for its fans. The last issue left fans off at a bit of an anxious point, not knowing the fate of Victor or the oddly adorable Doom Bot he’s befriended.
Naturally, this issue sought to give us those answers. But it did so in a shockingly emotional manner. Every now and then Runaways surprises us with these curveballs (especially back when Brian K. Vaughan was at the helm). You’d think we’d learn to expect them, but nope.
Victor and Doom Bot aren’t as bad as we feared…but their conversation is more akin to an emotional journey than just two pals chatting. It’s intense, but it’s also something they needed to talk for a long time.
Rainbow Rowell did an excellent job of infusing all of the confusion and emotions Victor and Doom Bot were feeling. It turned what could have been a bland talk into something bigger. Something almost groundbreaking. What had been an attempt to save a friend turned into a debate about the very nature of what makes us human.
Meanwhile, everyone else is trying – and failing – to avoid the elephant in the room. On the bright side, perhaps it’s a good thing that everyone was able to air their emotions and concerns. That’s the first step in growing up and accepting, right?
There were a few brighter moments to lighten up the heavier tone in this issue. Most of them revolved around characters not having intense heart-to-hearts, unsurprisingly.
It’s been interesting to see this team change and evolve over time. Every time we get complacent with the situation, Marvel Comics has switched it up. And that’s probably a good thing – even if it does make our hearts hurt from time to time. At least this time they haven’t brutally murdered any of the characters. Yet.
The artwork for this issue was interesting. One the one hand everything looked more or less like we expected it to. Bright colors, bold shapes, the works. And of course, all of our characters looked like they should. But on the other hand, there are the panels in which Victor and Doom Bot are talking. These images all look slightly different. It’s the same art style…but it’s harsher and more feral. And it’s all very appropriate for the situation when you think about it.
Andres Genolet was the lead artist for this issue, while Matthew Wilson provided the colors. Interestingly, we have two more artists to cite as well. The first is VC’s Joe Caramagna, the letterer for the issue. The second is Niko Henrichon. They’re listed as the Doom dialogue artist. It’s not every day you see somebody pulled in for something so specialized. But in this case, it seems like it was the right call.
Runaways #23 was an interesting read, on the whole. It may not have been full of action, but it covered a lot of points that are vital to the characters we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. It’s clear that they’re setting up for even more changes to our crew, the only question is, what’s next?
