RUNAWAYS #27, out this Wednesday from Marvel comics, brings us once again to a changing team. Is it time to have a new leader for the Runaways? Or is there something much more sinister happening behind the scenes?
***SPOILER WARNING***
Runaways #27 is an interesting read. Here we are facing change, once again. But most of the team seems incapable of seeing that. Woven throughout these pages are individual concerns, humorous moments, and relationship dynamics. All in a day’s work for this team.
The Runaways are still at Doc Justice’s mansion, and that means that they’re slowly being subsumed into his world. Or not so slowly, as the case may be. The Runaways are no strangers to change, but this seems dramatic even for them.
And that is leaving readers feeling like the other shoe is about to drop at any moment. After all, it isn’t exactly normal to see things going well for the Runaways for any length of time. And there’s just something…off about this Doc Justice and his assistant.
Adding to an already complex situation are several other concerns. Such as what is going on with Gibb and how Gert fits into the larger picture these days. It seems that each character has been given their own subplot to work through, and it’s Gert’s turn to be a bit more on the vocal side of things.
Rainbow Rowell has done an outstanding job sowing the seeds of something larger here. It’s clear to the readers that there’s something not right about this situation. But it’s impossible to put our fingers on what it is – though there are plenty of theories out there.
While there was obvious and subtle tension weaving in and out of these pages, there were also moments for comic relief. What was striking about these comical moments is that they can also be construed as commentary. It would seem that the creative team behind Runaways has some opinions about the costumes women in comics have been forced to wear in the past. Honestly, it was refreshing to see this subject openly discussed amongst characters in that world.
Runaways #27 may have seemed like a calmer issue on the whole, but it also felt like it’s building up towards something larger. Each character is dealing with their own emotions and reactions to the changes around them. And while they have been overwhelmingly excited about that fact, that just means when the truth hits, it’s going to hit hard.
As per usual, Runaways #27 boasts a large creative team. First, Kris Anka is working on the pencils for the artwork. Anka also provided some of the inkings, alongside Walden Wong. Dee Cunniffe and Jim Campbell provided the coloring for this issue, while VC’s Joe Caramagna did the lettering.
Together they’ve created another vibrant issue. And they had a lot to tackle in this issue, as most of the characters faced at least one costume change (with a few exceptions). As mentioned above, the costume changes resulted in some commentary, and thus these outfits had to be extreme and noteworthy.
The final costume designs our characters went with were actually quite striking. Karolina’s design is perhaps the best one of the bunch, but there’s something to be said about all of them. But once again, all of these changes are leaving us wondering what’s going to happen next.
Runaways #27 was an issue full of foreshadowing events. Though it was perhaps just a bit more relaxing than its predecessor (oh Runways #26, how you broke our hearts and freaked us out). Rowell’s commentary allowed for some lighter moments in what was otherwise an issue dedicated to building up a plot.
