Thursday, September 21, 2017

Weekly Rec: Runaways by Rainbow Rowell

I should start by saying that I am not a comics person. Like, at all. I'm an extremely text-oriented person. (Please don't pivot to video.) Whenever I've tried to read comics or graphic novels in the past, I've felt very distant from the work as I constantly have to remind myself to pay attention and look at the pictures. Even when I could admire what they were trying to do, it wasn't a natural or fun reading experience for me.

However! Something that comes along with working and being friends with authors and other people who make things is the motivation to try things outside your own comfort zone so you can appreciate and support their work. (One of my friends has a horror novel coming out next week and I'm already pre-stressed about it.) So when news broke that my pal Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor and Park, Fangirl, Landline, etc.) was writing the new run of a Marvel comic, I figured I should give it a try.

And I'm actually glad I did! Runaways, which started this month, is a revival of an older series about the teen children of supervillains. I've never read the originals but this first issue grounds things pretty well: correct me if I'm wrong, people who know what they're talking about, but the characters have dispersed and are somewhat in hiding after taking down their parents, but now things are happening that are prompting them to get the band back together.

I'm sure my reading experience was helped by the knowledge that this was by someone I know, whose books I love, and that therefore I should find it more accessible - but I did! I enjoyed it! I know this sounds like faint praise - "Read this comic! I didn't hate it like I usually do!" - but honestly, I'm delighted. I didn't feel that detachment I usually do when I try to read this format. I'm already invested in the characters and looking forward to the next installment. So maybe you should check it out too!

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