Runaways #11

Yes, I'm one of the few people still reading the Runaways. I've been a fan of this series from the beginning, back when Brian K. Vaughn originally introduced these characters and this series was fresh and happening. Unfortunately, Brian left the series after 40 or so issues, and things have really nosedived since then... Joss Whedon's run, which SHOULD have made the Runaways a force to be reckoned with in the Marvel Universe, was plagued by LOOOOONG delays(what else is new there...), delays which really hurt the flow of the series. Soon after Whedon's run ended, the series was restarted at #1 AGAIN in an attempt to drum up sales. Now we have a new writer, and the promise to kill off one of the characters in yet another lame attempt to drum up sales... You know things are getting desperate when a company announces one of the characters in the comic book will die... Right on the cover! My gut tells me that unless new writer Kathryn Immonen can really put together a great story this book is headed for cancellation. With all that said, on with the review.

-This issue opens up with the kids planning to have a prom for themselves. Karolina is still mourning Xavin, her dead Skrull girl/boyfriend, and Klara is acting weird and distant. The other kids are seemingly too self absorbed to notice.

-Molly, Klara and Old Lace watch some TV while the four older kids begin their prom. Karolina wildly hits on Chase, and Nico sends Victor over to beak up the festivities between the two of them. Nico leads Karolina away and Karolina reveals that she is still moping over the death of Xavin. Nico gives Karolina a pep talk and manages to cheer Karolina up, and Molly asks Nico to tell the guys to lower their music since she can't hear the TV.

-At this moment, some sort of drone airplane smashes into the Runaway's Malibu mansion. The brunt of the plane crash hits the room where Klara and Old Lace were, and the other kids all rush in to help. Chase mutters an apology to his dead girlfriend Gert, the original owner of Old Lace before collapsing onto the floor. After moving the rubble the Runaways discover that Old Lace managed to shield Klara's body from any major harm at the expense of the dinosaur's life. Upon regaining consciousness, Klara flips out and attacks the other kids with plants(which is way more menacing then it sounds!), ending this issue.

I'm willing to give Kathryn time to further develop this storyline before I say anything negative here. The story was interesting(if a little bit on the confusing side)and Sara Pichelli's artwork was an improvement on the manga style of artwork that was featured in the last few issues. Like I stated before, the story was a bit on the confusing side, I have NO clue who the two folks in San Fransisco were, and I have no idea why the drone plane crashed into the mansion.

I have to say, I strongly suspected Old Lace would be the character to go, but OL was definitely not the character I wanted to see offed here. If I had my way, it would have been Molly getting flattened by that airplane. Why Molly? I'd probably rank her as one of THE most annoying comic book characters out there today. I'm sure there are plenty of fans of Molly(probably...), but I for one can't stand her. Sorry. For a score, I'll give this comic a 7 out of 10, while keeping my fingers crossed that Kathryn can return this series to the level of excellency it used to feature.