Runaways # 30 - "Dead-End Kids, Chapter Six"

This is so typically Joss Whedon to foreshadow an ending to a story then completely sweep you off your feet by writing the opposite of what you expected. I thought Klara was completely out of the picture, I thought that Lillie would go with Victor and I thought Chase went to bring back Gert. You'd think such a loyal fan of Sir Whedon would anticipate that with Joss Whedon nothing is as it seems. At any case I applaud Joss as he again suprises me. It's like James Marsters said once "We never know what you're (Joss) going to do!". This last issue was worth the wait and with the end it just keeps you begging for more. Must read, must buy, must store in a plastic sleeve and preserve for all enternity!!

As Holly Cross notes, it's been a long wait to get to the end of this six issue run, but it's certainly been worth the wait.  I have to hand it to Joss Whedon, who has not only brought to life the Runaways in this arc but has filled it with an astonishing array of characters from the beginning of the twentieth century (the Wonders), most of whom we will probably never see again.  In all this, Michael Ryan's artwork has shone through.  His capturing of 1907 was outstanding, really terrific, both in sense of location and the clothing of his characters.  So detailed too, no wonder this took so long to get out.  As a reader we seem to have stepped into a fully realised world with a bunch of crazy characters and now we'll never see them again.  But it's the job of the writer to trust that, even if he loses a lot of great characters, he'll still have enough for next time round.  And of course, Whedon is one of the best.  A very fine read.