Runaways: Vol.1 Pride and Joy with Keith Lehtinen
We’re back with another episode of Trade School! This time, we’re talking about Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy! Our host is Keith Lehtinen, a podcaster and culture commentator!
Overview
Keith Lehtinen introduced Certain Point of View's Trade School podcast format, focusing on discussions of beloved comic book trade paperbacks instead of new releases.
The meeting analyzed Marvel's New Generation Initiative, highlighting the lasting impact of the 2000s effort and recognizing Runaways as a foundational series for launching new characters.
Runaways Volume 1: Pride and Joy, created by Brian K. Vaughan and team in 2003, serves as a personal favorite linked to the host's connection to Vaughan’s earlier work.
The story centers on six California teenagers who uncover their parents' true nature during a party, showcasing diverse backgrounds and relatability to characters like Alex and Chase.
The dialogue style was compared to Aaron Sorkin's, emphasizing strong family dynamics and character development as standout elements of the series.
Runaways characters have made significant appearances in Marvel crossover events, including Civil War and Secret Invasion, indicating their ongoing relevance in the Marvel Universe.
Notable character arcs include Nico’s role in Strange Academy and Chase’s survival story in Avengers Arena, pointing to continued character development beyond the original series.
The Hulu TV adaptation of Runaways maintained the heart of the original story, albeit with mixed reviews on creative changes.
The meeting included a promotional segment for the 'We Have Issues' comic review show hosted by Keith and Josway, highlighting weekly coverage of multiple publishers.
Notes
️ Introduction & Format (00:00 - 00:00)
Keith Lettanen introduces Certain Point of View's Trade School podcast format where different hosts discuss beloved comic book trade paperbacks.
Host explains deviation from normal purview of reviewing new releases to focus on older trades.
️ Marvel's New Generation Initiative Discussion (00:00 - 01:17)
Analysis of Marvel's pattern of introducing new hero generations, with 2000s effort having lasting impact on the brand.
Runaways identified as the foundational series that enabled other new character launches to reach print.
Runaways Volume 1 Overview (01:17 - 02:39)
2003 Runaways Volume 1: Pride and Joy by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Adrian Alphona (pencils), David Newbold (inks), Brian Reber (colors), Paul Tutrone (letters).
Host's personal connection during comic reading lull, motivated by Vaughan's work on Y: The Last Man.
Story & Character Analysis (02:39 - 03:58)
Six California teenagers from varying socioeconomic backgrounds discover their parents' true nature during annual house party.
Host's personal identification with characters: Chase (mechanical genius), Carolina (perfect daughter), Nico (goth), Molly (ignored), and especially Alex (too-smart gifted kid).
Aaron Sorkin-style dialogue and family dynamics highlighted as key strengths.
Legacy & Continued Impact (03:58 - 05:09)
Characters integrated into Marvel crossover events: Civil War, Secret Invasion, One World Under Doom.
Nico's appearances in Strange Academy, A Force, Mystic Arcana.
Chase featured in Avengers Arena (Hunger Games-style survival story).
Molly joined Wolverine's young proteges group.
Hulu TV adaptation maintained story's heart with mixed success on changes.
Promotional Segment (05:09 - 06:33)
Advertisement for 'We Have Issues' weekly comic review show with Keith and Josway, covering multiple publishers weekly.
Show available on Geek Elite Media and podcast platforms.
Transcription
00:00
Keith
Welcome to Certain Point of View's Trade School, where each episode a different host talks about a comic book trade paperback that they loved and why they love it. Hello, I am Keith Lettanen, host of Certain POV Comic Book Review Show. We have issues. I am incredibly excited by the chance to talk about comics outside of my normal purview, which is the brand new releases. Trade School is an amazing opportunity and I decided to start us off with something a little special. If you are a longtime reader of Marvel or DC Comics, you start to notice a few patterns over time. New heroes with old names, crisis buttons, alternate realities, and many more tropes dot the history of the Big two. However, there's one that's always fascinated me more than the others.
00:47
Keith
Every once in a while there is a concerted effort to introduce a new generation of heroes. Some of these do better than others, of course. Regardless, the new heroes join an increasingly bloated roster of characters that clutter fan wik with their tantalizingly tiny biographies. However, in the 2000s, Marvel made a renewed effort to launch several new superhumans across the imprint and in doing so left a lasting impact on the brand as a whole. Much more so than any effort beforehand. These characters caught our hearts and have stuck around. I can think of no better way to start Trade School than looking back to that time and celebrating the beginning of the new Marvel Universe. I feel compelled to start with the one that started it all. Without this book and series, the others might have never made it to print.
01:37
Keith
To be honest, and though it likely has had the least impact of the three, it was the first to catch my attention. I am of course talking about 2003 Runaways Volume 1 Pride and Joy written by Brian K. Vaughan, penciled by Adrian Alphona, inked by David Newbold, color by Brian Reber and letter by Paul Tutrone. At this time in my comic fandom I had entered into a bit of a lull. I still paid attention to the big things, but my week to week reading kind of dropped off. I was burnt out even on X Men. But there was a recent comic that I made sure to read every single issue of and that is Vertigo's why the Last Man. Like the rest of the world, I was hooked. It was tragic and funny and well written and excellently illustrated. It was the perfect comic.
02:28
Keith
Just ask Wizard Magazine. And for those of you out there who don't know what Wizard Magazine is, just know that it was a big deal to us in a love hate kind of way. So when I found out the writer of why the Last Man Was making a Marvel book with all new characters. Sign me up. I could not wait to read it. I got my hands on issue one and read it three times in one sitting. It was more than I even anticipated. Aaron Sorkin style dialogue, instantly iconic characters, and an impeccable look into family dynamics that is missing from most comics. I needed the next issue immediately. For the uninitiated, Runaways is the tale of six teenagers in California growing up in varying levels of comfort and wealth.
03:11
Keith
As a young surfer idiot from San Diego, I was instantly transported to my past. I saw myself in Chase, the mechanical genius who acts dumb out of spite. I saw myself in Carolina, the good daughter who hid the strain of her perfection and true desires from her parents. I saw myself in newly goth Nico, Know it all girt and perpetually ignored Molly. But most of all, I saw myself in Alex. Some of you know where that leads, but as this episode is about volume one, we'll save that tale for another day. Alex was smart. Too smart for his own good. How many of us former gifted kids can relate to that? He loved his parents and they loved him. But did that make their relationship perfect? Absolutely not. And much like myself, a portion of his life was buried in an online rpg.
03:58
Keith
As a side note, if Marvel ever actually made that game he was playing, I will personally buy five copies and give them away. All six of them are brought together by their parents for a house party, just like every year. And just like every year, they try tolerate each other's presence. Now, this is where we get spoilery, so I'm going to stop short of explaining exactly how it happens. But they soon learn their parents aren't who they thought they were, and the idea of legacy and generational responsibility becomes core to the tale. And Vaughn does an amazing job of tying these various characters to different aspects of the Marvel lore, solidifying them as part of this living world. I could talk more, but it would honestly spoil further volumes and I don't really want to do that.
04:41
Keith
I did start this talking about the legacy of this characterist, and as I alluded to earlier, Runaways has arguably been the book with the least staying power. However, there is still plenty to talk about. The team began getting tie in minis with most crossovers, including Civil War, Secret Evasion, and even as recent as the current One World Under Doom story. Niko became a frequent character in a variety of stories, including Strange Academy, A Force, and the critically underrated mystic Arcana. She was joined by Chase in Avengers Arena a grim Hunger Games style tale of survival. Molly joined the cast of young girls begrudgingly taken under Wolverine's tutelage, and Gert was teased as possibly being tested for something more. And of course there was the TV show made for Hulu Runaways.
05:27
Keith
The show held onto the heart of the story and made some changes, some for the better and some for the not so much better. I loved it regardless and highly recommend checking it out if you can. So with the success of Runaways, what would Marvel do next? Well, that's a matter for another episode, so I'll see you next time. And happy reading. Alright Josue, let's go through our new Comic Day stack. We have a lot to review. I know. Maybe we've gone too far. Let's see. Marvel, of course, dc, I got Image, Dark Horse, Black Mask, Boom. Idw, Aftershock, Vault, of course, Mad Cave, Ony, Valiant, Scout, Magma, Behemoth. Wow, that's a lot. Well, all we need now is a name for our show. We need a name for a show about reviewing comic books every week. Something clever but not too clever.
06:24
Keith
Like a pun. It's kind of cheesy. Yeah, something that seems funny at first, but we might regret later on as an impulsive decision. A few dozen episodes in. Yeah, we'll think of something. Join Keith and Osway for we have Issues, a weekly show reviewing almost every new comic released each week available on Geek Elite Media and wherever you listen to your podcasts. CPOV certainpov.com.