Writer: Rainbow Rowell / Artist: Kris Anka / Marvel
When Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka go on a week long-Twitter rampage describing this issue as what they’ve been building up to this entire time, you get hype when you lay eyes on the divine cover art. You get all the feels once you see where this issue is going. Once you finish the final page, everything in the universe just feels right. That’s exactly what happened, and I could not be happier with the outcome. Rainbow Rowell, Kris Anka and colorist Matt Wilson take us on a time-traveling romp to hunt down one of the most gorgeous, extinct animals to ever live. They bless us with a long-awaited reunion — years in the making. On top of that, they blow the hinges off visual expectations, leaving us with arguably the greatest issue we’ve seen in a Runaways book. Let me stop fawning and get right into this one, then.
After leaving readers with that bombshell of a change in hair color, outfit, look and vibe for Gert; we are given a completely unexpected turn of events for our dino-loving non-conformist. After brooding in her new brunette look while complaining about this time machine that she inherited (but just sits in the garage like a forkin’ PT Cruiser), her and Victor get into some Wakandan mischief.
No no no, they don’t head out to the motherland…but a key piece of Wakandan technology helps Gert and Victor put that ‘ol time-traveling piece of junk back to good use. What begins as a search for what might be the dopest-sounding flying insect of all time, turns into a crisis of introspection for our almost-human flying drone head. From there on out is one of the most stunning series of pages my opticals have gazed upon, but I refuse to go any further. This book needs to be copped ASAP in order to fully enjoy the greatness of this artistry.
On the flip side of things, Karolina is in a bit of a funk — evident by the lack of forks given when Chase and company reveal a skylight built for her so she isn’t sapped of her power-charging sun ray intake. The organization her maniacal child-killing parents left behind is the only positive she has to reflect on. The fresh 18-year-old on her Met Gala flow as a new member of the board would’ve been great. Julie is long gone and a girl can’t be flying solo when stuntin’ on a bunch of old farts signing checks for the Dean Foundation. Y’all, please believe when I tell you I almost cried as I witnessed Karolina rescued and supported in a way that she hasn’t felt since that fateful night two years ago. I damn near had JT’s track trending on Twitter.
Everything just felt right. With Rainbow Rowell building up the momentum, and Kris Anka drawing like a man possessed, my expectations were through the roof. I’ll keep it simple and just say that the results were astounding. The fireworks ignite in an explosion of joy and adoration as the final pages unite our two storylines.
As corny as it sounds, it’ll leave you all warm and fuzzy inside. This is the stuff of teenage hormonal legend. I can’t praise Matthew Wilson enough, for his coloring is as mesmerizing as can be. If these 3 can continue to string together jaw-dropping books like issue #12, they’re going to elevate Runaways from a book you probably should be reading to absolutely necessary literature for fans of any genre.
10 Glowing Butterflies of 10
Reading Runaways? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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