Marvel Runaways Reading Order: How to follow The Runaways in the Marvel Universe?

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There are a lot of new adaptations of comics coming our way in the months to come. One of them is Marvel’s The Runaways. If you don’t know them yet, here is your guide to change that. But first…

Who are the Runaways ?

The Runaways are a group of six teenagers who discover that their parents are part of an evil crime organization known as “The Pride”. Not cool right? The teens stole weapons and resources from their parents and go on the run. Soon, they learn they themselves inherited their parents’ powers.

This article will not be updated anymore. Since we have launched a blog dedicated to comic book reading orders, you can find an up-to-date version of this Runaways Reading Order here.

Marvel’s Runaways Reading Order :

I. Runaways during the 00’s (2003 – 2009)

Runaways were part of Marvel Comics’ Tsunami Imprint founded in January 2003 with the goal to create comic books that would appeal to manga readers. It didn’t last long, but Runaways find critical acclaim and success.

1. Runaways: The Complete Collection Volume 1 – Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, The First 18-issue series features the cast of Nico Minoru, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, Chase Stein, Alex Wilder, and Gertrude Yorkes. Collects: Runaways (2003 – 2004) #1 to #18.
2. Runaways: The Complete Collection Volume 2 – Still by Vaughn and Alphona, the Runaways are back for a new ongoing comic who place them in the Marvel Universe, with crossovers involving Cloak & Dagger and the New Avengers shortly after Avengers Disassembled. Collects: Runaways (2005 – 2008) #1 to #18, Free Comic Book Day 2006 (X-Men/Runaways) 1.
3. Runaways: The Complete Collection Volume 3 – This third volume marks the end of the Vaughn and Alphona era after Runaways #24 and a Marvel event crossover series. Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon took over for a final arc. Collects: Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #1 to #4, Runaways (2005) 19-30, Runaways Saga 1, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers 1-3.

4. The Loners: The Secret Lives of Super-Heroes – A spinoff series featuring the former teen heroes who were foils to the Runaways in Vol. 2. They were the teen heroes known as Darkhawk, Turbo, Ricochet, Green Goblin and Lightspeed. Now they’re five young adults trying to stay out of spandex. Collects Loners #1-6.
5. Runaways: The Complete Collection Volume 4 – This 14-issue third series features the cast of Nico Minoru, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, Chase Stein, Victor Mancha, Xavin, and Klara Prast. It was launched with Terry Moore, with Kathryn Immonen writing the final arc. Collects: Mystic Arcana #4: Sister Grimm, Runaways (2008 – 2009) #1 to #14, What if the Runaways became the Young Avengers?

II. Runaways during The Heroic Age and Beyond (2010 – 2013)

Until now, our Runaways were not so hard to track down, even if some Marvel events make things more complicated to follow. This changed with the Heroic Age, the new “status quo” for the Marvel Universe in 2010 after the events of Siege. Let’s note that it resulted in a number of optional issues, where the characters are just guests.

1. S.W.O.R.D. – Gyrich is able to persuade the heads of S.W.O.R.D. to pass legislation to have all aliens currently living on Earth deported from the planet while Brand was distracted with another mission. He manages to take several notable aliens into custody including Karolina Dean. The series was canceled with issue #5.
2. Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age – Molly meets the Beast at the La Brea Tar Pits where the two discussed extinction. Collected in Uncanny X-Men: Birth of Generation Hope.
3. Strange #4 – Nico Minoru makes a non-speaking cameo in this issue (February 2010) collected in Strange: The Doctor is Out.
4. Daken #17-19 – When Daken must kill a member of the Pride, he goes to find out the kids who must know how: the Runaways in a story arc collected in Pride Comes Before The Fall.

Iron Man Legacy #7-8 & #10-11 – Tony Stark wants to bring back hope to an impoverished L.A. neighborhood, a plan not approved by The Pride ! Alex Wilder guest stars in those issues collected in Iron Man: Industrial Revolution.

• Avengers Academy #27-28 – Giant-Man, Victor Reptil, and Chase… Lightspeed and Karolina… what are the connections that make these combustible crews collide? In those issues collected in Avengers Academy: Second Semester. The Runaways also make a brief appearance in #39.

III. Marvel Now! (2013 – 2015)

1. Avengers Arena – the series takes 16 young heroes (Nico Minoru and Chase Stein are two of them) and pit them against each other in a kill-or-be-killed reality-show-like scenario on Murderworld run by Arcade. There is 3 TPBs – Kill or Die, Game On and Boss Level. Other Runaways appeared in the issue #13. X-23 is also in this series.
2. Young Avengers #11-14 – Karolina Dean appears in those issues collected in Young Avengers Vol. 2: Family Matters.
3. Avengers Undercover – A follow-up to Avengers Arena. Damaged by their experience in Murder World, five conflicted young superhumans go rogue and infiltrate the Masters of Evil, planning to bring the Avengers’ rivals down from within. There is 2 TPBs – Descent and Going Native.
4. Infinity: The Hunt #1 – Molly Hayes makes an appearance in this issue collected in Infinity: Heist/Hunt.
5. Avengers A.I. – Following the Age of Ultron storyline, Victor Mancha joins up with Henry Pym’s Avengers A.I. alongside Monica Chang, Vision and a reprogramed Doombot. There is 3 TPBs – Human After All and 12000 AD.
6. Vision Vol. 2: Little Better Than A Beast – Sometime after Avengers A.I., Victor moves in with Vision after getting an internship in Washington, D.C. It’s better to have read the first volume for a better comprehension of the story. Collects Vision (2015) #7-12.

IV. Runaways during Secret Wars

Secret Wars is a Marvel Event where The Marvel Universe is colliding with the Ultimate Universe. Pieces of the two universes are mysteriously saved and combined with other post-collision universes creating the “Battleworld.” To make sense of it all, read Secret Wars, of course!

1. Battleworld: Runaways – An alternate-reality Runaways mini-series who is loosely connected to the classic Runaways. Collects: Runaways (2015) #1-4, Secret Wars: Secret Love #1.
2. A Force –From the ashes of Battleworld, Marvel’s newest hero Singularity has risen and entered the Marvel Universe. But she didn’t make the journey alone. To combat the most fearsome threats from across the multiverse, Singularity will summon the world’s mightiest team of Avengers to her side: She-Hulk. Captain Marvel. Dazzler. Medusa and Nico Minoru. There are 2 TPBs – Hypertime and Rage Against The Dying Of The Light.

V. Runways’s Comeback

1. Runaways (2017) – The Runaways are back with the original cast (even Gert) in this new series by Rainbow Rowell et Kris Anka. Available on September 13, 2017.

To be continued…