Runaways Vol. 5 Escape To New York

Runaways Vol. 5 is a lot like the previous volumes- the kids are on the run and fighting occasional supervillains. I think this is a neat concept that still hasn't met its potential- and I think part of the problem is the series is too wedded to the Marvel universe. I always thought this was going to be a standalone series, separate from the usual Marvel stuff, but this volume continues the pattern of having various Marvel characters show up, both good and bad. There are a lot of appearances in this one, as the runaways find themselves helping Cloak clear his name after he's framed. It's not a bad volume, it's just not anything to write home about. 

But before we get to the Cloak and Dagger story we have an interesting twist. After an initial fight with a villain named Swarm (yes he's made entirely of bees) they get a surprise- a Skrull shapeshifter appears and announces that he's Karolina's fiance. Apparently her parents arranged this little marriage as part of a plot from years ago, and Xavin- the Skrull- has come to collect. After appearing rather villainous at first, he impresses upon Karolina that he wants to try to end the war that is raging between his planet and the planet where Karolina is from. She agrees to go, convinced that she has a larger purpose, and I thought the heroes would end up in space- but unfortunately Karolina disappears for the rest of this one, and the runaways end up in New York helping Cloak. 

It's kind of fun seeing the runaways adjust to New York City- they're definitely not used to snow- but I thought the story was strictly average. We do get some character development though- Karolina admits to being gay, Nico rebuffs her after Karolina mistakenly assumes she's interested, and Chase ends up being able to use Nico's staff, although they don't know how that happens. And we get hints that Chase has a dark past also. 

There's also hints that not everything is alright back in LA- some shadowy group seems to be planning trouble. And of course are they going to go into space and be with Karolina? Somehow I imagine yes. Looking forward to seeing how that goes- the runaways on a space run. This volume suffered a bit from the absence of Karolina but I plan to keep reading.