That Was Yesterday

Just when the Runaways finally start to feel normal, Alex Wilder shows up—a former Runaway and a literal ghost. He accosts Nico and Karolina as they’re returning to their hideout and pleads for shelter, claiming he has their parents’ evil colleagues on his trail. The last time the Runaways saw Alex, he betrayed them to save his real family, so they’re not sure if they can trust him.

Moments later, a monster appears, on the leash of the Gibborim, strange, evil gods who consume souls for breakfast. Their parents used to worship the Gibborim, and now the Gibborim are trying to collect on debts. The Gibborim demand that the Runaways pay what their parents owe, a willing sacrifice for the Gibborim to grow strong again. When the Runaways refuse, the gods give them seven days to find someone or seven days to organize their affairs.

On Christmas, the Runaways exchange jokes and laughter, uncertain how they’ll fare against the Gibborim, but determined to live in the moment. There are numerous distractions from their troubles, as the Runaways are simply trying to survive while battling their own insecurities, loves, and ambitions. Rowell continues the wonderful character development of the Runaways, devoting more time to Nico, Gert, and Victor, while allowing every character to grow, including the new addition, Alex. The Runaways are grounded, magical, and inspiring characters due to their perseverance and genuine kindness and support for one another. They’re the kind of group that supports each other through difficult times.

The graphic novel is divided into six main parts. Each part tackles a different arc but with similar themes, such as healthy relationship dynamics, responsibility, and self-awareness. The panels are organized creatively, enhancing the flow of the story. The plot is easy to understand, despite having many moving components. Since it is a Marvel comic, there are references to other storylines and characters that may confuse readers who are not familiar with the Marvel Universe. However, none of this takes away from the beautifully illustrated characters, fantastical battles, and Los Angeles setting. The panels alternate between close-ups and wide shots, designed to capture the scene and the characters’ expressions perfectly, with dialogue overlaid to make the scenes more engaging.

Readers who enjoy complicated supervillains, dramatic though comedic teenage drama, and clever outcasts will love the ancient powers, wholesome family connections, and sarcastic comments in the third installment of The Runaways. This story teaches about social-emotional health by emphasizing the power of family as a support structure. It also emphasizes hope in the face of doom and love in a time of hate. The Runaways need to learn how to forgive now more than ever, because problems shouldn’t be solved with violence, and sometimes people are led astray. Overall, this is a dynamic and sweet story with a wholesome message: family isn’t just about the good times, but the arguments, the discord, and redemption too.

Sexual Content

• While Old Lace, the Runaways’ pet dinosaur, is roaming the halls of their hideout, she glances into Nico’s room to see Nico kissing Karolina. It’s only depicted in one panel as a close-up of their two faces. Old Lace leaves quickly.
• When Nico comes back from breakfast with the sorcerer trapped in her staff, Karolina runs to meet Nico at the door. She’s worried about Nico since she has been gone for so long and pulls her in for a kiss. The panel displays an overhead view, allowing readers to see both their bodies and faces meeting.
• After they defeat the Gibborim, Karolina pulls Nico into another kiss. Karolina’s leg is kicked up behind her as she cups Nico’s face. There’s one panel of them kissing.

Violence

• Alex Wilder is a former Runaway who hasn’t seen the rest of the team in years. The Gibborim are colleagues of the Runaways’ parents and, therefore, enemies of the Runaways. When Alex shows up suddenly at the Runaways’ hideout, they have to fight the Gibborim off with Alex’s help. The page contains ten panels featuring violence, as well as two close-ups of characters’ faces. The Runaways are primarily punching the creature, though in one of the panels, their pet dinosaur, Old Lace, is biting the creature.
• After Nico discovers that her Staff harbors a person, almost like a genie, she feels bad and attempts to release them. Then, the Staff says, “I’ll rebuild my army of thralls and slice my power from their throats.” Nico decides not to release them.
• When the Gibborim return to claim their sacrifice for their ritual, Alex runs at them with a knife in a desperate attempt to protect the Runaways. Chase tackles Alex to the ground to try to avoid violence. Chase doesn’t want any of his friends to be hurt in the crossfire.
• When Gib of the Gibborim turns on his fellow gods, he fights to protect the Runaways. There’s a lot of punching, though no one is grievously injured.

Drugs and Alcohol

• None

Language

• None

Supernatural

• The graphic novel revolves around superheroes and their associated superpowers. Most of the Runaways have magical or superhuman abilities, allowing them to fight crime. For example, Nico is a powerful magician who wields the Staff of One by bloodletting to cast her spells. She summons it by saying, “When blood is shed, let the Staff of One emerge!”
• Karolina is the other Runaway who uses magic. As an alien from another world, she can fly.
• After the Gibborim show up at the Runaways’ door demanding a sacrifice, Nico retreats outside the Runaways’ cave lair to a forest. Frustrated at her lack of magic training and unable to prevent the Gibborim from returning to collect the sacrifice, she summons the staff. It turns into a person who explains that, “[Nico’s] grandmother bested [the sorcerer of the staff] and transformed [them] into the staff, twisting [their] magic to [Nico’s grandmother’s] own service.” Nico and the Staff make a deal that ends the practice of bloodletting. They negotiate so that the person locked inside the Staff has freedom to see the outside world occasionally.
• Alex Wilder, a former Runaway, appears at their hideout, claiming that he’s being chased by Gibborim, the gods who controlled the Runaways’ parents. When Nico sees Alex, she asks, “Who let you out of Hell, Wilder?” She implies that he died and came back to life, though there is no depiction of this.
• Soon after Alex appears, a monster follows him. It has three purple heads and is covered in scales. It wears a leash and charges at the Runaways, though they fight it off. The Gibborim are close behind, with skin of all colors of the rainbow, pointed ears, and horns.
• When the Runaways fight the Gibborim’s creature, Gert and Victor return from the past in a time travel machine. They used the time machine in a previous story and are just now returning to the present. The machine is surrounded by blue waves and a bubble that reads PLIP! It implies that the machine appears out of nowhere.

Spiritual Content

• The Gibborim call themselves gods and refer to religious rituals that appear to be based on any real religion. When they demand a sacrifice, Chase responds, “The Rite of Thunder? That weird church service we interrupted before? Where were our parents gonna feed your parent that poor dead girl’s soul?” Throughout this comic, there are references to this rite, although nothing else explains the religion from which the Gibborim originate.
• In a heart-to-heart with Victor, Gert mentions God, saying, “I wouldn’t expect a cyborg to believe in God.” Victor responds, “I may have been created by a supervillain, but I’m still Catholic.”

by Kate Schuyler