Fell Issue 6, The Runaways Hard Cover

Fell# 6

Did I mention that Fell was a must read book? Because it's a must read book. I just finished up to book six(though I'm still waiting to get issue three, and it burns me that I am missing it--anywho. Fantastic stuff. Issue six revolves around this really sick child abuse case, with Detective Fell on a date with Myako as the side plot. Even though each issue is single shot, we're definitely growing with the characters. I thought Warren Ellis was dead on at the back of the book when he was talking about I think the art, how you pick up this book, and though it is only 16 pages, you are IN snowtown. It's completely absorbing, and what's more satisfying. We talk a lot right now in american comics about the "satisfying" chunk. How much do we need to give a reader to validate cost. Warren Ellis' 16 pages of Fell is a satisfying chunk.

Runaways HC (“Season One”)

Speaking of satisfying chunk, the hardcover collection of "season 1" of Runaways, is oh so satisfying. I sat down with it the last two nights and plowed right through it. Brian K. Vaughn knows how to make characters I'm interested in and root for, and the book is just really fun. The surprise twist at the end was...well...surprising. I was sitting there in the back of my mind going over scenarios for all the different characters trying to decide who the mole was, but I never thought, it was who it was. It was literally the only person I didn't suspect. Right to the very end of the characters life I kept expecting the character to turn everything back around. I'm not entirely sure what makes that work for BKV and not work for others. Because like M. Night Shamamamamaamlandocalrissian--he can't write a surprise ending to save his life(or career apparently). But here BKV(oh yeah in case you didn't notice, cool short hand for Mr. Brian K Vaughn) makes the surprise twists work consistently and believably. I guess you just get so wrapped up in the characters that you don't have time to fully analyze the plot, and just, you develop feelings and biases for the characters that cloud your judgment. Something that is kind of analogous and on the same level to this would be a show like Veronica Mars, which similarly manages to keep you on your toes. I think it's something about the slight of hand which I thinnnk I read David Mamet explain, or maybe it was Ebert talking about Mamet--it's very much "hey look over here". A lot of people think that's just tied to plot, but I think in the case of Runaways and Veronica, it's more tied to characters.