Snagged the first two issues of the new “Runaways” series last week, so let’s give ’em a quick read-through.

Runaways #1

The first issue of this latest volume of Marvel’s teen hero series starts out with the team returning to Earth, pursued by a band of vengeful aliens. The kids hole up in one of their families’ old safehouses, where they get attacked by a bunch of genetically-engineered guard-monsters. After that, they all go to the mall (Klara, a time-displaced plant controller from 1907, has some funny reactions to mass consumerism culture), and Chase tries to get a job at a radio station employing an evil super-powered shock-jock.

Runaways #2

Those vengeful aliens come a-callin’. Nico teleports them around the planet, and they capture and interrogate one of them, who reveals that they blame Karolina for the destruction of their — and her own — homeworld. The relationship between Karolina and Xavin, her Skrull girlfriend, is left strained by their revelations.

Verdict: I think I’m gonna have to give these thumbs down. I don’t mind the characters at all, and the story seems okay, but with a first issue, they need to make this as accessible as they can to new readers, and they didn’t do that at all. I couldn’t figure out who most of the characters were, what their powers were, what their backstories were. I’ve tried to get on-board this comic before, but it seems like the kind of book that, if you aren’t reading from the very beginning, you’ll never understand what the heck is going on. Maybe a few hours of digging around on Wikipedia can help me figure out what’s supposed to be happening here.

Having said all that, Molly Hayes, the superstrong 12-year-old with the bizarre hats, is awesome and funny and cool. I’d gladly read an all-Molly series, or even one co-starring the team’s dinosaur pet, Old Lace.

Don’t have much time to get this one together, thanks to some serious goings-on in my rassafrackin’ off-blog life. So you know the drill — Friday night’s alright for fightin’, and Bahlactus demands FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS!

Tonight: from 1983’s Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #19 by Scott Shaw!, Joey Cavalieri, Rick Hoberg, and Larry Houston: Felina Furr, alter ego of Alley-Kat-Abra, demonstrates her mastery of the ancient art of kat-fu by unleashing on a bunch of arcade thieves at a mall.

Mee-yow! Looks like a cat-astrophe for the robbers, but just purr-fect for the kitty…

Let’s take a quick break from comics. Let’s focus on the real world for a few moments.

We got the presidential election coming up in just over a month, right? Election Day is on Tuesday, November 4th, and I expect y’all to git out there and vote. I don’t particularly care who you’re voting for, but I do expect you to head out on November 4 and do your civic duty.

And that means, for a lot of us, the deadline to register to vote is coming up very soon. For most states, the deadline is this upcoming Monday, October 6th. Some are later than that, some are even earlier. There are a few states where the deadline is tomorrow. Holy moley, that’s early. But for most of us, including those of us here in Lubbock, the deadline is this Monday.

If you’re not sure about the registration deadline in your state, click here for a handy table that’ll tell you when you gotta register.

You can register lots of different places. City hall, the county courthouse, the post office, libraries. You have tons of options. But seriously, go register. Even if you don’t know if you wanna vote, go register, just in case you change your mind.

Git going — time’s a-wastin’!

Batman #680

Okay, the Black Glove has invited a bunch of wealthy creeps (most wearing domino masks) to watch him destroy Batman. Batman is still wearing his hyper-garish costume and talking to Bat-Mite. Commissioner Gordon is trapped in a booby-trapped Wayne Manor and getting rescued by Damian and Talia. The Joker is being the Joker, which is bad news for everyone. Jezebel Jet is being held captive. And Bats is getting betrayed by someone he never expected.

Verdict: Thumbs up. There’s plenty of cool stuff here, some of it just amazingly cool, thrilling, wild. But a big chunk of this is about re-emphasizing what an absolutely freaky guy the Joker is. How freaky is the Joker?

The dude gave himself a forked tongue. With a straight razor. For the fun of it.

That’s freaky.

1985 #5

Toby, a little kid from our superhero-less world, has made his way to the Marvel Universe, pursued by the terrible Trapster (who promptly gets hit by a car). He can’t get the Avengers or the Fantastic Four to listen to him, but hey, he knows Spider-Man’s secret identity, so he’s able to have a nice long chat with him. Meanwhile, the psychotic villains of the Marvel Universe have invaded his world, slaughtering everyone they can. Toby’s mom and dad are trying to survive, but can anyone survive… the Coming of Galactus?

Verdict: Thumbs up. I shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I am. Still, Toby is fun, his dad is fun, the unleashed villains are fun. I even like the vaguely cheesy contrast between the sunlit Marvel Universe and our own dim and shadowy world.

She-Hulk #33

Shulkie battles the Super-Skrull and tries to convince him not to kill Jazinda, his daughter. Meanwhile, Jazinda is fighting the Skrull Talisman. Is there any way to stop Jazinda from getting killed?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Yes, it’s a nice, simple, straightforward plot, but I really did enjoy it. Lots of excellent brawling and action, lots of great dialogue, a primo plotline. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s a good story. I approve — I wish they could all be this good.

Hulk #6

Green Hulk fights Red Hulk. Thor comes along for the ride. A bunch of other superheroes don’t really do much. We’re promised an answer for who the Red Hulk is, but we don’t get one. Though it’s apparently not Doc Samson (who’s somehow grown his hair long again) or Thunderbolt Ross.

Verdict: Thumbs down. Utter and complete garbage.

Didja know it’s Banned Books Week? Well, it is. Of course, there are banned comics out there, but they’re dwarfed by the numbers of banned books.

Book banners, book burners, and other knowledge-hating censors have always been some of the things that were most likely to make me good and mad. I don’t know — there’s just something about prigs and bluenoses that make me wanna dig out my consecrated shovel and knock some ignorant twit’s block off. So go out and read some banned books this week, just to spoil a censor’s day.

My Name Is Bruce

It’s the Adventures of Bruce Campbell. No, not Ash from the “Evil Dead” movies. Just Bruce Campbell, B-movie actor. Sure, he actually tends to act exactly like Ash, but the star is actually Bruce Campbell. What’s the plot? An ancient Chinese demon is accidentally freed from imprisonment, and Bruce gets tricked into coming to help get rid of it.

Verdict: Thumbs up for a comic starring one of the ten most awesome people in the history of the universe. Thumbs down for it not really being a very good comic.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man #3

It’s the final showdown between the diabolical Crooked Man and the mostly outclassed forces of good, including Hellboy, Tom Ferrell, and the old blind priest. The Crooked Man tries to tempt Tom and the priest, and his henchwitches raise an army of zombies to combat Hellboy. Is there no hope for our heroes? Or is this all going to come down to Hellboy whacking someone upside the head with a consecrated shovel?

Verdict: Two or three thumbs up. Yes, it’s still an absolutely awesome story, with outstanding art, terrifying foes, and suspense galore, but anything that includes an actual consecrated shovel gets graded up an extra notch.

PS238 #34

Things are getting weirdly interesting in Wonderburg, home to PS238, the school for superpowered kids. Tyler Marlocke is currently in two different places at once — he’s locked in stasis to keep an alien virus from infecting the rest of the world, and he’s also running around town in a clone body that may be developing its own superpowers. He hangs out for a while with Julie “84” Finster and attends a cookout with Julie and her cousins, the Nuclear Family — Julie’s parents and the Nuclears don’t like each other much, so they spend most of their time arguing. And even worse, a bunch of imps and cherubs who only the kids can see are making the adults and some interdimensional crystal entities fight each other!

Unfortunately, when Tyler gets put into a crystal prison by the invaders, it gives his clone, which had apparently evolved its own sentience, the opportunity to throw off Tyler’s control and start taking action. And extra-unfortunately, the clone doesn’t seem to be a very nice guy. Julie is able to get the imps and cherubs to leave, and it looks like her superpowered blood may be just the thing to cure Tyler’s alien virus, but will Dr. Newby be able to formulate a cure in time?

Verdict: Thumbs up. As always, this comic is a ton of fun. Y’all should go pester your local comic shop for a copy — it’s definitely worthy of wider popularity.

The Family Dynamic #2

Tragedy Ann and Tom Foolery want to re-enact the Hindenburg disaster, but the Family Dynamic get warned off from helping because Pyralis’s flame powers could blow up the blimp. Instead, the unpowered vigilantes Blackbird and Little Wing take down the villains. It’s soon revealed that Blackbird is really Maeve Spencer, sister of Pyralis, and Little Wing is her extremely enthusiastic daughter.

Verdict: I’m still giving this a thumbs up, because it’s an absolute metric ton of fun, but I really, really wanna see some more effort on summaries and on reminding us of all these people’s real names. Yes, it’s a minor point, but this comic’s large cast — and all those Latin names for the F.D.’s super-names — really cry out for a few good summary panels to make sure we all remember who everyone is…

Project Rootop has revealed the winning designs in their recent “Vampirella Revamp” competition. Lots of very cool and unexpected designs (seems like the best redesigns always have something wildly unexpected in ’em). But there was nothing cooler or more unexpected than their grand prize winner:

RACECAR VAMPY!

Vampirella as Speed Racer — you may now consider my mind officially blown. And dig the fangs on that hot rod!

Lots of other great designs — go check ’em out!

Let’s see… Friday? Check. Night? Yah, close enough. Fights? Comin’ right up. Looks like it’s the perfect time for FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS!

Tonight, we go back to Birds of Prey #118 by Tony Bedard, Nicola Scott, and Doug Hazlewood, from earlier this year. It’s Misfit vs. Black Alice!

Short and simple? Sure thing. Best way to start the weekend.