Source: npr.com
3. Pride and Joy
Runaways #1-6 (2003)
The opening story of the series is part of the reason it's as well remembered as it is. It's a great introduction, it establishes everything we need to understand the team, and it's structured really darn well.
Hell, what I’ve seen of the Hulu series so far is JUST this one story expanded into an ongoing TV show about a band of teens and tweens united by one thing: Their parents are all friends, and they make them hang out about once a year. This year, the teens get bored, and they go exploring, only to discover – oh, s**t – their parents are weird murders who look like they're in a cult. In short, their parents are supervillains.
In a panic, the kids search each other's houses for evidence of criminal activity, but all they find are secrets about themselves. Karolina's bracelet is removed, and her alien light powers are awakened. Chase steals the X-Ray goggles and Fistigons. Gert meets Old Lace, her dinosaur from the future. Molly uncovers her mutant abilities. All of them are pretty easy to relate to here, and they all come off as fun and charming characters. Alex is a strong leader, Chase is comic relief, and Nico makes an awesome powerhouse.
It sets a lot of pieces in play for the rest of the original series.
