While it can’t be denied that Runaways has yet to live up to the benchmark set by Brian K Vaughan, it’s good to see that there’s finally a creative team willing to take a chance with the team and where they are headed. Ever since Vaughan’s departure, no one has been willing to shake things up, as if they don’t have a right to do so. With Immonen’s first arc, although it inevitably petered out with this issue, at the very least, there’s a breath of fresh air. With both the death of Old Lace and this issue conclusion, someone is finally willing to see past the protective gloss of Brian K Vaughan and hurt these characters, let something meaningful happen to them.

That said, there’s still something missing from the overall team dynamic, though Immonen is slowly getting a handle on it. The Runaways are a family, much like the Fantastic Four, and it’s nice to see the subtle moments that remind how close they can be. Unlike the earlier few issues of the arc, this dynamic doesn’t get as much focus in this issue, and that’s always a strike against an issue of this series.

If anything really hurts the book as of late, however, it’s the art. By no means do I think outright copying of Alphona’s style is required, but how he drew these characters was the first way they were seen by the public, and so any radical departure from that realistic style is an annoyance, as it has been for the entirety of Volume 3. The brown of Nico’s hair is completely off-putting this time around, and Gert almost comes off as a different character, having never been drawn in this style before.

Overall, the conclusion of the issue is certainly not what I expected, but it will take a clever twist on the part of Immonen to give both an adequate explanation for Gert and to make the ending pay off. It will be left to be seen when the book returns.