TheRebAgain

November 19, 2008 9:04 pm The new art was like a breath of fresh air.  It was wonderful to actually have recognizable characters again.  To see Jamie with his M tattoo.  Etc.   Perhaps I was influenced by the artwork, but I felt like the writing was returning back into form, as well.  We're edging back toward the great characteriztion that was a hallmark for earlier episodes, but seemed to have gotten lost in an effort to just advance the plot.  I look forward to the next issue!

October 29, 2008 9:18 pm

I looked up the next issue at Marvel's website about a week and a half ago and was so relieved to discover that this was to be Stroman's last issue.  After finishing this latest issue, I was reminded again why I vehemently dislike his style.  One glaring issue was a panel in which Monet looked like a man.  Other representations of her weren't that much better.  Rictor was gifted with a horrible mullet thing.  Madrox continued to be only identifiable by his well-known t-shirt, probably something that Stroman was forced to apply when folks just weren't recognizing him period (a long with the vanishing M tattoo). Let's not start on Darwin being represented nothing like Darwin.

 Frankly put, Stroman is an independent artist and appears to generally obey the general "shape" of the characters he draws, otherwise, he totally ignores the work of previous artists in the name of doing his thing.  I don't mind when there's some deviation from artist to artist, but when I can't identify characters or their gender, I think it's taking one's style too far.  I can't blame Stroman too much, as it was Marvel who ultimately made the choice to place him on the title and gave the green light for the U-turn in artwork.  

David's writing continues to be fine, though, brief.  Going back to earlier issues, there was much more characterization going on with David opening the door into the mind of Madrox and others.  The last few issues have been brief, get the job done of moving along the plot, and not much else.  I'd love to see a word count comparison of the latest issues.  This brevity, is heightened by Stroman's art, which for the apparent faction who enjoy it, only works to hurry the reader from page to page to simply get through the book.  All I can say, thank goodness for #37.  Can't wait to read ya!

October 29, 2008 9:07 pm Gotta agree with the reviewer.  In good news, this is Stroman's last issue.  Let's hope he doesn't return.

October 20, 2008 12:41 am

Just read 1 and 2 tonight, but my criticisms pretty much ring true for both.  I've no experience with Moore, so I'll certainly give him some leeway in the storyline.  i can't say as much for Ramos.  For virtually thirty issues, the existence of the entire line, the art has been much more realistic.  The introduction of a manga/cartoon style just made me want to wince.  It's harder to connect to the characters when they barely resemble the folks you've grown used to over so many issues.  

One of the core aspects of Runaways was that it took the characters, teenagers, as serious individuals.  They had serious problems and emotions and it originally was established that the artwork parallel this seriousness.  That's not to say there aren't moments of levity, but Runaways didn't dumb itself down at any point and that's the issue I have with Ramos' style for the title.

The character designs are dumbed down.  They're more simplistic.  The two twelve year olds appear as if they're really just eight or nine year olds, which totally goes against the character of Klara, whom Ramos even called a young adult.  I mean the girl was married and forced to endure things that are considered criminal now, and Ramos represents her like a ten year old.  

Frankly put, the style is demeaning to the characters and the attitude established and carried by the title from issue 1 to 30.  Marvel just slapped a lot of folks in the face by choosing to go with this change of direction.  

With regard to Moore, I will agree that it seems he's screwing with Karolina and Xavin to a degree not quite warranted.  Though, the whole relationship has continued to be wonky for a while now with Xayvin having doubts and what not.  The existing storyline is borderline in what I regard as to be expected in a Runaways issue, not great, but not horrible.  One thing Moore has not done is to bring out the other characters, that don't appear to have as much interest to him.  Earlier writing did a much better job at this task, which concedely, is not always easy to do with an ensemble cast.

I'll keep buying, but out of loyalty and hope that things will change for the better.

October 19, 2008 1:36 am

I just now registered, if only so I could comment on Stroman's art.

 

I'd been out of the comic reading world for just over a decade and upon returning, I had a friend who demanded I read X-Factor.  So over the course of the last month, I've read the entire new run from 1 to 35, and had to agree with my friend, this is one hell of a good title.  Then tonight, I read the last seven issues and I just felt my heart plummet.  Stroman has seriously damaged X-Factor, as well as the person who decided to place him on it with David.  I get the artwork, and perhaps, the X-Factor of the past (which I can't recall anymore...good? Bad?) worked with it...but with the storylines and writing developed from the first issue to this year and the artwork that for the most part consistently accompanied it; the Stroman art was literally painful.  

 The familiar faces I'd come to identify fondly were ripped away and replaced with charicatures that most of the time failed to portray any likeness other than the outfit or the color of the hair.  While Madrox wasn't always serious, the writing and the art took itself serious and offered us something worth caring about and looking forward to the next issue.  

 I now dread the next issue.  I read, but can't look at the path the art has taken in X-Factor.  I'm not quitting the book, but I'll be suffering through it, reading the writing and squinting my eye at the artwork trying to imagine it to be something more deserving to what X-Factor at least tried to amount to up to now.  Otherwise, I'm distracted by the artwork of someone who obviously cares more about his personal style than at least trying to extend a modicum of continuity from the consistent artwork that preceded him by about 30 issues.  Perhaps it's Marvel's fault as well, to callously replace one artist with another who's style is so far out of left field as to create the illusion of two comic books some how meshed into one.

 I don't know what else to add, other than I feel let down and saddened by the punch to the gut I feel every time I look at the lines that are supposed to represent the characters I've grown to care quite a bit about.  I'll go on picking up X-Factor, but more out of a duty to what it represented, then what it is now.