Or - “When They Said, ‘Get A Life,’ I Should Have Said ‘&$@$ YOU!”

So, for those of y’all who were not aware I DO have things on my weekly schedule that are NOT comic-related.  Not many of them, granted, but they do exist.  One of them is my day job, overlooking (I almost typed overworking) twelve awesome telephone service representatives in their day-to-day quest to resolve issues for our beloved customers.  August was a rough month for my guys (nicknamed “Team Ramrod”) and has required me to spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about AHT, IR, BP, SV, and other meaningless initials.  In any case, I’m officially back to let you know I can really shake ‘em down, with another smorgasboard-orgasbord-orgasbord of comicky goodness, all wrapped up in heavy weapons and pop-culture references. Yeah, I missed youse guys, too.

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In an ongoing attempt to draw more readers to online versions of comic books, Marvel is allowing anyone to head over to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited and read Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos’ first issue of the Runaways for free.

The Runaways are back in Los Angeles and trying to keep their status on the down-low, but L.A. isn’t the same city they left it, especially when the sins of their parents come back to haunt them.  And if things couldn’t be more dangerous, the few remaining survivors of Karolina’s alien race have come to Earth…and they’re targeting the Runaways themselves for extinction.

You can view the first issue for free right here.

And take the jump to get a peek at the cover to issue #2 arriving this month.

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I haven’t picked up the first issue of Humberto Ramos’ Runaways, but apparently there are a few people upset over a comment the artist made at his blog site that implied Xavin was changing sexes.

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Still stuck in the past, eh? The crew from the Runaways better get back in time for their major motion picture debut, or a lot of people are going to be really confused. In Runaways #30, Joss Whedon concludes his run on the series, and things get interesting.

Marvel Comics has sent Major Spoilers a sneak peek of the issue that arrives June 25, 2008.

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Word out of H’wood this morning has Bryan K. Vaughan’s Runaways getting the treatment for the big screen. This makes perfect sense as the first series was pretty much self contained from the rest of the M616 making it a tale that can be told without needing appearances by Brad Pitt, Robert Downey, Jr. Sam Jackson, etc.

The good news is Vaughan is penning the adaptation, but the bad news is the film is in pre-production hell with Ant Man as Marvel Studios has yet to announce a start of production or release date. If Marvel wanted to get as much money from the tweeners as possible, they’d ramp this production up quickly and get a team movie out before the Avengers so the company can test the waters, and to rub it in the face of DC/Warner Bros. who have yet to get Justice League out of the starting gate.

So the question is, “Who would you cast in the roles of the Runaways?”

via THR

Ever since Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos were announced as the next creative team to tackle Marvel’s Runaways, fans have been wondering what the new character design would look like.

Over at Humberto Ramos’ site, the artist has posted a design that he hopes sticks.

Hey people, Happy 2008, I’m back and ready to get the best of this year beginning with this, my first official shot of the runaways. This is a little sketch i did to let the editors know what is my approach to the kids, this may not be the final word on how they look, but hey, is the first one.

Honestly, I hope they keep his way, I like them, even the skrull girl.

I have been a fan of Humberto’s work since I first saw it back in Impulse, and have tracked his work since then. I wonder if he’ll send me a sketch of the Runaway crew?

via Los Monitos de Ramos

Here it is, the second half of your Marvel Sneak Peeks of titles arriving in stores this week. This installment brings you previews of NOVA 7, PUNISHER 51, PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL 12, RUNAWAYS 28, SPIDER-MAN/RED SONJA 3, WOLVERINE 58, WORLD WAR HULK: FRONT LINE 5, X-FACTOR 24, and X-MEN: DIE BY THE SWORD 1.

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Another month and a new entry for our new series “Trades You Should Own”. I’m going to continue the theme of teenagers who find out their parents are evil with The Runaways, from Marvel Comics. It’s not quite Invincible, but is one of those trades that I highly recommend.

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The Runaways are still stuck in 1907 and with only a few issues remaining on the Whedon/Ryan run, the team is going to have to deal with their situation or hope they can uncover a DeLorean real soon.

Marvel has sent Major Spoilers a sneak peek of issue #28 that arrives October 10.

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Marvel Comics and Whedonesque have teamed up to give Joss Whedon fans a chance to read the highly popular Runaways #25 for free online.

Joined by artist Michael Ryan, Whedon has taken over the reins of Runaways from the award-winning creative team of Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, managing to please hardcore fans as well as bring in an all-new audience to the super-powered teens on the run.

via Whedonesque

Buffy fans, why aren’t you reading Runaways? It’s written by your master Joss Whedon and has received tons of great reviews. Marvel Comics has sent us a sneak peek at Runaways #27, which sends the team tripping to the past.

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Congratulations go out to Brian K. Vaughan today. His award-winning Runaways series has been nominated for the Georgia Peach Award. If selected, Runaways will become required reading in the Georgia school system.

Marvel also let Major Spoilers know Runaways Volume 7: Live Fast, will be out in April with the third hardcover collection hitting stores in May. And beginning April 4, Joss Whedon and Michael Ryan will take over the creative duties with Runaways #25.

via Marvel Comics

We all have our addictions, heck I have a whole room devoted to this crazy hobby. What if you had an addiction to being a superhero? That is the premise behind Loners #1.

Originally appearing in the pages of Brian K. Vaughan’s Runaways, Darkhawk, Turbo, Ricochet, Green Goblin, and Lightspeed are all grown up and trying to stay out of spandex. But quitting is easier said than done.

Marvel sent us a whopping seven page preview for you to check out.

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Or - “How To Ignore Fourteen Characters To Revive One.”

I wish you all a “Happy American Day Of Eating Till Ya Nearly Burst…” I had far too much pie and far too little sleep, but I’m here and ready to rock. Since it’s Thanksgiving, I thought I might go over an interesting question: What are you thankful for when it comes to comics?

I’m thankful for Garth Ennis, for “Agents of Atlas,” for the return of Shang Chi and Mon-El and Nova. Hell, there are a lot of things right about today’s comics industry. Fascinating characters, excellent writers, plotlines that are complex and adult… I enjoy the hell out of a great many books on the stands right now, probably more than any time in the last 20 years. That’s what makes the negatives so annoying: excessive decompression of stories, violence as character development, and a “throw it at the wall to see if it sticks this time” approach to characters like The Creeper and Doctor Strange. I walked into this miniseries thinking “Hey, I dig the Young Avengers… I dig the Runaways… It has to fall on the side of good things in comics, right?” Wanna bet whether or not I was being naive?

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The first printing of the Runaways HC sold out quickly and the book itself went on to win several awards. Now, the story of a group of teenagers who discovered their parents were really super villains continues in Runaways Vol.2 HC, which features an all-new cover by regular artist Adrian Alphona.

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