Welcome to the X-Men, Molly...

I don't really have any commentary on the cover to Runaways #10 other than it looks really cool and... is that Spiral's helmet Molly's wearing? Maybe not.

At any rate, it sounds like a promising start to the post-Terry Moore issues. Not that I'm at all happy to see Moore go. I've been enjoying his and Humberto Ramos' time on the series.

For that matter, I can't find confirmation that #10's writer Christopher Yost will be the new full-time writer of the book. And even if he is, I wasn't 100% satisfied with his last Runaways story. That could've just been happenstance though and not indicative that Yost doesn't know what to do with Molly. If he is taking over the book, he's certainly off to a good start by focusing on her in #10.

Okay, I guess I did have some commentary.

Princess Powerful back in the house!

So I was pretty disappointed with how Molly got shoved to the sidelines in the Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers mini-series, but Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos make up for it in the new volume of Runaways.

As with any team book, Molly can't be the only focus of attention, but Moore gives her one great scene in the first issue that perfectly illustrates why 12-year-old Molly's such a cool character. Of course, Ramos' cover illustration pretty much shows that all by itself. That's Molly in the koala hat showing her guns.

The scene I'm talking about though starts with the Runaways checking out a new hideout that used to be owned by the parents of one of their members, Chase. Chase and Xavin (a shape-changing Skrull) check it out for any booby traps Chase's folks may have left.



Fortunately, Molly has Chase's back.



The math is simple. Molly = Awesome.

Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers

Two of my newest favorite characters are Molly Hayes, the super-strong little girl from Runaways, and Kate Bishop, the new Hawkeye from Young Avengers. Which means that I really like the regular Runaways/Young Avengers team-ups Marvel keeps doing every time there's a new event mini-series. It's like teaming up Wonder Woman and Black Canary.

Unfortunately, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers focused on neither of my favorites. I understand that Secret Invasion is all about the Skrulls and that since both the Runaways and the Young Avengers have Skrulls on their teams that those characters are naturally going to get the focus. But did writer Chris Yost have to go so far out of his way to sideline Molly and Hawkeye?

Hawkeye spends the mini-series in a battle in Times Square that's sort of being covered in the main Secret Invasion book (as much as that book's covering anything, which isn't much), so even though I don't like it, I understand Yost's not wanting to recover it here. Although I would've welcomed some scenes fleshing out the Young Avengers' contributions to that battle.

But Molly... the way Yost gets Molly out of the way is horrible. She's the Runaways' most powerful member and seriously, how cool would it be to see a twelve-year-old girl kicking Skrull butt? Very cool, says I. But no. Instead, we get this.



That's right. Speed from Young Avengers zooms Molly and her friend Klara right out of the fight. And not just to the sidelines either. The "Mister President" Klara's talking about?



Lame.