In 2003, a group of Los Angeles teenagers ran away from their lives after discovering their parents were agents of evil, and in doing so they found a new family in each other. These adolescents were the title characters of Marvel Comics Runaways series, created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and for several years they used their unique super powered gifts to battle the evil of their parents and any other threats to the L.A. Area.

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With the end of their ongoing series in 2009 the individual team members drifted apart, and embarked upon adventures on their own and with other heroes. Sadly, this resulted in tragedy and trauma for many of Runaways, though some have managed to forge a path of their own. Those individual paths are about to converge in the recently launched Runaways, by writer Rainbow Rowell and artist Kris Anka, because Chase Stein has decided to reunite his family. In the first issue, he took a big and brash step towards accomplishing that goal by using a time machine to save the Runaways' first casualty, Gert Yorkes, who just happens to be the love of his life.

CBR spoke with Rowell about Chase and his family members, the role seemingly deceased artificial intelligence Victor Mancha played on the team, her plans for the Runaways' original leader and later betrayer, Alex Wilder, and the sinister figure that's been monitoring the team's reunion.

CBR: Rainbow, in these first two issues you've been slowly unpacking the history of what happened to the Runaways outside of their book for new readers and fans who may have missed those stories. It feels like one bit of past continuity that will be relevant to the stories you're telling is the physical and emotional trauma Nico Minoru endured during the Avengers Arena and Avengers Undercover series. Do you think she's truly confronted and dealt with what happened to her in Murderworld and after?

Rainbow Rowell: Kris and I are really focused, in this first arc especially, on how these characters have been shaped by their experiences and relationships. They were brought together by the greatest trauma – losing their parents – and then they lost each other.

Nico feels like she’s lost everything. All she has left is her magic. And she’s never had a comfortable relationship with that power. It’s not like Nico woke up one day and realized she could fly, you know? Her power has always been associated with pain and limitation.

The Nico we see in this story is tired of hurting. She’s looking for ways to push back.

Chase Stein fought side by side with Nico in Avengers Arena and Undercover, and it looks like part of the way he's dealt with some of the things he's endured is by jumping head first into repairing things; both devices and relationships.

Yeah, I think you nailed it – Chase wants to fix things, and he doesn’t stop to think about the consequences. If you go back and look at the Runaways’ history together, Chase was probably the least powerful, but that never kept him from rushing into a fight. I think Chase figures he’ll act first and figure things out later. That’s how he ended up in a relationship with Gert -- and that’s how he brings her back.

EXCLUSIVE: Art from Runaways 34 by Kris Anna and Matt Wilson

Founding Runaways member and eventual betrayer Alex Wilder returned from the dead in Avengers Undercover and later menaced Power Man and Iron Fist in the pages of their most recent series. Does Alex factor into your plans for Runaways?

I can say that Alex isn’t part of our immediate plan. When I first started on the book, Alex was tied up in Power Man and Iron First, which was okay because I already had a lot of rounding up and resurrecting to do.

But I think Alex is an important part of this family. And even though he betrayed the other Runaways, they’re always feeling his loss. He was their leader, and no one has ever really stepped up to replace him.

We saw Molly Hayes in Runaways #2, and it seems like the world has been kindest to her. What's your sense of Molly? Is she as happy as she appears to be?

I think Molly has a really strong sense of herself. She says what she’s thinking and feeling – and what she wants. We’ve seen her stand up to the Avengers and to Wolverine. Anytime someone tried to separate Molly from the other Runaways, she’d push back. “This is my family. This is where I belong.”

EXCLUSIVE: Art from Runaways 34 by Kris Anna and Matt Wilson

When we meet Molly in this arc, she’s two years older (13), but still very much the same kid. She has a lot of clarity about what – and who – she wants in her life.

Karolina Dean returns to the Runaways in issue #3. What can you tell us about what she's been up to since readers last saw her?

Of all the kids, Karolina is the one who’s really trying to process everything she’s been through, all the trauma and loss. When we catch up with her, she’s a freshman in college. She has a girlfriend. She has a therapist.

Gert, Chase and Nico show up at her door, like, “Let’s get the band back together!” And Karolina kind of pours ice water over their plans. “I love you guys, but we can’t go back to what we were.”

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In this new volume of Runaways we've caught glimpses of Victor Mancha, who recently died -- but death isn't always the end for artificial intelligences, especially with someone like Chase on the team. If Victor is able to return, and able to do so with the same personality, what do you think he'll add to the book?

Well, I love Victor. I know he’s not an original member, but he feels absolutely central to the team. He’s so smart and humble, and he’s got that great dry sense of humor.

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I’m a sucker for decency in a character, and Victor is decent, through and through. (Which is a funny thing to say about a guy who was created to be a supervillain.) He just tries so hard to do the right thing.

When I started working on this book, my first goal was to bring back Gert in a way that felt authentic and earned. And then I immediately set my sights on Victor. The day Issue 2 came out, I went to the comic book shop as soon as it opened; I was so excited to see Victor in print.

EXCLUSIVE: Art from Runaways 34 by Kris Anna and Matt Wilson

The Runaways reunion has not gone unnoticed in the Marvel U. In these first two issues we've seen a possibly sinister person, with an ability to communicate with or see through the eyes of cats, keeping tabs on them. What can you tell us about this character? Are they acting alone or are they part of a larger group?

Let’s see, what can I say… I mean, obviously, this sinister character likes cats. So, in that sense they’re part of a larger group.

I really don’t want to spoil it. But I will say – I have a hard time writing evil characters. I’m not that interested in them. I’m much more likely to write about someone who starts out good, then badly loses their way.

We've talked a lot about your cast of characters, and helping you bring to life those characters is Kris Anka, an artist who has shown his knack for lots of different elements on lots of different Marvel books. One of the things I've loved about his first two issues of Runaways has been his character acting. What do you enjoy most about Kris' art?

I sincerely love Kris’s work – and his approach to work – so much that it’s hard to choose one thing. I mean, his character acting is stellar. The characters look alive and responsive. No one is just taking up space in a panel, waiting for their turn to talk.

And he’s exceedingly thoughtful. Like, in this arc, Gert has no access to her old clothes. Kris and I talk every issue about what she might have found to wear. He thinks through every single outfit for every character.

Everything you see in one of Kris’ panels was a decision.

Beyond that, he’s a thoughtful, compassionate person. I can text him about where my head is at on a plotline or even something about comics publishing, and he’ll come back with something kind and insightful.

While we’re talking art, I’d like to shout out the work Matt Wilson is doing on color. He’s brought this very natural, California-sunlit energy to the book, which feels just right. And the characters themselves have so much breath and vibrancy.

Finally, we know from issue #1 that Tony Stark was at least aware of what Chase was doing for a while. Do you have plans for some other Marvel heroes to become embroiled in the Runaways' adventures?

Not initially. I’m really conscious of how many people are already in the book – four teens, one 20-something, one currently dead cyborg, and a dinosaur. I want to do them all justice. I want them all to get page-time. I want to bring them back together in a way that feels real, and that sucks in old and new readers.

And I think that takes focus. I think you have to care about the main characters before you care about how they fit into the Marvel Universe.

That said, I’m writing an arc now that brings in two Marvel characters who’ve been important to individual Runaways in the past, and that’s been a lot of fun to write.

This book has been a pleasure to work on. And I think it’s because our whole team -- including editors Nick Lowe and Kathleen Wisneski – really loves these kids. The Runaways have felt like classic Marvel characters since their very first issue. We all want to give them the stories they deserve.