Review by Frank Plowright

Until now the Runaways have been relatively safe within an underground mansion, but that all changes when the city works department begins what seems a major project near the previously remote entrance. It requires a rapid move, and fortunately Karolina and Nico have recently met Los Angeles’ original crimefighter Doc Justice, who once ran a team of super youngsters and lives in a mansion.

Having noted when reviewing But You Can’t Hide that Rainbow Rowell isn’t greatly interested in superheroes as such, the point is rather underlined during Canon Fodder. From the start Doc Justice is a preposterous figure, lampooning Batman to a degree, with Kris Anka designing deliberately ridiculous and excessive costumes for the Runaways helping him out. Anka only draws the single chapter, though, and the remaining art is Andrès Genolet supplying the same polished personalities and action as he did in the previous volume.

Because Rowell is so strong on inducing sympathy for the cast and on moving them into unexpected areas Canon Fodder isn’t the mis-step it might otherwise have been. Every volume progresses the cast, and this time it’s Gert’s time to shine as everyone else is too seduced by the charisma of Doc Justice and his achievements over a long career. What Rowell asks concerns the type of narcissist a person has to be to carry on despite a wealth of evidence that there’s a considerable cost to their activities.

Canon Fodder may scratch an itch for anyone’s who’s wanted to see Chase, Karolina, Molly, Nico and Victor as traditional costumed heroes, and it involves a clever solution to a problem running through the previous volume. However, it’s also obvious and more predictable than the Runaways we’ve been used to under Rowell, so good, but not the usual feast. Come Away With Me concludes the series.