I guess I enjoyed reading this a decent amount, but unfortunately the issues go into multiple different directions that don't really add up to much. The mole plot is the only thing that's really developed further, along with some added characterization and discovery but it's not enough that this volume is memorable in my opinion.

So as no surprise to anyone, I read this because I found out Rick Jones is in it and that's always the push to force me to read something I may have not been interested in otherwise or that's part of a series I'm not caught up with.

Other than Rick, I really love many of the characters included in this volume. The story cleverly switches between the Runaways and Excelsior, who are going up against each other while still having the same goal of protecting innocent lives and trying to create better ones for themselves. The members of Excelsior may not be familiar faces to many, yet are easily sympathetic and I didn't feel strong dislike for them even when they did fit more antagonistic roles.

The Runaways themselves are truly are a family by now and behave like one with their interactions flowing naturally. While they aren't the most trusting people due to their past they still are able to recognize that children are not defined by their parents and need to be given chances as their own people who can choose to do good, and they willingly accept another orphan into their group while still holding some understandable suspicions.

Unfortunately I don't typically enjoy the 'defeated villain secretly returning' trope in media and would rather have seen fresh faces in the plot set up next, but I've always been interested in this series for the individual characters anyway and not so much the story, which I hardly remember these days.

Runaways is different from a lot of other superhero comics created for a younger audience because the characters aren't focused on being the most moral heroes around, and in fact don't even seem to truly think of themselves as superheroes. Their goal is protecting their own, and when push comes to shove they fight back hard and don't accept shit from anyone. For that reason they were most meaningful to me as an angry adolescent and provide welcome solace to other young adults who are tired of their less-than-great parents and wish their friends were their real family to go against the world with.

Surprisingly enough, Gwen has finally started to accept some responsibility for her actions and focus on trying to fit into the heroic role she automatically felt entitled to.

This volume did not feature a single continuous story, but rather a few different ones that were actually much more enjoyable to read. Deadpool's cameo was inevitable, and while I don't read many of his comics for the same reason Gwen avoids them, I enjoyed his small but entertaining part in the story.

The next arc has been set up by the end of the fifteenth issue and I'm excited to hopefully learn about Gwen's original life and how she ended up on Earth-616. The only problem I really have with this volume was the holiday special that was included, but I already described my opinions towards that mess here.

I like reading comics purely for fun as much as the next guy, but this volume fell flat for me. Gwen is still the only interesting character included in the series and while attempts were made to give more depth to the other agents of M.O.D.O.K. Gwen herself would probably even point out that they're really just on the sidelines of her larger story.

I enjoy seeing popular Marvel heroes included in Gwen's comics but unfortunately she's been unable to create any friendships since her seemingly all-pervasive information about them and usual disregard for the lives of others is understandably seen as disturbing.

However, even with her dangerously ambiguous morality and almost no redeeming qualities besides being cutesy, Gwen does a decent job of carrying the series on her own since she has so much rambunctious energy, though sadly the plot itself for this volume is bland and unmemorable.

I have a lot of negative feelings about this comic but I'm going to attempt to be as polite as I can and start with saying that all three stars I rated it are for Rick Jones only and my main grievance is how poorly the tie-ins were planned.

The concept of Pleasant Hill and the ethics surrounding it is interesting but after being dragged in so many directions by multiple writers and their individual series with characters typically not involved with each other, finishing each issue truly felt like a chore. Parts of the story were really enjoyable, but they're barely worth reading when thrown in with all the other messy writing and subplots piled on top of each other.

If characters I cared about hadn't been featured in this event I would not have enjoyed more than a few pages of it, so if you don't really like at least one of the many heroes written into this story please do yourself a favor and elect to read about what happened on Wikipedia or ignore it completely.

This volume was still enjoyable enough to read that I wasn't miserable turning each page, but it does feel messy and like it exists only to be the glue to tie together several different events.

I guess if you aren't busy and like any of the characters this comic is worth your time but occurrences included can probably be understood without reading each issue and there hasn't been as much growth or development with the team as I'd hoped.

I have very minimal interest in the majority of Avengers titles and honestly began reading this by accident, but managed to become invested enough in it that I'm excited to continue the series.

While I usually dislike time travel plots, the one included in this volume was decently written and not needlessly complex and confusing.

The team doesn't have the greatest flow starting out since they came together out of necessity, but some characters have already formed closer bonds throughout the first few issues so I'm looking forward to seeing how they all grow as a group.