RUNAWAYS 533
story in a medium prone to visual excess and thin plotlines. Starting what would later
become a pattern with his very fi rst work in comics, Rucka is also known for writing
strong female characters in his creator-owned properties as well as in corporate-owned,
mainstream superhero titles.
Something of a rare breed in the world of comics, Rucka has a high degree of formal
education. Graduating fi rst from Vassar College, he went on to earn a Master’s degree
from the University of Southern California. His work is marked by deep, well-researched
symbolism and extensive use of allusion— a tradition of writing not uncommon among
erudite fi ction writers.
Prior to the debut of his fi rst comic book Whiteout (1998), created in collaboration
with artist Steve Lieber and published through Oni Press, Rucka had already penned
the fi rst three installments of his Atticus Kodak novel series to critical acclaim. White-
out and its sequel Whiteout: Melt (2000), both following U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko as
she investigates crimes in Antarctic research stations, received similar praise and helped
solidify Rucka’s place as a professional comic book writer. Still with Oni, Rucka next
turned to what would be his longest-running creation, Queen & Country (2001– 7), a
British spy series centered on MI6 agent Tara Chace.
Transitioning into more opportunities at mainstream publishing houses, Rucka found
his skills most at home in Detective Comics (1999 –2002) and Batman (1999 – 2000),
though his reach included the extended family of Batman titles at DC Comics. Fans and
critics alike took particular notice of Rucka’s stories that explored Batman’s crime-solving
prowess — that is, Batman’s ability to live up to the “detective” moniker. During this time
Rucka also dedicated a signifi cant amount of energy to building the mythos of previously
ancillary female Batman characters, including Catwoman , Batgirl, Oracle, and Huntress.
At Marvel Comics , Rucka contributed his vision to numerous characters in the
House of Ideas pantheon. Interspersed at various times throughout the 2000s, Rucka
wrote stories featuring Black Widow , Spider-Man , Elektra, Daredevil , and Wolverine,
among others.
Today, most of Rucka’s ongoing work can be found at DC, where he has left his
mark on nearly all major characters in the DC universe. Having previously spent
time on Detective Comics , Rucka has gone on to write Wonder Woman , Adventures of
Superman , and Action Comics. He has also played major contributing roles in crossover
events such as Infi nite Crisis , 52 , Countdown , and Final Crisis. Despite the breadth of
Rucka’s oeuvre, however, his most acclaimed work at DC — including Gotham Central
and Checkmate — sticks closely to his crime- and spy-infl uenced roots.
Joshua Plencner
RUNAWAYS. Th e popular series Runaways tells the story of a group of youths who
discover that their parents are part of a murderous super-villain cabal, and that they
themselves possess superpowers. Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona created the
series in 2003 and produced 24 issues of the title before Joss Whedon and Michael
Ryan took over the title for six issues; writer Terry Moore and illustrators Hubert
