The Runaways’ Los Angeles

The Runaways are based in Los Angeles, the home of their nefarious parents. The city isn’t usually used as a backdrop for Marvel’s heroes, with only the Champions of the 1970’s and the West Coast Avengers being major heroes using it as a base, though the Order were placed there as part of the Initiative in 2007.

Los Angeles is a vast city in the United States of America with many suburbs, and it’s the second largest city by population in the United States after New York City. It covers a vast 468 square miles (approximately) and is located in Los Angeles County. The city lies on the west coast of California, and has San Francisco and Sacramento far to the north and San Diego to the south. The city has an abundance of attractions for visitors, including Disneyland, Universal Studios (below), Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the famous beaches of Santa Monica and Venice. This is a little about some of the places seen within the pages of Runaways.

Bronson Canyon is in Griffith Park. This is where Chase’s hideout could be found which the kids used when they first ran away from home. It became their first Hostel and the kids lived there until it they were forced to abandon it after being found by Lt. Flores. The huge park, several times larger than Central Park, is located the north of the city center, with Ventura Freeway running across the northern edge and the Golden State Freeway down the eastern side. The park is roughly seventeen square kilometres in area, and its main attractions include the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles Zoo and the Greek Theater. The man-made canyon has been used in many films over the years, especially in westerns. However, it has also been used in the 1960’s Batman television show (the bat cave isn’t far from the Runaway’s hideout) and even Star Trek.

[First seen in Runaways (1st series) #6]

Also in Griffith Park is the James Dean Memorial. This is a bronze bust situated at the stylish Observatory. It was erected near the domed building, and was created in honor of the young star of East of Eden, Giant and Rebel Without a Cause, who died at the age of twenty-four in 1955. Key scenes from Rebel were filmed at the observatory. The Runaways met here after fleeing their parents who they had just seen sacrifice a young woman. The Loners’ Chris Powell and Mickey Musashi also met here in Loners #4 to discuss how they felt about each other. I took the photo below in October 2008.

[First seen in Runaways (1st series) #2]

At the corner of Hollywood and Vine, in Los Angeles, there isn’t a great deal to see, apart from the Capitol Records Building at 1750 Vine Street, which is instantly recognizable as the world’s first circular office building. The 13 storey tower, completed in 1956 and earthquake resistant, is home to several recording studios, housing Capitol Records and Capitol Studios. Designed by Welton Becket, it was not consciously meant to represent a stack of vinyl 45's on a turntable. It is, apparently, just a happy coincidence. The recording facility which is Capitol Studios, includes an echo chamber engineered by Les Paul, the guitarist. There is also a light on the top which spells out, in Morse code, the word “Hollywood”, switched on originally by Lyla Morse - Samuel Morse’s granddaughter. At Christmas, the whole building is lit to create the tallest Christmas tree in Hollywood. Right outside the building is John Lennon’s star on the Walk of Fame, and on the anniversary of his death each year, December 8th, candle lit vigils are held in his honor. Unfortunately, there are no public tours around the building and in September 2006 the owner, EMI, sold the tower and adjacent properties, for $50 million, to developer Argent Ventures. On the right is the building as seen in Runaways with Xavin's ship in the background, and on the left a shot taken by my partner in Los angeles in October 2008, almost from the same spot.

[First seen in Runaways (2nd series) #8]

Chinatown is somwhere the runaways will want to forget about, with Chase being seriously injured running after someone he thought was Gert. Located north of downtown, Los Angeles' Chinatown pales in comparison to New York's or San Francisco's, but it's still the third largest in the US and ahs a great variety of shops. Chinatown used to be located near Union Station, but the area declined in the early twentieth century and a new Chinatown was established some distance away. The area seems quite flat compared with downtown and seems to be spread across a small area along North Broadway. This photo was taken on my visit to LA in 2005, a gorgeous day.

[First seen in Runaways (3rd series) #14]

The Runaways have made several forays Downtown. Situated south-east of Hollywood and Griffith Park, the downtown district is the central business area of Los Angeles, with notable places including Chinatown, the US Bank Tower, which is the tallest building in Los Angeles, and Union Station. The skyline boasts a plethora of skyscrapers, and there is a wonderful view of downtown from the Griffith Observatory. The fantastic shoot-out scene in the 1995 movie, Heat, was filmed at the Far East Bank at the corner of East Street and Grand and other locations in the area.

Up until the 1970’s, the 27-storey City Hall was the tallest building around, but this has been overshadowed by myriad skyscrapers which give Los Angeles its prominent skyline. One of the popular areas of downtown is Olvera Street, which, despite its small size, brings a Mexican flavor to the area. Bunker Hill has a small railway called Angel’s Flight. Built in 1901, the funicular railway takes people from Pershing Square subway station up 298 feet to the MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art).

[First seen in Runaways (2nd series) #2]

Hollywood Boulevard is probably the most famous area of Los Angeles. Hollywood is well known as being the hub of the American movie industry. Recently given the grand title of The Hollywood Entertainment District, the area has for many years been in decline since its heyday in the early part of the twentieth century. A major input of cash has tried to bring it back to being more respectable and tourist-friendly. Below is Patrick Stewart's star, taken in October 2008.

Major landmarks on the boulevard include the Kodak Theater, which has for many years hosted the annual Academy Awards. The walk of fame has more than two thousand gold stars with the names and imprints of Hollywood stars, such as Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Buster Keaton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the Erotic Museum can also be found along this stretch of road.

[As seen in X-Men/Runaways]

The La Brea Tar Pits is the current home of the Runaways. They moved here after fleeing protective custody following the deaths of their parents. Los Angeles used to be home to around six hundred species, many of which ended up in the pit after mistaking it for a watering hole. The Page Museum  nearby is part of the Natural History Museum, and is home to skeletons , exhibitions and  a laboratory where one can watch palaeontologists studying the bones found in the pits. As mentioned by a cop named Hector in Runaways (2nd series) #23, La Brea actually means The Tar, so La Brea Tar Pits becomes The The Tar Tar Pits.

[First seen in Runaways (2nd series) #1]

I took this shot of the tar pits in October 2008

The RMS Queen Mary sailed the seas between 1936 and 1967 before being retired. It now resides in Long Beach, California, used as a hotel and museum ship. It became a tourist attraction in 1971. Long Beach is south of Los Angeles and is the fifth largest city in California (after Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco. It is one of the world’s largest shipping ports, the busiest on the west coast, and is known for its industry, such as oil - both underground and offshore. Quite a few famous people were born in Long Beach, such as comic book-loving actor Nicholas Cage, Snoop Dogg, Bo Derek and tennis star Billie Jean King.

[First seen in Runaways (3rd series) #5]

Los Feliz is an up-and-coming neighborhood directly to the south of Griffith Park. Here, the Runaways encountered Topher and his minions at a Circle A store, defeating them and taking Topher into their midst. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis-Brown House is located here, on Glendower Avenue, and the area was home to Walt Disney’s first studio. Many famous people live in the area including Aimee Mann and Geena Davis.

[First seen in Runaways (1st series) #7]

Malibu is the home of the Wilder family. The town is located to the west of Los Angeles, with a twenty-seven mile beach running alongside the Pacific Coast Highway. It has featured in many movies over the years, including the wonderful Coen Brothers movie, The Big Lebowski, and also television shows such as Charlie Sheen’s Two and a Half Men. Many Hollywood movers and shakers make Malibu their home including Steven Spielberg and John Cusack. Recently, fires have threatened the homes of the rich and famous, and the homes of Sean Penn in 1993 and Ali MacGraw were both destroyed. Malibu was also the location for one of the Stein's safehouses which the runaways moved into following their return from 1907.

[First seen in Runaways (1st series) #1]

This shot was taken in 2005. They were setting up for an ASP surfing competition at the time. You can see similar houses to which the Wilder's live in on the cliffs.

Another location in Griffith Park is Mount Lee, upon whose southern slopes the famous Hollywood sign is to be found. The Runaways came here after abandoning their hostel in Bronson Canyon. Originally, in 1923, the sign read Hollywoodland - advertising a new housing development, but the last four letters were removed by the Chamber of Commerce and never replaced. The original letters were 30 feet wide and 50 feet high, and lit with bulbs so they could be seen for miles. A young actress, Peg Entwhistle, jumped off the sign to her death in 1932. The sign now has an alarm system to keep people like the Runaways out from the area.

[First seen in Runaways (1st series) #14]

The Parker Center is the headquarters of the Los Angeles Police Department. It is situated Downtown, at 150 North Los Angeles Street. It was the home of Lt. Flores, prior to him being killed by Geoffrey Wilder, and one of his subordinates, Douglas. Lt. Flores met Cloak and Dagger on its roof to ask them for help in finding the Runaways. It was used in many episodes of the 1960’s television show, Dragnet. At the time of writing, it looks like the Parker Center will shortly be closed down as a new headquarters is being built near City Hall.

[First seen in Runaways (1st series) #2]

Randy’s Donuts can be found on West Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood, and as seen in the comic, it does indeed sport a gigantic donut on its roof. The young Geoffrey Wilder came to the shop with the new Pride in order to liaise with the Gibborim. The building was designed to advertise the fact that the place sells donuts, and it does this rather well. The donut is 6.7 meters in diameter, and can also be seen in the Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s Californication video.

[First seen in Runaways (2nd series) #1]

The Santa Monica Freeway, heading away from Malibu begins on the coast at Santa Monica and heads east towards Downtown Los Angeles. The Runaways drove along this freeway after meeting up at the James Dean Memorial on their way to the Yorkes residence. Santa Monica is a coastal town, north of Venice. Its famous pier and beaches bring plenty of visitors throughout the year, with the average of 235 sunny days per year being one if the main attractions.

[First seen in Runaways (1st series) #2]

Van Nuys is where Cloak and Dagger first caught up with the Runaways. The town is on the 405 south of Panorama City. It is in the heart of the San Fernando Valley and its notable features include the Japanese Garden (seen in the Wesley Snipes movie Rising Sun) and the old Busch Gardens theme park which closed its doors in 1979. Panorama City to the north was where the kids headed after leaving Cloak and Dagger to get some food. The Runaways also engaged Tarantula here off panel.

[First seen in Runaways (1st series) #11]