Morning Glories

Up until now I hadn't really thought much about the faculty of Morning Glories outside of their sociopathic tendeencies. I mean, Mister Gribbs and the nurse, Nine, seem pretty gung ho about their jobs and Miss Daramount's icy exterior seems to hide a belief that she's doing something for the greater good.

Cue Miss Hodge. Sure, it's debatable how much she actually wants to leave, but it's the little things in the way she acts. Her frustration, her outside dalliances, and her seeming exasperation with some of the student body that makes me think she's telling the truth when she says she wants to leave.

My history watching LOST prevents me from trusting anyone point blank, especially in a comic like this, but I do think she will mostly be on the Glories side, even if she mainly has her selfish reasons.

This book is a strong start for the third arc. We're reminded of the school's murderous ghoul and each student's trait/problem/mystery. In fact, almost nothing happens, yet I'm totally down with the book. It really speaks to Nick Spencer's writing. Where will Spencer take us from here? I dunno, but I can't wait until next month.

Joe Eisma's art continues to effectively capture the mundane details and facial expressions of the Glories students. Maybe I love it because the tiny touches remind me of my girlfriend. There's that one panel Zoe reaction shot after Miss Hodge yells at her that I swear I've seen on her face before. Verisimilitude, people. The tiny details count.

Morning Glories is not moving at a tremendously breakneck pace, but I'm happily in for the ride. What's the rush? Nick Spencer is expertly spinning a yard, guys. Strap in and enjoy.

  

 Cover

At first the cover in my opinion was kind of boring. I saw that in this issue we were going to learn more about the faculty members but, I thought that was going to be boring in this issue. But I did enjoy the art for the cover. It is simple but it shows how all these different people have a motive and you can just see it in their body gestures.

Story

In this issue we learn about Miss Hodge. We learn that she is not like the other faculty members and she actually seems to care about the students and wants to get out of Morning Glories as much as the kids do.

Best Part

As I said for the cover part of this review I was not super excited for this issue because I thought it would be a little bit on the boring side because it was going to be about the faculty. But I am glad that in this issue that they zoned in on one faculty member, who is pretty interesting, Miss Hodge. From the first couple of pages you can see that Miss Hodge is different from faculty members we have seen in previous members. It seems like that she is on the students side and wants to help. She tries to show the students that there are special things about them especially when she shows that there are special things about her also. Like when she shows that she knows everything about her students by a folder of papers but all the papers are blank. But the best part of this issue has to be the ending. We find out Cassie’s parents were murdered and Miss Hodge has a way to revive them. Will we find out how this possible? Will we find out what makes the Morning Glories special? I love that we get a lot of great cliffhangers for this series and I can’t wait to see more of solving the puzzle called Morning Glories for future issues to come.

Worst Part

There was no worst part in this issue.

Art

As I say for all my Morning Glories’ reviews I love the art for this series. With most mystery series we always get really dark art and we can never really fully enjoy the story. But with the art for Morning Glories it is light and even though it is a mystery series it still fits. I love the art for the series.

Pick it up or not

Pick it up!!!

5 out of 5

The story switches perspective to the academy's staff as a new face has unknown plans for the Glories. But is Lara Hodge friend or foe? 
 
The Good 
I don't mention it nearly often enough how great Rodin Esquejo's covers are absolutely superb. I would love to see him take a shot at interiors at some point.  
 
As soon as the issue begins Spencer hits us with one of his trademark, bittersweet reveals. The location of the school is something that's been on most our minds from day one. We get some answers to that immediately here, but as usual the answer raises more questions. Which of course will keep me reading to see if my theories are correct. Spencer, you clever devil you! 
 
The students reaction to the return of Miss Hodge truly shocked me. She seems like  genuinely decent human being, but then nothing in this series is what it seems on the surface. Half of me wants to believe her words towards the end of the issue, but the other half completely relates to Casey's reaction to her. Seeing how the school has affected Hisao (Jun) I can't help but wonder just how conditioned the general student populous is at the academy.  
 
Many writers wouldn't risk introducing a new character this deep into an already dense and populated story. However Spencer pulls this off perfectly. From the moment she appears on panel Lara had a presence that drew me in. And her interaction with both the staff and glories won me over. They way she power checks Ms. Daramount and Casey's reaction to it were comedic gold. The nature of the relationship between Lara, Georgina, and the mysterious headmaster is something that I can't wait to see further explored.  
 
Lara's interaction which each of the glories was great, with Zoe, Ike, and Casey being the best. Miss Hodge is the academy's "Guidance Counselor" in both a very literal and metaphysical sense. The way she handles Zoe in this issue was absolutely superb. Her non interaction with Ike really peeks my interest on the nature of the relationship between the two. Especially considering the reveal on Ike's past in the last issue. The look on her face as she walks away from Ike was that of true heartbreak and her simple declaration of "Not yet." as she walked away now has me fully invested in their relationship arc.  
    
Nurse Nine is great in that deliciously creepy kind of way. Can't wait to see her get more use in this book. I feel like there's really an intriguing story to tell there. And seeing some vulnerability  
  
Spencer ends this issue on an incredibly high note with Lara interacting with Casey during a very somber, private moment. This scene is very powerful and sets up somethings that will be very important going forward into the future of this series. And the fact that this issue marks the first year the series existence makes the entire issue rife with symbolism.   

The Bad 
Mr. Gribbs looks way too young on the cover. it also would've been nice to see him in this issue as he's been such an integral member of the staff up to this point. 
 
This is a slow burn book and Spencer plays it close to the chest that can be very, very frustrating for some.   
 
The Verdict 
Buy This Comic!!! 
The consistent level of excellence this that Spencer and co. maintain never ceases to amaze me. There's really nothing I can say about this book that hasn't been said by myself or others in the past. That being the case I'll simply say that Spencer writes a great issue that introduces a interesting new character, makes superb use of established characters, and Eisma shows his range by perfectly expressing a range of emotion in his figures. If you'r reading this review, odds are you're already reading Morning Glories, if you're not you really ought to be. Second trade's coming out soon and you'll save a good bit buying it rather than playing catch up with monthly issues. One year in and Spencer, Eisma, and Esquejo are still going stronger, and only getting better. This book is nothing short of an ever increasing joy to read. 

The Good: The low angle of the cover really captures the sense of despair the new students feel from the teachers towering over them. The shadows on Mr. Gribbs and Nurse Nine's faces as opposed to Mrs. Daramount's fully lighted face notes how she's the most out in the open of the faculty so far. And the three of them form interesting counterparts to each other, ordered properly. On the left we have Mr. Gribbs, nicer and far more open in his approach to the students. Mrs. Daramount is cruel and charasmatic, but know how to hold herself back when necessary. Nurse Nine is completely sadistic and revels in doing things her own way. The sliding scale of personalities reflected on the cover. And Another thing. The nicer they are, the less happy they appear on this cover. Gribbs looks grim and determined, his eyes gazing just slightly up. Mrs. Daramount is looking directly at the viewer, a cold and stern expression with a slight smile. Nurse Nine is trying not to be obvious about glaring at the viewer, but she clearly has the biggest smile on her face as she slips on her surgical glove. Also Gribbs is wearing dark clother, Daramlunt in dark shorts and a pink shirt, and Nine in a white uniform. Not only are we looking up at them, the angle is tilted slightly, adding the sense that something is amiss, flipping the subtle 'uncanny' switch in our brain. What's even better, while this follow up to the character spotlight issues does highlight the staff, it is not directly about ANY of the characters on the cover. No, this issue is spotlighting and entirely new character who strolls in and steals the show, winning over the readers and characters alike, entering in a fanfare of activity and resounding joy. 
Yes. Morning Glories is that deep a series that I could spend an entire damn paragraph just talking about the symbolism on the cover.  
This issue really pushes some of the limits of greatness in this series. Literally every single page has something different that can cause entire essays of speculation. I couldn't even begin to describe all the little nods and mysteries and subtle hints at wild things we've barely scratched the surface of, I could write a short book on all the little clues in this issue alone. 
As I was saying before, this issue focuses mainly on the staff, a set of characters who, in ANY other comic series, would just be there to antagonize the protagonists. But this is not any ordinary comic. The staff has just as deep mysteries and characterizations as the students. But if you were hoping to see how Daramount got where she is or why, prepare to be surprised. Out of the blue we're introduced to Miss Hodge. Her status as a new character in a series like this draws the reader's attention to her. And as she steps inside both the school and the comic, all eyes are on her. Until now she was a missing piece, transitioning seamlessly into this book as if she was meant to be there in the first place. The student body accepts her with momentous joy, and in the reader's mind, this translates into accepting this sudden addition, as clearly she is an integral part of this place. 
Again, Spencer is the veritable god of the tease, playing hard to get in a way that causes the readers to desire the answers all the more fervently without even coming close to losing their interest from the slow payoff. 
Hodge means business. She steps all over Daramount's authority, throwing the system into chaos. Hodge's actions in this issue tosses our perceptions of the school into wild dischord. Taking the stable elements of milk and ice cream we thought we knew and turning them into a milkshake. Something with all the same pieces, and still recognizable, but in an entirely different and unstable form. Spencer has been giving us tiny pieces of building blocks each issue up until now and telling us to build a skyscraper with them. After the last issue, proud of ourselves, we had completed the first floor. Hodge sweeps in with a wrecking ball and tells us we did everything wrong. At least letting us keep the pieces we already had. 
 
The Bad:........... uhhh...... 
 
In Conclusion: 6/5 
Shut up. I can give a 6/5 if I want. This issue was a remarkable deconstruction of a series that was already a deconstruction. I have no idea what it's been deconstructing, but I love it. A remarkably perfect issue to wrap up the first year of this series. As I said, after one year we thought we had built something with the tiny answers we had. This issue proved just how wrong we were. But at the same time, I'm happy about. Given constructive criticism on the project assigned to me by reading this comic. For the first anniversary, this was an ideal decision. Not only was this issue flawless, this issue was a standout among a series that is nearly flawless from the start. When an issue is this monumental without being overstated in the least bit, you can't just give it a 5/5 like the rest, you have to give it more. This issue was beyond perfect. I can safely say, that this is the best comic series I have ever read thus far. Never has a series been more gripping and intense that I would put it above Grant Morrison's Action Comics #1 on the ranking of comics I'm most excited to read that week. 
 
EDIT: There was one negative, and it's a weird one, and since has been resolved. To date every time I had reviewed Morning Glories I was forced to push limits and reveal things about myself I would normally not even think about saying. As well as each reviewer finding totally different angles. This issue seemed more standard. The point is, as Silkcuts pointed out, that this series has been strong in Magick. Affecting the world around it. I couldn't find any 'Magick' in this issue. Until I finished my review, and saw, that it was in fact my 300th review! Something I didn't realize until I was done! It's also about a month after my one year anniversary at reviewing, as well as the start of my second year at my Stevenson. However, it comes at the same time I decided to resume reviewing my entire weekly pull list. MAGICK!

No magick talk today.  Archetypes is what I want to explore.  There is a new character introduced and we get to meet Miss Hodge.  Miss Hodge is an interesting character in which so much of the student body love her and she generally seems like she wants to help.  This "archetype" I am going to present might seem offensive and I am truly sorry if it does, but I have to point it out, Miss Hodge seems to be being groomed as the "Messiah" archetype.  From Miss Hodge we can see that she is being set up as the "savior" for the children, maybe it is me over reading the series, but on page 6 middle panel Hodge has arms extended when she enters the schools gates, which can be interpreted as the "teacher opening her arms" like like how the Shepard welcomes his flock, but then again it could just be her opening the doors... who knows?  But one thing is established that  Hodge is the Guidance Counselor and she really knows the students. I feel she is the savior I thought would be Abraham until the last issue.  We still do not know what Ike did with his father. 
 
The Messiah archetype is interesting because it call be good like " Jesus", evil and Anti-Christ like Dan Didot (okay just kidding) more like Joker or even a blend of the two being the anti-hero or "Dark Messiah" like John Constantine tends to be portrayed. We don't know which of these three Hodge is if she is one and I am leaning towards to traditional Messiah.  The messiah is needed in a story like this because the children are seen as sheep.  This image of sheep slaughter is established in the first trade, for give me if I cannot remember the issue, but it is the subliminal message panel when Hunter sees the sheep killed.  Spenser has established a religious undertone with such imagery and give a name like Abraham to Ike's dad.  It would not surprise me if religious archetypes start popping out.  Ike can easy become the Anti-Christ of the Prodigal Son as an example.  
 
Another interesting thing about this issue is the monster character and how it is not seen but its presence is felt.  Some have compared the monster character to Rover from the series The Prisoner and I agree that the use of the character is on pair with Rover of the Prisoner.  Another possible nod to the Prison is in the name of the Nurse, Nurse Nine.  I don't know if we learned the nurses name in earlier issues because if we did I forgot it, but I didn't in this read because seeing the name Nine stuck out.  The main character in the Prisoner was called Number Six as a number designation rather then a name and I wonder if name the nurse Nine is a form of homage to the Prisoner, since Nine can be seen as an upside down Six, it is almost fitting Nurse Nine embraces her prison number until Number Six who rejected it and wanted to be a free man.
 
One thing is for sure that a year of Morning Glories and I still fell the same high I did when I first read issue number 1.  I love the direction in which Nick Spencer is taking this series and it is fun seeing everyone's different understand of the series.  Morning Glories is either a brilliantly layered series which I pray pays out in spades or the greatest mishmash of ideas fooling us all.  I really hope it is the first one.
 
Cheers
 - Silkcuts

Synopsis: Introducing Lara Hodge.

What's Good?

After a couple of issues giving some of the main characters some much needed characterization, Morning Glories starts a new story by introducing readers with a new character named Lara Hodge. It's rare for me to immediately take a liking to a character first introduced, especially for a series like Morning Glories which is filled with more questions than answers.  Lara does seem like one of those cool school guidance counselors that you only see on TV or the movies. There's also the relationship she has with both Ms. Georgina Daramount and the headmaster. There seems to be a sense of Daddy's favorite girl going on between the two.

 

But Nick Spencer doesn't forget about the kids. Lara makes her move on some of the main characters giving them some advice mysteriously.  But as much as I love this character, I can't help to feel that she has some kind of motive. I find it hard to believe that an adult besides the mysterious Abraham would want to help these kids, because most of these adults either WANT something in return, or it's another twisted test.  

Besides the introduction with this new character, there was also some questions answered, like the possible location of Morning Glories Academy, along with opening some possible theories. Time travel is hinted in this series, and I would not be surprised if that will play a major role as this series continues.

As always, Joe Eisma and Rodin Esquejo artwork is on par as usual. Again, the facial expressions are great panel to panel.

What's Bad?

More questions. Don't get me wrong, that's the factor that makes this series interesting to read each issue. And since this is the start of a new story arc, it's welcomed. I just don't Nick Spencer to forget to address the other questions from the past issues.

Overall: It's a good start for this new story arc.