Morning Glories

Here is my review for Morning Glories issue 13. This issue is about Cassie escaping Moring Glories but finds out a surprise on the other side of Morning Glories. Tell me what you guys think:

I have a real affection for serious references in comics. Not just the pop culture ones. Those are fun, of course, but they are instantly dated. No, I'm talking about the serious stuff. Biblical, philosophical, literary. It can be a cheap way to add "depth" or gravity to your book or it can be subtle and done artfully.

Morning Glories definitely did the subtle thing once (arguably twice) with its time travel mechanism. It's entirely fitting that the Morning Glory academy, with its obsession with knowledge, learning, and philosophy, would use the Allegory of the Cave as a transportation method. It's brilliant in execution, really, for it illustrates what we know and how we don't know how much we don't know. As readers, we definitely don't know how much we don't know yet. As students seeking to broaden their minds, the Glories are seeking to get further and further out of the cave. Furthermore, before Casey and Miss Hodge step down into the seats, they notice that the shadows of Jade, Ike, etc. are operating independently of their owners. Since the shadows are meant to illustrate the closest approximation that our eyes can fathom to the Platonic Ideal, are we meant to infer that Jade, Ike, et al. don't even know themselves since the shadows they cast are not the forms they shape?

Most of the book functions as an exposition dump to get us to the Cave. Spencer repeats some scenes from earlier issues to bring us up to speed on the relevant relationships and then our principals are all split up again. Thanks to a tease by older Jade in earlier issues, I wonder if this exercise in learning and education will start to open up her relationship with Ike (Older Jade hinted that they were quite the item).

The other big reference was more explicitly stated, what with the quotation of a Biblical verse before "the event". Psalm 116:3 is not a happy reference. It spells a lot of trouble for Casey and Miss Hodge...I still feel like this reference was well-done, what with the not citing it as a Bible verse (and it being a fairly obscure one, at that), so I liked it too.

On the pop culture side, Nick Spencer made me smile with Back to the Future and Star Wars references. Can't go wrong there, guys.

So we know I love the writing, but what about the art? I normally love Joe Eisma, but I felt like he was a little off in this issue. I think that his cartoony style suits the book well (it would be less disturbing if it were more realistic, if that makes any sense), but I don't feel like he had the nuance of expression nailed down in this issue as much as he normally does. I still like it, but this is not a standout issue. It felt thick, to me, so maybe he was a little rushed to get all the pages done before deadline (or maybe that Xenoholics preview is longer than I thought it was).

This comic gets compared to Lost a lot and I think this book really earns that distinction. Calling out old philosophers. Making Biblical references. These are hardcore Lost tropes. Thankfully this character drama is more than just a mere echo or a imitative shadow cast on the walls of a cave (if you will) of the show. I dig where this book is going and it's among my favorites this month.

The Good: I have pretty much hit full synch with Hunter. He makes the most amazing speech to Zoe, that when I finished that scene I just had to sit back and clap my hands. Audibly. It's the kind of speech that seems so obvious, yet NEVER seems to occur in entertainment. It's the kind of speech I've wanted to give myself for years but never had the opportunity. But I've thought about it. A lot.
This issue bridges the gap between the 'Character Spotlight' arc and the new P.E. arc. It's technically the beginning of a new arc, but blends the setup with fallout from the events of the spotlights. In addition, this issue feels like it's about half of a character spotlight for Casey. We get a short look at her childhood, but not the same kind of mind blower the other characters got. And the rest of the issue centers around her. 
In a continued subversion of the usual gathering of stereotypes, the 'team'...... No, that's a lie, they're NOT a team. And THAT'S what's so great about it. They're a loose association of characters who only have their status as new students in common. They're heavily divided. It's not a 'team' book, it's a series with 6 separate main characters and the ways they play off each other. 
Ike is so deliciously dickish. I want to hate him so badly, but he always knows just the right thing to say to make everyone hate him. It's almost adorable to watch him get off on how big an asshole he can be. He shakes things up and keeps everything on edge and unexpected, which is why he's such an integral character as he is.
In addition to the panels, the pages themselves are very well laid out. Things generally seem to happen in sets of 2 pages. You get one scene, or a calculated fragment of a scene, all shown to you at once. 
The ending of the issue id probably the most surprising thing that's happened thus far, and is going to fuel so many wild threads of speculation.
 
The Bad: On the second pages, there's one line of dialogue that's so damn awkward. Casey's mom says, "Well, thank god it's a man's name, too, am I right?" This was after Casey's father said to her, "Okay, break for ten, kiddo- Your old man needs a rest." No matter how many times I reread those 2 pages, it makes no sense. The mother's line wasn't prompted in any way from the dialogue before. In the situation I can see why she said it, but without the prompt, it's unbelievably awkward to read.
NOW I'm starting to notice some characters, predominantly adult males, with faces too similarly designed, and it's too hard to tell if it's just coincidence, or something MASSIVELY IMPORTANT. This makes reading it kind of awkward, because I'm thinking, am I trying too hard, or did I totally miss something here?
Was it just me? Did I have a typo or something? Page 27, panel 4, there's just a random number '2' just kind of there. It doesn't look like it's part of the art, it looks very much like a typo. Am I the only one?
Yes, the ending is a huge shocker, but I'm left feeling like it MIGHT be trying TOO hard. I'm getting the sense that this MIGHT be getting dangerously close to jumping the shark here. 
 
In Conclusion: 4/5 
Not the best issue, but frankly, still one of the absolute best things I read this week. This is the first Morning Glories issue I've reviewed that I've actually been able to find a semblance of flaws in. And the flaws are still very minor. At the same time, I have to thank the typo. I had to count the pages to see where it was, which made me notice THESE ISSUES ARE REALLY LONG. This issue didn't cost any more than any others, but I've never counted the pages before. THIRTY FOUR PAGES. FOR $2.99! THAT'S ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! But what always remains strong is the way Spencer takes these characters, the blatant stereotypes that they are, and wields them as his mighty pen to script such a great series. As I pointed out, Ike's asshole nature is becoming something essential to holding the structure of the story together. These characters take the stereotypes they represent, and have been built into Gods, or perhaps Idols. They are the stereotypes incarnate, and thus they are elevated beyond the stereotype, transcending the normalcy these stereotypes have become. Nick Spencer has done something beautiful for the world here. He has taken character stereotypes, and made them interesting again.

Today lets marvel on the structure of Morning Glories. Morning Glories as a series is brilliant because of its narrative.  Six kids, six stars of the story and not one of them really shines stronger to the overall story.  Nick Spencer does this by never narrating from a characters mind and weaving a plot so tight that shared moments overlap to advance story, rather in hinder and bore the readers enjoyment.  
 
The Morning Glories crew might be the only creative team I can think of that has recycled so much art and narrative and get paid for it.  Nick Spencer is brilliant, easy money, better chance to maintain deadlines, ease the load on the artists and still tell a great story.  The shared moments experiences really are one of the best features of this book because it keeps the past issues fresher in your head when memories awaken of the familiarity of the situations.
 
The story in issue #13 is a great way to start the first anniversary year issue.  The six kids are split into two teams, one team is the focus of this issue, with Casey, Jade and Ike explore the campus grounds outside of the Woodrun rules.  This story also develops Hunter a lot, with references to his appreciation to pop culture and his explosive temper.
 
Another year and another issue to hook me to Morning Glories.  I just love this series.
Cheers
- Silkcuts

Synopsis: Casey starts her plan in escaping Morning Glory Academy.

What's Good?

This issue was filled with a lot of flashbacks. While it's been established that time traveling was going to play a role in this series, this issue really gets into it. But before I get into that, let's talk about the characters. Spencer does a fantastic job with each character not forgetting that they are teenagers with teenage problems. It's like a chain reaction goes off That starts with the previous issues. Although the entire cast is featured, this issue mostly focuses on Casey, Jade, Ike, and the new adult character, Lara. Casey and Jade still maintain a sister like friendship which holds up strong against the arrogant perv, Ike.  

Coming back to the plot, Spencer ties in some scenes in previous issues to make the current story arc connect, which is great for those who are just started this series with this story arc. It all goes back to Lara's plan for escaping Morning Glories that somehow involves time travel. Is it like LOST or any other shows that involve time traveling? Somewhat, but it should be effective in this series.

Along with a great cover artwork by Rodin Esquejo, Joe Eisma provides another issue with some great art. He really hit home with the character expressions. Eisma also expands on the environments other than the school.

What's Bad?

We have yet again more questions than we have answers.   You'd think I should get used to it with this series, but don't misunderstand me, it does keep the series fresh and fun to read.

Overall:

This arc is quite different from the first one, expanding on an older plot element. I don't have a clue what will happen with Casey and Lara, but I probably won't get an answer in a while, as the story appears to turn over towards Hunter, Zoey, and Jun's group.