The Adorable Wild Card, Lost in The 4th Dimension
There's a line I've seen just about every reviewer of this series say at one point, and I've been determined to avoid it. "I wasn't that excited about this issue because it was going to focus on 'X'" I've always thought to myself that this is a SERIES, and it is one long big storyline. How could you be any less excited about an issue. Even if you don't like characters as much, this series is equally about the larger story. But it happened. When this arc started I wanted to get back to Ike and Jade, but of course, a few issues later, I DESPERATELY want to get back to Hunter and felt less anticipation for this issue. But like everyone else who's typed that line, I loved the issue anyways. As deep down I knew I would.
Jade's been kind of a background character for a while. She was mostly a plot device at the end of the first arc, and she's been drifting in the background ever since. I kind of had a crush on her at the beginning, but I always have a soft spot for the emotionally trouble ones for some reason. I feel like all they need is a hug or something, and I just want to make them feel better. So it bothered me when Hunter started crushing on Casey because he's been my vessel for the immersion of the story. Even Jade's character spotlight issue was more about her circumstances than about HER. So after being long overdo, Jade reveals herself to Ike completely. Not, like, sexually; just.... Ugh.
The whole thing makes me feel really uncomfortable. I'm watching this girl I like drop the curtain and reveal her inner self to the biggest misogynistic asshole around. If they end up together and he breaks her heart... it's going to be extremely devastating for me.... And after that BITCH murdered the nerdy girl.... Just bear with me when I'm reviewing Morning Glories and I start mixing up myself and Hunter. It's part of the charm of the book that I can lose myself so deeply into it.
And then a trend appears. Ike is talking badly of Casey as well. And like Zoe, he's making a frightening amount of sense. Also he's REALLY resembling Abraham now. But I digress. He says a lot of negative things about Casey that surprisingly don't totally mirror what Zoe said to Hunter. I mean, sure there's SOME overlap, but a lot less than you'd think. He's a little off, but he makes a lot of logical points.
So then this issue delves into a TON of character exploration for Jade, which was definitely needed, and really gets us more into the core of who she is. We see the seeds for her to become who she was were there early on, but forcibly grown with a single moment gone wrong. And then she just keeps on falling. Though I must say she looks positively ADORABLE in that black 'emo' dress. But we then see why Jade has been hanging in the background just out of reach. Because the characters are crafted in matching sets. Casey and Hunter drive the story and characters respectively. Ike and Zoe mix things up and offer new perspectives. Jun and Jade exist for for more complex purposes. They're wild cards. Jun is half plot device, half wise-outsider-watching-and-offering-wisdom. He's gotten plenty of character exploration, but very little plot exploration; while Jade has been the opposite. But Jade shows shades of being one of the most vital keystones. This issue appeared to be almost entirely character development, but the last few pages grab loose plot elements and string them together in a hurry, leaving your brain to sort out the wires. Time travel appears heavily tied into Jade. In her black dress, she sees her mother after her death. Future Jade appears to be helping to build the academy in the past. And then there's the final page...
But then there was one other lingering thing that stuck icy daggers into my soul.
So Jade describes two scenes in which she 'remembered' what people said before they said it. And something struck me, I grabbed my back issues ton confirm my suspicions. (Damn you Morning Glories, I ALWAYS have to pull out the entire series when a new issue comes out) I was right. Both scenes Jade describes ARE SCENES THAT WERE REPEATED IN DIFFERENT ISSUES. Remember how this series repeats scenes on occasion? It's always felt like overlap because of the way the previous arc and this one have been flowing, time periods overlapping because this is NOT a 'team' series, it's a series with 6 individual main characters; so these scenes have been different perspectives. But Jade describes a feeling of extreme Deja Vu for scenes that she was present in that were repeated. Is she gaining 4th wall awareness? From a series that's been so heavily wrapped in itself, yet immersive like nothing else, the idea of treading 4th wall territory is actually TERRIFYING.
In Conclusion: 4/5
Just remember, 4/5 for Morning Glories is still like.... far above most. This issue just felt like it dragged on a bit. I mean, it was almost entirely devoted to Jade and Ike talking. Not that that's 'bad,' but.... dammit, I REALLY WANT TO GET BACK TO HUNTER BECAUSE OF HOW #15 ENDED.