Review Written by Shaun Daniels and Edited by Sharon Wong
Morning Glories Issue #10 Written by Nick Spencer, Art by Joe Eisma and Published by Image Comics. Retail price $2.99
Break out your dream interpretation book because this issue is one weird dream after another and full of interesting imagery. Continuing on with the focus on characters like the last three issues, Jade, Horror Haven’s favorite mopey gingerhaired student at the Morning Glory Academy, is the center of attention in this issue. If this dream of an issue were to be interpreted correctly, maybe we could get some much needed clues as to what the #&%$ is going on in Morning Glories.
Throughout this issue, Jade slips in and out of dreams, spending only a few pages in the waking world. The dreams range from her walking down the hall of the Academy filled with people dressed in robes (seen in previous issues) chanting the phrase “So we made our own gods” to driving in a car with her dead mother through a post-apocalyptic world littered with dead bodies. With Jade’s personal issues aside, it’s a safe bet to say that a lot of clues to the plot are presented. Take for example, in one such dream, Jade meets with a man dressed in colonial Victorian clothes. The man discusses such things as their summer in Paris and oh yeah, the time he cut her open. The man’s garb conjures up visions of rebellions, obviously of the bloody type which is in line with the Morning Glory Academy extracurricular agenda. The issue ends not so much on a cliffhanger but that of a quasi dream sequence brought on by a noose that has Jade conversing with a very interesting person.
Based on speculations, it is a safe bet that they (Morning Glory Academy) are looking for someone born under a particular sign since everyone in the Academy has the same birthday. There are a lot of religious under-and-overtones in this series with connections to (no one will suspect) the Spanish Inquisition as to the facility being made up of cult member. From this issue, we think this Academy is continuing a quest from the Inquisition to find a person who will open a portal to a Cthulhu-like world where they can bring in gods to rid the world of non-believers. At least, that’s our theory on the story.
Nick Spencer is doing a good job at keeping us interested but these character focused stories have been bogging down the story. Up until this issue, the previous three character stories have strictly felt to be all about character development. Spencer does it right in the simple scene that runs in the background of a few panels where Hunter explains why he never showed up for his date with Casey. This brief moment serves as a connection to previous issues helping make the issue feel less compartmentalized and part of an ongoing series. It would be nice for Spencer to start getting into the meat of the story. Also, what the hell happened to the ghost-like guy from the first issue that has a connection to Casey?
Month after month, Joe Eisma is solid as a rock, kicking out one consistent issue after the next. Eisma is a master of camera angles using a Dutch angle in the dream sequences to give the feeling that something is a bit off. His panel composition is also a high point as he puts Jade in the foreground, and Casey and Hunter in the background, creating a disconnect between Jade and the waking world.
How long can Spencer and Eisma keep our attention remains to been seen but we’re sticking around for awhile.
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Feedback is always welcomed at shaun@horrorhaven.com and sharon@horrorhaven.com
