(What’s the Story)? Morning Glories

Why aren’t you reading Morning Glories? Do you not like things that are awesome? I was shocked to find out that my comic book store didn’t even carry it unless my buddy and I requested it. I just simply couldn’t believe this. How is something this brilliantly written and this beautifully drawn not read by every self-respecting geek with an IQ higher than their age?

The characters that you hate, you only hate because of how well done they are. You love to hate them and sometimes you really hate to love them. Zoe and Ike seem to be such terrible people yet somehow you can’t help loving them. There are no simple, rudimentary characters. Everyone is entrenched in mystery just as much as Morning Glory Academy itself is.

Morning Glories makes me excited for monthly comic books again in a way that only this and Locke & Key can. Sure, I love finding out what happened to Batman in the next crazy issue, or how Spidey is going to get out of the clutches of the Green Goblin or Doc Ock. But there’s something very different about Morning Glories. Nick Spencer gives you just enough information to keep you interested and delivers few enough answers to keep you frustratingly scratching your head. I for one, love wondering what the hell that spinning electromagnetic top thing is or who the Headmaster really is? Is it one of our characters in the future? Some as yet introduced stranger? Albus Dumbledore?

Spencer does such a good job keeping the audience intrigued. I love reading something unpredictable. It’s so fresh and different to read something and truly not know what is going to happen. The medium (and pretty much every other medium) has become so muddled with the same predictable “thrills” every month that it’s almost not worth reading.

Apart from its gorgeous writing, the comic features terrifically realistic art by Joe Eisma. He is able to balance the ridiculously strange (that ghost thing killing people by slipping his hand through their heads causing them to bleed profusely) with the touchingly realistic (nine panels of Hunter silently preparing for his date with Casey).

Brilliant story + beautiful art= 1 happy reader. Throw in a few Back to the Future and Star Wars references, possible time travel and a few Lost parallels (is Abraham Jacob?) and you’ve got all the makings of truly fascinating comic. It’s pretty rare to be this addicted to a comic in just thirteen issues, but Eisma and Spencer certainly have me hooked. Check out Issue 14, this Wednesday, November 16.

Don't be dirty, keep it Nerdi.

Gabriel Partridge