Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Morning Glories #2
Image Comics
Spencer, Eisma & Esquejo
Morning Glories follows up its strong launch issue with another, equally as strong issue. This issue forces the kids to work together while they, seemingly, fight to survive. This issue keeps the surprises coming while it manages to continue to keep a lid on what may or may not happen within this series. I liked this issue a lot and it makes subsequent issues not to be missed.
The issue starts out with Casey getting interrogated. Casey witnessed the deaths of her parents in the previous issue and is now being forced to submit to some light torture while being questioned. The oddity is that the line of questioning is more of the "what the square root of 25?" nature rather than the "who are you working for?" nature. Casey resists and is eventually forced to rejoin her new classmates.
The classmates are all sitting in detention. One by one they all reveal their actions to land them in the detention room. The stories help to reveal more of what makes the characters unique. Although, I still find it difficult to tell what the character's true voices are I do think these small spotlights help to add some depth here.
Finally the issue takes on a level of danger as the room begins to flood with water. Unbeknownst to the kids, they are being studied. The expectation is that they will work together and get themselves out of this mess somehow. It's not clear how far the brass are willing to push the envelope but it seems likely they are willing to sacrifice some of the students in the process of observation.
The issue takes another interesting turn at the conclusion. One of the things that Nick Spencer is becoming known for is throwing a total curveball at the end of his issues. This is very effective at making the reader come back for more. I hope he keeps it up.
The artwork is polished and shiny and tells a very good visual story. While there is limited action we get a wide range of emotions from the characters and the art holds up to the task. I struggle with telling some of the characters apart but I think as I get used to the style that will go away. Overall I think the issue contains a very good story look and feel.
Morning Glories is an odd series because I'm not exactly sure what the series will ultimately end up becoming. Will the kids rebel against their masters and become hunted rogues? Will they submit to their masters and become some sort of agents? Will they get killed off and then a new class gets enrolled? I like the mystery this series holds and I find the story telling to be fresh and interesting. I definitely recommend this series for someone looking for something a little out of the ordinary.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
