Morning Glories has much in common with some of the more mind-bending ongoing stories in popular fiction, and this issue encapsulates one of those trends.  Although the previous issues have turned the focus back to Casey and her group of colleagues as she attempts to be voted in as student president, this issue ignores her altogether and focuses on Dr. Richmond and her maternal role in bringing up Vanessa.  The change is a bit of a disappointment in terms of the telling of the binding narrative, but it also functions well to add in some more depth to the occurrences within the academy.

The two aren’t biologically mother and daughter, and her role is one of support to Abraham, who aims to take down the Morning Glories Academy by some unmentioned plot.  This issue is mostly devoid of immediate clues which will reveal what is going to happen, instead giving some background into some of the characters.  At the same time there are nice references here, specifically to a Wrinkle in Time, a book which could be easily linked to the happenings at the Morning Glories Academy.  By the end of this issue it is possible to see where the developments might lead, but for now this serves more as a snapshot of the connection between two characters

As always with this series it is hard to judge the individual issue.  Some are a bit more engaging but have fewer answers, and some are more sedate but contain more clues.  If there is any problem at all with this issue it is that it serves as a distraction to the developments of the previous issue which are likely to be resolved soon enough (as it fits the pattern for the trade paperbacks).  This issue is nonetheless an important one, as are they all, to unlocking the truth behind the Morning Glories Academy, and as with all of the others, would fit better in the overall tapestry of the series, once all of the secrets are revealed.

Story: Nick Spencer Art: Joe Eisma
Story: 8.4 Art: 8.4 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy

Image provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review