Morning Glories is one of the most intricate and mysterious comic titles available on the current market.  Over the course of its run thus far it has focused on a group of high school students with unidentified powers, all of whom have been isolated at one equally mysterious private school.  The overall narrative has focused on various philopsphical questions (like divinity) or abstract scientific principles (like time travel), all the while still mixing in aspects of high school life.  Previous issues in this series have focused more on the latter, or at least in the context of this series.  Casey has been running for class president, and while there has been more going on than that, it is still relatively mundane compared to what else has been covered in this series.

For those that have been waiting for something different, and for what makes this series stand out, they need to look no farther than the cover, one of the most evocative so far in the series.  While this issue does focus a bit on the high school politics aspect of the series for a few pages, it also focuses in on one of the series two standout characters, Jade.  Although she is somewhat relegated by Casey’s popularity, Jade is a complex character whose past is a necessity to discover if there is to be some resolution to this series.  It has been previously noted that Jade can somehow revive people from the dead, and that is what most of this issue focuses around, both from a mystical and from a philosophical standpoint.

This issue ends thus ends up being one of the better ones in the recent run of the series.  While most issues are enticing enough, they also form a greater narrative and thus read better together than separately.  This issue has the benefit of focusing on two of the series stronger points, the more esoteric explanations for the academy as well as one the academy’s more interesting characters, Jade.  While this issue still fits within the overall concept and design of the series, its individual focus results in a better overall read than the few issues that have come before.  As always it is hard to recommend one issue of this series over another as they feed into one another, but this issue does seem to be getting back to the meat of the series.

Story: Nick Spencer Art: Joe Eisma
Story: 9.1 Art: 9.1 Overall: 9.1 Recommendation: Buy

Image provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review