Tag Archives: casey blevins

Review: Morning Glories #47

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mg047Although the initial concept for Morning Glories was one that seemed like it was an easy enough mystery, it was always designed to be one of a run of about 100 issues, and thus at issue #47, the series is approaching the halfway point (or might even be past it) but there are not really a lot more answers now than there ever have been before.  This series has always been a literary hydra, by answering one question another two questions come up in its place.  The series has nonetheless been roughly structured to give it some kind of sense, and this issue is evidently one that will be leading up to a bigger moment, although in itself it is not really shooting off in some strange direction.

The story here is pretty basic, as Ike is determined to help Casey win the election, and he has set up a dance party in order to build interest in her.  As opposed to some issues which focus on primarily one character, this issue focuses on a variety of them, including every member of the original team that is still at the school.  There are some allusions to what is happening elsewhere, but the main focus here is on Casey, the series’ protagonist, who now seems destined to win class president.  This is of course the moment that the readers have been waiting for, as it will potentially mean the freedom of Jade as well, though with this series it can be hard to tell what to expect.

The best part about this series is that it always manages to mix the absurd and the unknown with real human moments.  These are children under great duress as members of the Morning Glories Academy, but they are still ones that sneak out in the middle of the night for a party, and who get nervous when they have to ask the pretty girl to dance.  It is what has made this series a standout even when its plot is inexplicable.  The same is true here, as this issue does not really seem very important to the overall direction of the series, but provides the well-written characters a chance to interact with one another, a relative rarity in this series.  Something big seems to be just around the corner, but in the meantime this issue serves as one of the better intermediate issues thus far in this 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

Review: Morning Glories #46

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mg046One can never really know what to expect from this series, and this issue is evident of that.  Thus far the series although full of the unexplained has generally followed a fairly basic pattern, that of a few issues of surprises and mysteries followed by an issue which jumps the plot forward with a new major revelation.  In terms of this formula though, the series has been a little off in the past few issue, with no major jumping forward point, and those heading into this issue looking for such a moment will be disappointed, even if there is nothing to be disappointed with for the series as a whole.

While previous issue have focused more or less individually on Casey, Jade and Ike, this one focuses on who has mostly been a secondary character, Irina.  The usual out of sequence story telling occurs here with older Casey as Irina’s escort to the training compound, even when this occurred in the past of the present narrative (a previous issue focused on Casey’s transformation into her future/past self).  Irina is shown as ruthless but also no-nonsense as she is shown to be more pragmatic when dealing with this scenario than most others.  It is through this pragmatism that a few revelations are made on the fly, though there is not much to hold them together at the moment as to their overall meaning.

Once again this series manages to warp the minds of the readers by giving them more to think about and to ponder while also trying to keep the intricate story straight.  There is always something more going on with the stories dealing the academy, and while the focus here is mainly away from the academy, it is likely to have a direct effect on it in the immediate future.  The most obvious plot point which everyone want to see resolved is the one with Casey running for class president so that she can save Jade, but the creative team seems happy to get to that when they feel they are ready.  Until then the series continues to both astound and confuse, and maintains the interest that many have in the series.

Story: Nick Spencer Art: Joe Eisma
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.7 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Buy

Image provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review

Review: Morning Glories #44

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MorningGlories_44-1Morning 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

Review: Morning Glories #43

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mg43Morning Glories has a story line that is both compelling but also equally hard to figure out exactly what is going on.  There is time travel and there is a cult, and a lot of gruesome murders which have also been undone.  Beneath this there has been the grounds for discussion on a lot of subjects, often covered at the back of the book in a discussion from the writers.  What is often overlooked in this series is that there are a lot of singular issues which are able to capture a singular theme.  While a lot of other issues have been explored, a common enough one that of love, either that of the nervous love of two teenagers on a first date, or of the love among friends.  This issue also uses love as its dominant theme, but does so in an unexpected way.

The story relied on Casey as the main protagonist, still trying to run for class president, but focuses instead on Ike. He disparages her campaign, but then volunteers in the library, where he discovers that certain books contain certain powers of complete recollection for him, for even a time before when he was aware of his own life.  What follows is an interesting and compelling mini-drama within the entire narrative of the series which takes on a quasi-Christmas Tale presentation looking at past and future in a quick progression of sad events.

While the series will be judged only in its finality by what it manages to accomplish and for what eventual conclusion that it comes to, it is still nice to have issues such as this in the interim.  There are the issues which focus less on the obscure and abstract and instead focus on the strength of the characters which have built such a following for this series.  Fans of this series need barely any extra incentive to read this issue, but the non-readers of the series would be better off for checking out issues like this one.  The series after all depends on its characters over its stories, and this is evident here, by acting as a flashpoint within this small story arc for some bigger things to come, but without losing sight of what got them there to begin with.

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