Throwback Thursday Trades: Morning Glories Volume 1 – For a Better Future

Continuing the new article I started the last week with my review of the first volume of the trade paperback for Invincible, I’m back this week with another Image title that I picked up from the Humble Image Bundle that is currently finished. Which book did I pick? I decided to go with something I had not read before but heard good things, I picked Morning Glories volume 1.

Learn more about the school after the jump.

Morning Glories released in August 2010 by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma for Image Comics. The series follows six teenagers as they enter a boarding school with a hidden agenda. Morning Glories is widely known for its intrigue and spring-boarding Nick Spencer’s career. Unlike last week’s look at Invincible, I have not read Morning Glories or do not know what’s coming up; so this will be a journey for all of us.

The first volume, “For a Better Future,” throws us right into the mix. There is room to breathe as there are explosions, chases, kissing, and the above image to leave us with questions. As soon as we leave from that frightful image, we are introduced to the six teenagers that will take us inside Morning Glories Academy. Each character fills a particular stereotype. Hell, if this was not such a mystery; I would have thought I was watching a John Hughes film.

Nick Spencer does a terrific job building a world from scratch without revealing the punchline. He leaves repeating hints, such as the spinning centrifuge or the phrase “The hour of our release draws near.” While I would not say that the story has me racing for the next volume, it does produce a lot of promise. I once heard Morning Glories described as a sort of mix between Lost and Runaways. While I feel that the Runaways reference was a little too forced especially with the series’ popularity, I do feel the Lost reference is rightly due. The storytelling forces questions to be asked in every turn of the page. Even the cliffhanger at the end of the volume, brought on more questions than any other event in the series and it was not even the most dramatic moment.

Unfortunately for the series, I do not believe Joe Eisma’s art provides anything extra to the story. I have always felt that the best comics marry story and art in new and fantastic ways. Not only do I find Eisma’s art is lacking, it is a stark contrast between the interiors and the fantastic covers by Rodin Esquejo. I don’t want to take anything away from Eisma as an artist, there are definitely moments seared into my brain; but there is nothing attractive about the art. I hate to have to say this, but Joe Eisma’s art is stiff and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the book.

Morning Glories is an interesting read to say the least. There is a lot of promise within the pages for “For a Better Future,” but I’m unsure of where that promise will lead. Volume 1 covers the first six issues of the series and it is ongoing, but I do not feel the need to rush out to catch up. I may look up spoilers to see how it turns out for the students of Morning Glories Academy.

I know this was not a glowing review, but if you want to check it out for yourself; you can find volume one on Amazon. If you do, or if you have already read it, please comment and let me know what you think of the book.