Written by Nick Spencer
Illustrated by Joe EismaZoe has everything–looks, popularity, and a perfect GPA. But if you think you know all there is to know about her, think again. The secret she keeps sheds new light on the mysteries of Morning Glory Academy!
The trade is out, new fans are in the door, and the price is dropped – what a time for Morning Glories! Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma’s terrific ongoing continues with it’s latest issue, cooling things down to tell a story focused on heroine Zoe, aka the girl most likely to cheat on you. But not all is well, as the issue promises a brand new mystery to add to the pot – and after the one that came out with #6, what else could possibly go wrong??
Check behind the cut for my thoughts on the issue.
Also, be on the lookout in the future for an upcoming column discussing each Morning Glories issue, starring yours truly and former Multiversity writer/current TV Overmind writer/FuckYeahLost head honcho Crit Obara!
One of the initial things we all noticed about Morning Glories is that, for all intents and purposes, it wears it’s influences on it’s sleeves. Originally being reported as a brand new LOST-type mystery (even to the point that Spencer jokingly tweeting the need for a “Doc Jensen”), the book certainly came out swinging, tossing everyone who dared read the first six issues into a confusing but intriguing mystery scenario. Of course, in a story where mystery is an element but the characters are ultimately everything, taking the time to develop one of our heroines a tad is just what the Doc ordered – and so comes the Zoe issue.
Zoe was, right from the beginning, one of the more ostensibly dastardly characters of the book. With her teaser spouting off her likeliness to cheat on you, and the first issue showing Zoe’s manipulation when it comes to the men in her life during her very first appearance, all eyes have been on Zoe to pull a double cross (or at least do something to screw it up for the rest of our cast). Of course, when she didn’t, it raised eyebrows as to what her intentions and motivations are (to pull a(n assumedly appropriate) parable, think Kate the convict from LOST). That’s why giving her an issue now feels so appropriate, what with the time we’ve spent with Casey, Jade, and Ike (as well as a few interesting moments with Jun). And boy, is this one a doozy! The issue focuses on Zoe trying to connect with people outside of her roommates as she tries out for the cheerleading squad, but of course since she’s trying out at Morning Glory Academy, nothing is as easy as it might seem. On top of that, the LOST element begins to shine through again as the issue is sequenced to coincide with flashbacks that reveal some of Zoe’s past, to an extent that begins innocent enough but soon shifts down a darker road before ultimately giving us an odd twist of it’s own, ending the issue in a very different tone and mood than when it started. And of course, those paying attention to the mystery unraveling in the title will know that this will have to tie into the ongoing saga of Morning Glory Academy and why Zoe was brought there (so those of you taking notes will want to have your pad and pencil out for the end of the issue).
Zoe is a very interesting character in that out of all our collected group, she is the one that has so far felt the most stereotypical. Zoe is very much a chaotic element in her own right, but at the same time she exists within cliches. She was a cheerleader at her former high school, she’s “the hot one” now, and for all intents and purposes she’s viewed as a manipulative bitch character who sees herself as above the the others (in the same way Ike does, but less to an extent of class rivalries and more with outward appearances). She also clashes with our main heroine Casey, as Casey very much assumes the “leader” role and Zoe contests this, somewhat due to Casey’s admittedly “bad” decisions in the first arc (i.e. not telling Zoe what’s going on) and the rest due to the fact that Zoe simply thinks she’s better than Casey. In that regard we’ve never really been given any reason to like her – or even be interested in her – outside of the knowledge that she is one of our main characters, and we need to care for her thusly. This issue seeks to change that, giving us our first real look at her definitive past, let alone the first definitive look at the past of any of the characters involved. What follows is a rather great character piece, which is all too important with an ongoing mystery title such as this. As much as we want to know what’s going on, our characters are just as if not more so important, and the time that Spencer and Eisma devote to Zoe really brings her out in this issue as one of the more curious and somewhat sympathetic characters.
Continued belowSuffice it to say, the way the issue ends is on three outwardly fantastic ways: 1) We get our first look at other students and activities within the school, which had been rather protagonist/antagonist-centric up until now. 2) We’re given a brand new mystery to pay attention to – one that assumedly holds a rather great weight towards the future of the story, let alone Zoe. 3) We are given our first human portrayal of Zoe and actually shown a reason to care about her as she somewhat makes a brief attempt to get out of her self-imprisoned shell. If Morning Glories can do all that in just one issue (which, notably, is more than most regular ongoings do in a single issue, let alone an arc), it’d stand to reason that that alone is a pretty damn good reason to be following this book, no?
Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma are on a definitive “can do no wrong” hot streak with this title (let alone their careers), churning out hit issue after issue. The title has been on a rather steady upward trend since the first issue came out, and this is no different. With Nick Spencer really nailing the involved mystery element home via Joe Eisma’s wonderful illustrations, Morning Glories stands above and out in Image’s repertoire, which is so fortunate and rather impressive for such a young title. As we begin to move into our second storyline, things are only looking upward for the title, and as the title welcomes a whole slew of new fans with the released trade, they’ve really crafted the perfect place to hop in and enjoy the book.
Final Verdict: 9.4 – Buy
