Morning Glories, Volume 1: For a Better Future

Morning Glories, Volume 1: For a Better Future
Nick Spencer, Joe Eisma, Robin Esquejo, 2011

Premise: Collects issues 1-6. Six teenagers have been accepted into one of the most exclusive prep academies in the country. Morning Glory Academy isn’t an ordinary school, though, and if the new kids want to figure out what’s going on, they’ll have to work fast. First they have to figure out who to trust, if they want to stay alive.

I definitely see why Morning Glories made a splash when it first appeared. The first issue throws you into the action, telling you just enough to be creeped out and/or horrified, then introduces the main characters. We get a quick, effective intro to each teenager, then things go south fast when they arrive at Morning Glory Academy. My only problem with this volume is how few answers we get by the end.

I like the characters; I like the way they balance between playing into stereotypes and a modern teenage self-conscious self-awareness. The art is wonderful too, evocative and easy to follow. The plot twists are continually shifting the floor under our protagonists’ feet, the mysteries are intriguing and alliances are never to be trusted.

However, the last issue doesn’t feel like part of the same plot, and made it clear to me that it would be a long time before any of these mysteries became clear. After that... I wasn’t so interested in continuing the story. Maybe I’ll backtrack once the story is done and I know whether or not it pays off.

3 Stars - A Good Book