Written by: Nick Spencer
Art by: Joe Eisma
Publisher: Image
It’s funny to think about how little time has really passed in Morning Glories. Sure, it may have been coming out for years now, but in the book, little more than a month has passed since the first issue. Unless, of course, you’re Casey, in which case it’s been about twenty or so years. Time travel. What can I say? Anyways, after issue #39 centering very much around Casey, this issue completely shifts focus from her to the continuing story of Ian, Hunter, and the AV Club. As with anything Morning Glories, it feels very much as if it’s designed to be read in a collected edition. That being said, the quality of this issue is actually quite high.
Essentially, Ian and Hunter’s character dynamic makes this issue what it is. We’ve barely seen them interact with one another, but seeing their personalities clash is an excellent addition to the series. Hunter remains one of Morning Glories best characters, simply because of how different he is from everyone else. In the 40 issues of Morning Glories, readers have really come to get to know Hunter, because of how much time we’ve spent with the character. So at this point, his character development is something that really matters, and seeing where it goes as a result of him being a part of the AV Club, and publishing the secret student newspaper, is going to be great.
The same cannot be said of Ian, however. Not that he isn’t a good a character, we simply just don’t know him well enough yet, as this issue shows us. His actions came completely out of left field, at least initially. However, his choices do actually make complete sense. It’s hard to remember, at times, that these characters are all teenagers, and so they don’t necessarily have the same motivations as adult protagonists do. It’s something that we need to be reminded of at times, when these characters make decisions that aren’t necessarily expected. They haven’t grown up yet, and that’s part of what makes this book so great. Sure, it may limit the audience slightly, but the character arcs are definitely enough to justify anyone and everyone checking this book out.
As per usual, Joe Eisma’s art is awesome to look at. He brings the school, the characters, the chairs, the hallways, and even the dungeon to life in this book. Morning Glories has never failed to be aesthetically pleasing, and this issue is no exception. Eisma’s art is just as visually dynamic as it was when the book started, and perhaps is even better at this point than it was back when Morning Glories #1 was released.
The bottom line is this: Morning Glories #40 is a great issue. The scenes in the AV Club, seeing Spencer apply social commentary to these high school aged characters, and also crafting intricate character relations. Both Ian and Hunter get great character work in this issue, which is great to see. Meanwhile, Eisma masterfully knocks out the art, making each panel more beautiful than the last. The only real problem with this issue is that, plot wise, nothing much really happens. From the start, Morning Glories has been a slow burn series, and that doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon. Later in this arc, the excitement will surely start to build, but for now, it’s not quite there.
