morning glories #1

Written by Nick Spencer
Art by Joe Eisma

I've said it before, but it bears repeating.  Nick Spencer is going to be the next Jonathan Hickman.  He's been showing a remarkable range across his recent Image mini-series (Forgetless, Shuddertown, and Existence 2.0 and 3.0, which I haven't read yet), and has now started this new title, which is unlike all of the others.

This first issue of morning glories is long, and the space is used to good effect to introduce a bunch of new characters who have been invited to study at Morning Glory Academy, an unconventional and secretive school, where 'things aren't what they seem'.

Each of the six main characters have enough space to establish themselves, and while they fall into some recognizable categories (emo girl, nice boy, nice scientific girl, psychopath), Spencer makes their interactions interesting and novel.  There is some strange stuff going on in the school, as we see right from the beginning when a student tries to escape, although that plotline does not get revisited (except for a glimpse through an open doorway).

Eisma's art works well here, reminding me of the look of some of the second-string Marvel X-Men books that focus on the younger students (I can't think of a single name, but I'm sure you know what I mean).

I'm not sure if this is a mini-series or if it's expected to be on-going, but I'm definitely going to be sticking around for a while, as I'm curious to see where this is going.