Morning Glories vol. 4: Truants

Reading this volume makes me wish that Nick Spencer would take some time and read through all of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys.”  Though both of their series are very different in style and tone, at their cores they deal with mysteries that slowly unfold over a long period of time.  What gives Urasawa’s series the edge here is that he managed the trick of making just about each volume an entertaining read unto itself while slowly doling out pieces of the puzzle.  Spencer… well, he hasn’t quite managed that trick yet.  There’s fun to be had in this fourth volume of “Morning Glories,” but you’re also left with the feeling that any real enjoyment is going to hinge upon how its numerous mysteries ultimately play out.

The title of this volume comes from the name given to a group of students from Abraham’s, Ike’s father, outfit who infiltrated the Morning Glories Academy prior to the start of the series.  Their backstories are laid out through most of the volume and they’re established as interesting characters in their own right.  Irina, their Ukranian leader, is shown to be as bloodthirsty as she is confident while the affectionate bickering between Ian and Akiko is endearing in its own right.  More entertaining is seeing their adventures in the Academy over the course of this volume as they play off a lot of the same encounters the main characters experienced in the first volume in an inspired fashion.

Such inspiration is also present in the first issue in the collection which outlines the history between headmistress Georgina and her sister Lara.  While the former has been established as one of the title’s “big bads,” the latter was introduced as someone who had the main characters’ backs and came off as a much more sympathetic presence.  By the time the story is done, Spencer has managed to flip those impressions on their heads and set up some very interesting dramatic irony for the story to play off of.  Particularly in the case of the Truant featured here, Vanessa.  That’s because… well, since we’re meeting the character here first ahead of her proper introduction, she winds up being defined by the signature quote of Kenshiro from “Fist of the North Star.”  (If you don’t know what it is, Google it only if you want to be spoiled.)

However, after that opening issue we’re thrust back into the ongoing mysteries surrounding the academy, of which there is a whole lot of setup and still precious little payoff.  Why is there a Sumerian ruin on the campus and why does it take some of the cast into what appears to be the Tower of Babel?  What is the spectral David’s deal and his connection to Akiko?  Just what the hell is Abraham planning here?  I don’t think that it’s a good sign that some of the most satisfying moments in the volume come from Ike putting a gun to peoples’ heads demanding that someone give him some answers as to what’s going on here.

It’s one thing to have him voice a lot of the issues that the audience is currently feeling, but there’s precious little payoff to his efforts.  Unless you count the bit at the end to be Spencer’s way of telling his audience that if you don’t shut up about it your face will start bleeding off.  Still, all this does cement Ike as my favorite character in the series as it’s clear that Spencer is having a ton of fun writing the character’s dialogue.  Given that nearly all of that dialogue involves him mocking another member of the cast, it doesn’t really bode well for them now does it?

Art, as always, comes from Joe Eisma who continues to show impressive skill at making each of the cast distinct in appearance and body language. I initially thought that his work had a stiff and awkward feel to it that was holding the story back.  Now, the man has made considerable strides since that first volume and has now become an unquestionable asset to the title.  At this point I can’t imagine anyone else illustrating the book but him. Hopefully it’ll remain that way until the end.

That’s something I plan to see this title through to as well.  Even though it continues to raise more questions than it answers, there’s still a feeling of momentum to the story.  It doesn’t feel like Spencer is spinning his wheels and drawing things out, but continuously advancing on a plan that’s currently only fully visible to him.  Granted, this is a plan that leads to a great amount of frustration as we’re strung along with it.  At its current point, though, there’s enough quality work here to keep me onboard and interested in seeing where it all leads.