Morning Glories, Vol. 5: Tests

Morning Glories

by Nick Spencer, Joe Eisma, Rodin Esquejo (Illustrator)

The Glories are scattered, The Faculty broken, and The Truants on the attack! Collecting the explosive, mind-bending Season 2 premiere event, "Tests." Collects Morning Glories #26-29.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Mystery, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Young Adult

136 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics (Existence 2.0/3.0, Forgetless, Shuddertown, Morning Glories), his work at DC Comics (Action Comics, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), and for his current work at Marvel Comics (Iron Man 2.0, Ultimate Comics: X-Men).

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, I don't know.

This was brilliant for a time. Perhaps still is. For whatever reason, though, it's utterly losing me. Part of it is the artwork that makes it rather hard to keep characters straight, but a lot of it, too, is the somewhat convoluted plot that's trying to maybe be a bit too clever. I'm still on the fence, but, to its credit, the story appears to be starting to straighten out a bit. We'll see.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I NEED SOME ANSWERS!

[Neko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant GR just ate my review...I forgot to copy it because I just did..urgh..


SO...Series 2 of Morning Glories do you provide me with any answers about the first series!? NO!!! *head bangs against wall*

So..Series 2 of Morning Glories do yo provide me with new characters and a different plotline from series 1!? YES!!! *bangs head against wall*

So...Will you actually provide me with any answers about anything OR are you going to be like LOST and "pretend" you'll provide me with answers and never really do?! --I have a bad feeling this is how series 2 will end up.

If the artwork wasn't so "charming" and eye catching I think I would of dropped this series before series 1 even ended....I'm giving it until the end of two to provide me with some answers...But I have to say my hope this will happen is really slim going by what happened beforehand.

[Baal Of · Rating 2 out of 5]

So fucking frustrating. In this volume there doesn't seem to be even a glimmer of hope that anything will ever make any sense. More questions. More interspersed panels jumping around in time, some of which refer to earlier events, but damned if I can remember what time period they are supposed to be, and I don't have older volumes on hand to reference, and some of which reference events I haven't yet seen. Maybe? Who the fuck knows. The art is frustrating too. Some of it is rather nice, but then there are other panels where it seems like the bodies are distorted in such a way that it can't just be a stylistic choice; where it seems like the artist doesn't actually understand perspective or anatomy at all. In one panel, one of the characters looked like he had a fore-shortened arm like a T-Rex. Or maybe that was in the previous volume. Again, I don't fucking know. The timeline on this thing is so unnecessarily convoluted, that I've pretty much given up trying to keep it straight. One more volume to go, that I've already checked out, so I'll blunder through, but if this trajectory continues, I'll be done after that.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again coming back to this series and still feeling lost while reading it.

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects Morning Glories #26-29 after the maximum entertainment and peak at the end of Morning Glories, Vol. 4: Truants there's a time for regrouping and further labyrinths and layers of mystery added. Amazon reviewers hit the right note bemoaning the plot become overly complex, although the comic books I originally read had have 2-3 page extra sections analysing the content, I'm not sure if my graphic novels do? 8 out of 12.

[Irena BookDustMagic · Rating 5 out of 5]

WARNING: Concentration at highest required! Otherwise, you might get lost in time...

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like this series but I wish we could get our answers questioned. I get that this has ten volumes and I am only on volume five but it seems like they could make an effort to answer some questions even if they introduce new ones.

I will be continuing this but probably not right away. Possibly I will pick it back up in October though.

[Brylliams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slimmer read, with more explanations. We're getting closer to the truth, but I feel there's a ways to go. A solid introduction to Season 2. Excited to keep going.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the first "Season" of Morning Glories, though I became increasingly confused towards the end, wondering if the writer was falling prey to what has befallen so many TV series writers who end up spinning too many plot threads to ever gather them back in.

I just read the first collected volume of Season Two after a gap of several months, and boy is it confusing if you don't immediately remember who everyone is and what they were doing last. In other words, read this series from the beginning or don't bother.

So, we ended "Season One" with a new batch of kids at Morning Glory Academy - dubbed the "Truants" - appearing as a B-team to our original cast. Like the first six main characters, the Truants each have their back story with mysterious pasts and secrets within secrets and shocking revelations and so on. The most interesting is Irina, the crazy sniper, who apparently is leading a rebellion against the Faculty. But as usual, the story jumps and twists too rapidly to ever be sure who we should be rooting for.

We have time travel, people who are dead but not really except maybe, and everyone still talking cryptically about big reveals that never quite get revealed, or if they are, they only reveal even more mysteries.

The artwork is still very nice and eye-popping, and it's still interesting, but it's harder to stay invested when every issue seems to be another random assortment of plot twists the writer is pulling out of his ass. But lots of good series have ups and down, so I'll keep going in the hopes that there is a payoff ahead.

ETA: And reading other reviews, it's not just me. Yeah, it seems like all the fans are just getting confused at this point.

[Edward Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

What was once a smart and engaging plot is becoming increasing convoluted and bloated. The end of each issue now features a column where Spencer explains the complex mysteries of the book and talks about various theories. I am not a fan of this approach, because I feel that it you need to point out such things, then you're clearly doing something wrong. I'm also not a fan of the self-congratulatory tone of the piece.

[Melissa Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where vol 4 gave us some back story, this volume too gave back story, but in a very confusing way. My husband said I'm just not a good time travel reader because I don't know what the hell is going on. Is the dad God? Is he alive? Who are the daughters really talking to. Is Georgina really the sister? I mean we find that out in Volume 4, but I'm so so confused especially with the whole Casey story line because she kind of looked like Georgina. Some one help me figure all this out lol.

[waits4thebus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't keep the characters straight! The artist is getting tired or my brain isn't processing them correctly. Plus, I think the story may be coming together, but we've come this far with little in the way of sense so I'm holding out very little hope. It is probably all just a dream.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m afraid this doesn’t work on any of its intended levels.

[BookCupid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepare for the craziest chess metaphor.

I'm glad to say that this volume finally answer a lot of questions as to where their powers come from, as well as who Casey really is. Shocking!

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two books were mostly told in wordless, hard to follow panels, and at the same time both a lot has happened and very little has happened.

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I find this to be a page-turner despite having very little idea what is going on. Obviously, I'm still enjoying myself, but the plot seems to be spiraling in circles rather than ever reaching a point of clarity. That being said, the series is only half-finished so I'm going to continue to trust that they know where they're going and all, or most, of what I've read will make sense.

[Fr. Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is pretty confusing, but I keep reading. I'm entertained and I don't get it at the same time. This was kind of dry compared to the other volumes, but I sense it's going to get better.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Those rules went out the window. And now, they might be back in their old place on the board, but they're still playing a different game"

Lo gracioso de esta cita es que presupone que nosotros, durante los 4 volúmenes anteriores hemos conseguido descifrar o al menos intuir las reglas del juego que es Morning Glories Academy y sus ocupantes. Sin embargo, empezando el tomo 26 todavía no sabemos nada y el inicio de esta segunda temporada no hace sino crear más preguntas. Si hace un par de tomos comentaba que empezaba a ver algo de sentido a toda la locura que es Morning Glories, este volumen viene para remover todo lo ocurrido hasta ahora y hacerlo todavía más confuso. Es cierto que tenemos algo más de información, cómo qué le ocurrió a Casey mientras estaba fuera, pero esta está tan fragmentada y organizada de una forma tan innecesariamente complicada que sirve más bien de poco.

Además de nuevo, los dibujos de los personajes se confunden entre sí y es bastante difícil seguir la trama. En este tomo es especialmente sangrante porque Casey sufre una transformación que la hace prácticamente gemela de otro personaje que ya conocemos, lo que unido a los continuos y aleatorios saltos temporales hace difícil saber quién está haciendo qué.

También me estoy empezando a cansar de los sueños proféticos con todas esas referencias a la alta cultura que fingen esconder un gran significado pero al final aportan más bien poco a la trama. Hunter ha sido el elegido en esta ocasión y toda la parte de su sueño me pareció relleno para alargar la acción principal.

Por último, sí es cierto que el final de cada tomo nos deja un cliffhanger pero muchas veces no tiene el efecto esperado porque no consigo recordar porque esa información es importante o impactante. Por ejemplo, la última hoja del volumen está dibujada como si nos estuvieran revelando algo fundamental pero yo tuve que buscar en internet información para saber de que iba la cosa y aun así todavía no me quedo muy claro. Puede que yo sea olvidadiza pero una historia cuyos primeros 35 tomos son leídos en menos de una semana y aun así es difícil de seguir, tiene que tener irremediablemente algún fallo estructural y narrativo. No quiero ni pensar la confusión que tendría si los hubiera leído a ritmo de publicación.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars until the end...and then insta extra star because of the cliffhanger/ending.

The story:

So, I think I'm finally starting to understand the time traveling element of the story, so quite a bit of the mystery and past mysteries are coming together, the story is starting the make sense, well kind of. There's still a lot of unanswered aspects that I'm extremely curious about, and by keeping those secrets and adding in more, I'm still interested. I am happy that it feels like it's starting to make sense though, because there is such a thing as too much mystery. With no payout, I probably wouldn't keep reading these.

The characters:

Hunter is finally getting some action, and I'm loving where I think his character is going. He's definitely got some hero elements in a dorky sort of way. I'm rooting for him to stay alive and be a bigger part of the story than he has been.

The art:

Felt a little sloppy in this volume. I'm not sure if it has been like this in the past ones and I just noticed now, but there were some issues with characters not looking the same panel to panel, and it just caused me a little disconnect.


Overall, still really liking where this story is going, and I'm still awaiting the Big Bad.

Also, I still don't know why the students are at the school (other than having gifts (is it just their intelligence, or are they going to end up being superheroes? No freaking clue.))? And I don't know why the Headmaster wants them all together. Seems dangerous as hell, because none of these students seem stable.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how it happened, but I was able to read this entire volume without ever knowing what was going on. I mean that's been a hallmark of Morning Glories series since its inception, and I didn't help things with a multi-month break between reading the previous volumes. And this volume just expects you to remember what happened previously; there's no 'previously,' no 'dramatis personae' (most of the time the characters' names aren't even used) and the flashbacks are single frames with no dialog and include things that were never in the series previously. Seriously, this title lives on its 'Lost' style twists and turns, with at least two end-of-issue reveals that might have had more resonance if I remembered who the characters being revealed really were.
That being said, why do I keep reading it? Because the characters are interesting, and the twists and turns are surprising, and the art is strong in its level of detail. This second season starts off with lots more action, veiled explanations, and characters making life-changing decisions, often with the reader having no idea what's at stake. It's a weird book that shouldn't work, but somehow still manages to.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn't that I don't like this series. The artwork is so gorgeous and the plot is intriguing but it feels like the writer thinks this is much more interesting than it actually is.

It is a series that seems to demand rereading each issue each time in order to remember what the fuck is going on, and though it may be good it is not THAT good. Heck, I'm so confused as to what the hell is going on, I am willing to just stop reading till it is complete. It is almost a parody of itself with the repetition of characters jumping between sympathetic and crazy/murderous.

So at this point, I vow to wait till its done and read the whole damn thing in order to attempt to appreciate where this is going. Please make this all worth it in the end Nick Spencer.

[Kaisersoze · Rating 2 out of 5]

A largely disappointing beginning to Season 2 characterised by more questions than ever for readers to try to wrap their collective head around. Even Nick Spencer seems to realise he's created something of a monster here, as most issues end with an odd thematic review, and conjecture on what might be happening within the story, conducted by a fictitious professor who early on states he may well be wrong too!

It's all a bit metaphysical, and to be honest, overly taxing for a comic.

Here's hoping more of it comes together and soon. I'm getting green around the gills waiting for this ride to end.

2 Significant Head Scratches for Morning Glories Vol 5.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, some answers! Granted, they're not presented in a straight forward way, but there is definitely some headway made in this volume as to explaining a little about what's going on in the series. As usual, there are headaches abound as we get more questions, and the artwork continues to be excellent, so this is par for the course.

[Michael (Mai) · Rating 3 out of 5]

-temporary review, real review to come -

The deeper I get into Morning Glories the less sure I am of it. I know it's supposed to mess with your mind and make you mistrust every character but I feel frustrated. I want to like it. I want all of these twists and turns to wrap up and blow my mind but I'm afraid it won't happen. We'll see.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casey's period of time in the past is revealed and Hunter becomes important.

This slimmer volume five felt like it started to fit pieces together (and there are a lot of pieces!). The truant kids revolt is somewhat wrapped up and our 'new kids' - or at least those still alive- continue to be fleshed out with back story. I'll read the next volume.

[Jodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this but at the same time I'm not??? I don't know. I can't really rate it higher because I'm confused and it's not making sense. But I still feel a need to keep going and I really like the artwork.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This plot is so convoluted and it keeps adding on more questions than answers. It's still an entertaining read, but I want some things to be answered. I'm hoping the next installments will tell something about what's going on with all this time travel and greater good stuff.

[Pastels Passions · Rating 3 out of 5]

more unanswered questions. but i don't care. i want to know what happens next still.

[Book lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so confused. I need some answers.