Morning Glories Vol. 10 by Nick Spencer - Book Review

From the publisher: Features the “Expulsion” arc and the blockbuster Season 2 finale! Casey takes a stand in the Student Council election, Guillaume challenges the headmaster in the Towerball finals, and Vanessa and Ian face off in the science fair. When it’s all over, one of the biggest mysteries of the book is revealed, and the stage is set for the upcoming MORNING GLORIES: SUMMER VACATION! Collects MORNING GLORIES #47-50.

So I just finished reading Morning Glories Vol. 10 by Nick Spencer. I don't even know how to describe what I just read. First off, there is plenty of strange teenage conspiracy drama, violence, and relationships, much like in the prior volumes. Add in time travel, astral projection, earthquakes, weird supernatural stuff, raising the dead and potential human sacrifice. Stir it all up with a twisty plot and wonderful art, and you have Morning Glories, the creepiest prep school ever.

I've read all nine of the previous volumes, and I still can't keep all the characters straight, so I'm not going to even try. The cast is large, and there are multiple versions of several of the characters. I just try to go with it while I'm reading, trusting in Spencer's skills to make everything clear.

Some of the big plot points of Morning Glories are why all the students are at the academy, who is actually running the place, and what it's purpose is.  I feel like there have been answers to several of these mysteries along the way, but I'm not real clear on what they are. However, Vol. 10 promises to reveal a big mystery, and it fulfills that promise and it's a doozy. Unfortunately, I'm still not clear on what the reveal means.

I really enjoy Morning Glories, and love the mythology of the stories. My only complaint is that when stuff is revealed or made clear, I still don't really get it. Maybe the answer is only part of a much bigger picture, but I still have very little idea of what is actually going on. I'm willing to keep reading, though, because at this point I'm 50 issues worth of invested in Nick Spencer's story and really want to see it through to the end (and I'm not sure if he has set an end date, yet).

Reading Morning Glories reminds me of watching the tv show Lost. It is very engaging, the characters are interesting and multi-dimensional, and the story-telling is well done. But, I wish that the answers would be parceled out a little more frequently and/or clearly.

I would recommend Vol. 10 to long-time readers, but this is definitely not a series that new readers can just jump in to. Spencer has used this volume to wrap up this "season" of Morning Glories and left the reader on a cliffhanger for "season 3". I anxiously look forward to see what happens next, hoping for more answers than questions.

I received a preview copy of this book from Image Comics in exchange for an honest review.