Morning Glories #1

September 19, 2010

Writer: Nick Spencer
Art: Joe Eisma
Colorist: Alex Sollazzo
Letterer: Johnny Loew
Cover: Rodin Esquejo
Design: Tim Daniel
Editor: Kristin Simon
Publisher: Image Comics/Shadowline

In this day and age, it’s risky to launch a brand-new comic with brand-new characters, no ties to any previously proven property, and creators who aren’t household names. And while those books may never be huge sellers, at least not right off the bat, they can at times make for one of the most surprising reading experiences of the year.

Morning Glories #1 introduces us to a cast of exceptional young people, all of whom have been accepted into the prestigious (and mysterious) Morning Glory Academy. But when they get to school, things are strange – phone calls home aren’t met with the expected response, odd frames seem to sneak into the school orientation video, and the kids find that they’ve all got an unexpected  link.

Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma had me sold by the end of the opening scene of this comic book. We’re looking at the sort of story where there’s obviously a ton of backstory to explore, where the characters have secrets even they may not be aware of, and where there seems to be a long-term plan in place for the heroes and villains alike. All of those are things I particularly like in a story – piecing together the mysteries is a game in and of itself, and keeps me coming back. As long as the creators roll out the puzzle pieces at the right pace (slowly enough to keep us interested but not so slowly as to bore us), this is a comic that could keep me intrigued for years. And I love that.

The gorgeous art by Joe Eisma and colorist Alex Sollazzo is the icing on the cake for me. The artwork is wonderfully rendered, with characters that each have their own distinctive look even respective of hair color and clothing style, and that really helps to give each of our principals his or her own identity even before the first issue ends.

This is one of the best first issues I’ve read in a very long time.

Rating: 9/10

Zorro (2008 Series) #1

February 22, 2008

Zorro #1 (Dynamite entertainment)
By Matt Wagner & Franchesco Francavilla, covers by Matt Wagner, Mike Mayhew & John Cassaday

Ah, the fox of cunning and free returns! Similar to how Dynamite handled The Lone Ranger, the new Zorro series takes a square one approach, beginning with a few of Zorro’s enemies cowering at his legend, then flashing back to his origins. There are some interesting things in here that I didn’t know, not being terribly familiar with the origin story, but the pacing is a little slow for an opening issue. Francavilla’s art is nice, melding a dusty, western feel with a style that feels more evocative of old-school comics. I’m not totally sold on this series yet, not as much as I am Lone Ranger, but I like it enough to come back for issue two.
Rating: 7/10

Ocean #1

October 16, 2004

Quick Rating: Good

A century into the future, an odd find in space calls forth a special investigator from Earth.

Writer: Warren Ellis
Pencils: Chris Sprouse
Inks: Karl Story
Colors: Randy Mayor
Letters: Jared J. Fletcher
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Cover Art: Michael Golden
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm Signature Series

A while back I said I would be interested in seeing some more pure space opera out of writer Warren Ellis. With the release of this six-issue miniseries, it seems I’ve gotten my wish. One hundred years in the future, scientists studying the ocean moon of Jupiter make a startling discovery. Back on Earth, Nathan Kane, a special weapons inspector with the United Nations, is called to space to study the phenomenon.

This is very, very much a set-up issue. After the prologue, where the discovery is found, pretty much the whole book revolves around Kane getting his orders and flying to Jupiter. Oh sure, there’s a bit more plot in there – he gets accosted by miners, he waxes poetic about the early days of space travel – but none of that appears to have any immediate impact on the story itself. I could be wrong, but it’ll be some time before we find out – that’s the trouble with a monthly comic as opposed to a graphic novel, it can take a long time to know if something is superfluous or set-up.

Ellis paints an interesting vision of the future, a clean, antiseptic world beyond our own, and the discovery that is made is pretty surprising in and of itself. It’ll be interesting to se where the story is going.

Chris Sprouse and Karl Story are great artists, particularly in the sci-fi genre (I’ve been a fan of Sprouse since his Legion of Super-Hero days), and they do a great job of getting across the look and feel of the space stations and vehicles that are so important to this series.

There’s not too much more to say about this issue – it’s really all set-up, and it’s hard to tell if a set-up issue is good or not until you get to the payoff. There are good seeds of story, here, and that’s probably the best that can be said at this point.

Rating: 7/10