Whereas the last issue focused on Zoe, this issue is all
about Hunter. It shows him as a little boy running frantically towards a
street. Just as he’s about to run out in front of a truck an unseen man grabs
him and pulls him back. The unknown man asks Hunter why he’s in such a rush.
Hunter tells him that he was supposed to me his father but lost track of time.
The man tells him that being late won’t make his father nearly as upset as him
not looking both ways before crossing the road. The unknown man gives Hunter
his gold watch and makes him promise that he’ll never be late again.
Present day Casey and Hunter are sitting in the library
studying next to each other. Casey is studying her notes from class whereas
Hunter is studying Casey’s form. She asks for his notes from class on some
subject that is there surely to impress readers of the writer’s knowledge. Hunter
spazzes out for a moment then asks Casey out on a date… very loudly. She turns
him down, but out of curiosity asks what they would do since they’re trapped at
the school. Hunter says that he would have taken her on a picnic in the
courtyard. They have blankets, food and a grassy knoll so he figured it would
be prefect. Casey takes a moment and then agrees to go on the date with him
later that day. Of course she tells him not to be late.
Hunter heads back to his room dancing and singing with his
iPod, clearly he’s on cloud nine from snagging his dream girl. Unfortunately he
bumps into an older student and scatters his books all over the floor.
Surprisingly the guy is very calm about it and tells Hunter not to worry.
Instantly is seems off since no one in the school is actually nice to one
another unless their working an angle. Hunter continues to his room where he
tells Jun the good news. He asks Jun a favor though… He has to tell Hunter when
it’s time for his date. Jun offers to set him an alarm so he won’t miss it, but
Hunter assures him that he will have to tell him. It seems that whenever Hunter
looks at a clock when something important is happening his brain tells him the
time is 8:13. Meaning at multiple times during the day the time will be 8:13
when in reality it is not.
This issue had its good moments and annoying moments. I
wouldn’t say it’s bad and in fact it’s a stronger issue than seven was in a lot
of areas, but then weaker in others. It’s probably because Hunter’s condition
is more interesting that Zoe’s ability to remorselessly kill others. Also
Hunter remains the most likeable character in the series, mainly due to the
fact that he’s such a dork. I didn’t care for the fact that the formula for the
issue was almost exactly the same at the last. I’m okay with a theme that unites
the next story arc, but it didn’t make the issue very surprising when shocking
moments happen on the same page number as the last issue. Starting off with the
character as a child and having the unknown man looking in on them is
interesting, but then it becomes over-kill later on. It really seemed like a
carbon copy of the last issue. Also the very cliche failure of Hunter and Casey's reaction didn't seem genuine. It felt like Nick Spencer was trying to draw an emotion or experience from the reader, without ever having one himself.
The art is still great and the saving grace of this book.
The cover is thankfully different as it has Hunter getting beat up on the
cover. The scene is still iconic and really stands out from other comic art
today. Frankly put, the cover art is the best work of the series. The alternate cover is still iconic, but less interesting since two of the three characters have no involvement in the story. The interiors
are still wonderful and strong, but obviously it’s not the cover art. The
coloring for both cover and interiors is the uniting grace and consistently
strong throughout the issue and series.
Frankly at this point if you’re reading Morning Glories you’re probably going to keep reading it until it
really slaps you in the face. The story is still mysterious enough to hold
people’s interest and the reveals are pretty good as well. Hopefully Spencer
and company deliver in the next issue and recapture some of the magic they had
in the first story arc, otherwise this series could end up a total flop filled
with Pop-culture references.
Overall Score – 8.9/10
UPDATE: It is Casey not Megan... maybe these characters are a little too forgetable?