The Official MORNING GLORIES Thread (With Nick & Joe)

[Supajoe]

This issue was fine. I'm not entirely certain as to the why, but I can understand what is happening.

I've not had the time to try to place these events in context, but that's on me. There's probably more that I'm not seeing atm.

Last issue though, I was full irate. If I cannot understand the 'what' then why it's happening is irrelevant. That was just unecessary complexity for the sake of wanting to appear highbrow. Expecting readers to identify and decode dialogue that you generated with two seconds on Google translator is a cheap tactic. It was lazy on your part.

That's niether here nor there now though. This latest issue was back on track, and I'm in for the long haul.

I knew the Babel scene was going to be a divisive one in a book that's already pretty divisive! Still, for my part, it was fun to stretch my storytelling wings. The reaction on that was seems pretty starkly split.
I will say that I think you're projecting quite a bit of malicious intent behind the scene that's just not there. It was a storytelling device to convey that they were in the Tower of Babel. There are plenty of comics that have had untranslated dialogue in it (specifically, Tom Strong comes to mind). I'll concede that putting the translation in the back would have been a good idea. But there was never any intention to deliberately piss people off.

[Twelvecarpileup]

My issue is that, while the plot is complex, their are too many characters with complex back stories/plot arcs for a monthly comic.

So we have the group of the first kids, the new ones, and the faculty. That's what, about a dozen characters? Also there's the conspiracies and mysteries stacked on top. In a monthly comic format it's hard to give any time to any of the characters/plots.

I'm going to keep going with it for another couple issues but hopefully it re-focuses.

[Nick Spencer]

There are more characters in a standard Avengers or X-Men book than this :)

[Nick Spencer]

This issue was fine. I'm not entirely certain as to the why, but I can understand what is happening.

I've not had the time to try to place these events in context, but that's on me. There's probably more that I'm not seeing atm.

Last issue though, I was full irate. If I cannot understand the 'what' then why it's happening is irrelevant. That was just unecessary complexity for the sake of wanting to appear highbrow. Expecting readers to identify and decode dialogue that you generated with two seconds on Google translator is a cheap tactic. It was lazy on your part.

That's niether here nor there now though. This latest issue was back on track, and I'm in for the long haul.

That's really not the intention of the scene. They're in the Tower of Babel. The Tower of Babel is, obviously, a place where people can't understand one another. Actually, having it translated defeats the purpose more than not doing so, in a funny way. Also, the scene is structured so that you don't really need the dialog to follow what's happening.

[Personamanx]

I have to be honest and say that come the first solid opportunity to stop buying the singles and start trade waiting I'll probably do so. The story clearly reads better in larger chunks at this point, and I might save a few bucks. In any case I find re-reading trades easier than going back through singles so hopefully they'll be more of that for me. I like the characters still and the plot while confusing is a puzzle I'm gradually piecing together.

When I first heard the book advertised as "Runaways meets LOST" I was excited and then terrified. Luckily though it's been mostly the positive aspects of both so far and unlike LOST a quarter way through and I still believe that there actually is a plan.

[klinton]

That's really not the intention of the scene. They're in the Tower of Babel. The Tower of Babel is, obviously, a place where people can't understand one another. Actually, having it translated defeats the purpose more than not doing so, in a funny way. Also, the scene is structured so that you don't really need the dialog to follow what's happening.

Fair enough then. I can see that, in hindsight (that the action itself is self explanitory). Expecting the reader (and your readers are intent on the details, as you must be aware) to ignore several pages of dialogue in what feels to be a crucial event is unrealistic.

But I don't mean to harp on it, seriously. Like I said, I really enjoyed this issue!

For people who are complaining that we're not seeing any resolutions yet: we're only about a quarter of the way through the initially suggested run. Were this a film or novel, we'd still be meeting the main characters and thier support cast. I'm content to beleive that there's a plan here and await it's unfolding. I would rather this plays out the long game than red herrings and rug pulling to satisfy short attention spans.

[CounterBalancec]

This has been a great series and although I am confused at times I am along for the long haul!

[seismic-2]

I really don't think there are too many characters with complex backstories (although, to be fair, this book has already explored more backstory than most series do in their entire multi-year runs, and there are still huge lacunae that beg to be filled in!). Perhaps the biggest problem in reading this book is that (of necessity, given the very nature of the storyline) it doesn't proceed chronologically from issue to issue but constantly jumps forward and backward in time, often repeatedly in a single issue. We thus have to keep straight what is happening now in the month or so that the Glories have been in the Academy, what happened 4 years ago when Abraham was training his kids in the compound, and 2 years ago when the Truants arrived at the Academy. (And I'm still eager to learn just what they were up to during that 2-year gap after they left the compound and before they arrived at the Academy!). Then, we have all the real (?) time-travel scenes, jumping around from how issue #14 just stars out in a cabin in Massachusetts in 1693 to how issue #3 suddenly begins in a prison in Spain in 1490, goes back to the present-day at the Academy, brings in the murderous bald girl "Megan" (who may or may not have been in the Spanish prison in 1490) and then moves on to a class at the Academy where they are studying about Tomas de Torquemada, a connection that I really did not expect (but then, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition!). Then of course there's the so-far undefined future time frame in which brilliant physicist Julie Hayes and her Dad actually invent the spinning cylinder that is an essential feature of the Academy now (i.e., before it has been invented!), there is the time frame of Casey as a 3-year-old where she and Hodge wound up when they did their Plato's cave time-portal trick, the historical scene (whenever and wherever it was) that Jade visited in issue #10 where some guy kept asking her whether she remembered things, and the time frame in which Daramount and Hodge are children, which is when Truant Vanessa was killed (or will be killed, or will have been killed, or...). And don't even get me started on ancient Sumeria!

So it isn't the number of characters that's the problem, it's the number of different time frames in which the action is taking place. It's like those chess games that Spock played in Star Trek where there are multiple boards on multiple levels, and the pieces can move within one board or jump to another one (or, at least in the context of this book, exist on multiple boards at once!). We are playing a Bell's theorem version of non-local reality chess, so of course it's a challenge, but it's all the more rewarding on account of that. Or at least it's rewarding so long as you are willing to invest the necessary effort to really think about just what's happening instead of simply reading things through once and expecting all your questions to be answered directly and immediately. I feel sure that even if we were to be told those answers at this point we wouldn't understand them yet, since we need to learn a lot more about the questions first! This book is one that will require some patience and actual hard thought, so it's not for someone who is looking for a quick amusement and an easy read. So far, though, I am happy at what we have seen, and I'm willing to stick with it so long as it maintains its current high level of all-around quality. I was hooked at "Call me Jade!"

[PandemicF]

Random suggestion for the single issues: maybe publishing the Multiversity MGA study hall for previous issues as an extra in the back of upcoming books. This certainly adds value and promotes the necessary re-reading. Plus, it could promote single issues over trades a la Brubaker's Fatale. I'm sure there are operational and legal considerations, but alas.

Just a thought.

[NZ_InFerno]

I bought the deluxe hardcover of this, and absolutely loved it. I've read through this thread before and some of the MGA study hall so knew what I was getting into but wow so many questions leading to more questions. LOST is a good comparison but I stopped watching that after a few episodes whereas I cannot wait for the second hardcover of glories.

I must say that the hardcover itself is one of the best put together books I've bought this year(and I've bought Absolutes/Omnibuses/Library Editions etc) and whoever put it together is a legend. Some of the bigger publishers could learn a few things.


I reckon having the MGA study hall in the Deluxe hardcovers/floppies/trades would be pretty good, it feels like required reading after actually reading the series.

[Twelvecarpileup]

There are more characters in a standard Avengers or X-Men book than this :)

Not really a great example to hold up, most people would agree those two have too many characters.

I have enjoyed the series. But I think I might take the suggestion that a lot of people have, and read it as a trade. Going back and reading a large chunk of issues was extremely enjoyable...

The MGA Study hall at the end, or maybe a page of creator commentary on last months issue in the current month's issue would be pretty neat. Give everyone a month or so to think about the issue, then hear what the creator thinks before starting the next one.

[kakitamike]

I think part of my boredom is I just don't care about these other kids that are in the forefront right now. The first two trades were fantastic, and the third was pretty interesting to me to, but lately i miss the focus on the kids we met in the first book. Yeah we're getting one or two of those kids with some other stuff, but to me it's like when I lost interest in Lost, when they introduced all the other people on the island.

If there's going to be a repeating theme of introducing new characters that become the main focus instead of the original six, I guess I'd like to know now, since it's just not what I want out of a series. I started reading this on a whim on a recommendation from the guy that writes the-gutters, so i didn't do any research around what had been said about the book by the author.

[Ramjet]

Can't wait until Wednesday, this has been an excruciating wait.

Nick/Joe, do you plan on appearing at the same convention together later this year?

[Personamanx]

Okay, well colour me completely satisfied with issue #24. Helluva cliffhanger as well. I still plan on trade waiting after the "Season" is over but this was a really top notch issue.

[Supajoe]

Sorry for the delay, folks! I think #24 is one of our strongest to date. When you're done reading, don't forget to check out Multiversity's MGA Study Hall for this ish: http://multiversitycomics.com/column...hall-issue-24/

And the fanchat is tonight at 8:13 EST. Nick and I have been known to drop in!