What’s the Story Morning Glories? – Interview with Comic Co-Creator and Artist Joe Eisma0

by Damon Martin

If you haven’t heard of the comic book series Morning Glories from Image, then you might want to rush to your local comic store and start snatching up issues. A whirlwind success, it’s sold out multiple printings of several issues, and the first trade paperback sold out at comic stores across the country. Moving beyond paper, the series has drawn comparisons to other comic juggernauts like The Walking Dead and Y: The Last Man. Co-creators Nick Spencer (who writes) and Joe Eisma (who draws) only just released Issue 9, but since its release, Morning Glories has been called the next great comic that will make its way to television.

I recently sat down with Joe Eisma to discuss the future of the comic, which is one of the most popular books in recent history.

Damon Martin: How did this whole thing start?

Joe Eisma: It all started with [writer] Nick [Spencer]. He approached me in the summer of 2009, about 2 years ago, he told me he had this script that he wrote in like one night, and the tagline was ‘Runaways meets Lost.’ I heard that and I was hooked. We pitched it at San Diego Comic Con 2009, and that’s how it got set up.

DM: What has been your reaction to how fast the comic exploded on the scene?

JE: I was blown away. Completely unexpected on my part. Nick I think sort of anticipated it. Not to say I wasn’t confident about the book, but he was super confident and knew basically we had a hit from day one. I figured we would get some buzz because I was super excited about the script, [it was] something I was excited to draw, and I figured we would get a little notoriety, but I did not think that we’d get the multiple sell outs or all the buzz we’ve gotten, it took me completely by surprise.

DM: With some comic books there is a certain chemistry that you can see between the artist and the writer. Like what I see with Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, and it seems like you and Nick have that – where the art and words go together so well.

JE: We have a pretty good working relationship. We clicked right off the bat, which is important. I’ve worked with writers before and the bond’s just not there, and it really makes the working relationship kind of difficult. I think to make a great concept you have to have a rapport. Nick and I developed that early on, and he trusts me on a lot of shots, he tells me to just go nuts. There’s lots of stuff in the script and he’s like ‘just go nuts here.’ I totally love that because that’s a serious level of trust that some writers don’t give an artist.

DM: I was reading an interview with Nick and he said you guys have a very clear vision of how this comic will go. Everyone has compared Morning Glories to Lost, and the creators of that show said the same very much the same thing. You’ve said the comic will have about 100 issues; how far ahead have you discussed as far as the ultimate goal with the book?

JE: There’s a lot that Nick keeps close to his chest, but I know he has this mapped out. He’s told me before [he knows] exactly what the final page is going to look like. He hasn’t told me yet! But there are things that we know that nobody else knows, and that’s a nice feeling. Obviously, when you’re drawing it you want to know what’s going on, but he doesn’t want to be married to certain ideas. There are things that I know even about the first issue that people I’m surprised aren’t picking up on.

DM: One of the great things about Morning Glories is that it reads very much like a TV show because of the big reveals and cliffhangers that you put in every issue. How much are you guys planning them out?

JE: We definitely make sure we put a lot of emphasis on the things that are major plot points and cliffhangers. The big example I can think of was the Issue Two cliffhanger with Jun and his twin, that one we really wanted to throw people for a loop, and it threw me for a loop when I read the script. I had to ask him a couple of times because I want to make sure I get this right.

DM: Do you take the comparisons to Lost as a compliment?

JE: I think it’s a great compliment, I mean I loved the show. I know a lot of people were kind of mixed on the ending, and I guess in a way I still am, but I was a long-time fan of the show. I watched it from the pilot episode the day it aired. I remember I was like ‘I’ve got to watch this show.’ The fact that anyone would compare us to that, that’s just mind blowing, it totally floors me and I’m completely flattered.

DM: Moving onto television, we’ve seen the success of The Walking Dead, but they’re now past 80 issues, so it took a little while to develop. You guys are just past issue 8 and the conversation has already well underway for Morning Glories. Do you expect to see it end up on TV?

JE: I hope it happens. I’d be lying if I said I never wanted it to be adapted. I think it would be fantastic if it did get adapted. I would personally love a TV series. Personally for me I think it would work best as a TV series just because of the serial format that it is. The talk about that has been crazy, and like you said we’re 8 issues in and it’s amazing to me that the buzz is already starting. I know Chew has already started, Locke and Key I think they’re filming that one, and it’s great because you never know when these things could be adapted. It could be like The Walking Dead 80 issues in, or it could be like Locke and Key with a couple dozen issues in.

DM: You’ve drawn Casey and Zoe and Hunter, and all the characters — in your head have you already started thinking about casting if a TV show happened?

JE: I do all the time. When we were starting the development of this book we actually talked about actors and actresses that we sort of saw as the basis for the characters. You know, start from this particular actor and expand on it. The big ones I can point out we looked at someone like Blake Lively for Casey just because of her role on Gossip Girl. Another one I think of a lot in terms of direction for the character, for Zoe, is Jordana Brewster whenever she was in that movie The Faculty like 10 or 12 years ago.

DM: There are some really dark and graphic parts of this book in terms of the art and what happens in the story. How do you approach that?

JE: The very first book I did back in 2008, an independent book that no one has heard of…was full of gore, and blood and guts. So basically from the start of my career I’ve been drawing this stuff. In a way it’s kind of surreal that I’m still drawing it. There are times when I get the script and I’m like ‘Oh God, I’m going to have to Google search this,’ and some of this stuff I just come up with that’s pretty graphic. I have a two-year old at home and I have to make sure he’s not around when I look at this cause I don’t want him to see pictures of people getting gutted.

DM: As a writer we have one side of the business, but as an artist do you still get excited when you get the new scripts as far as working on drawing out visually what Nick puts down on paper in word?

JE: There’s something in Issue 10, not to say I’ve been bored drawing the book, but there’s something at the beginning of Issue 10 that is probably my most favorite sequence that I’ve drawn in comics or even in the series. It’s just so much fun and it’s so different than something I’ve done before. There are times when I get the script and I’m like, ‘How am I going to draw this?’ I fret about it for a while and I pull myself together, and I just psyche myself up and kick ass on the page — hopefully. Then there are times where I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t wait to just stop everything I’m doing and just draw this right now.’ And there are a lot of moments like that.

DM: I know you can’t give us any spoilers, but how excited are you for fans and people like myself to see the upcoming issues?

JE: With Issue 9 I’m real excited about it because we definitely answer some questions in that one.