MOSAIC #7
Writer: Geoffrey Thorne
Penciller: Bruno Oliviera
Colorist: Emilio Lopez
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 4/12/17
Plot- Mosaic decides whether or not he wants to work with the Inhumans.
Story- And we’re on to Mosaic #7! I get excited every time I see it on the stands, because I know, no matter what direction the story goes in, I’m going to get quality writing. I’m really enjoying this series and I want to see Mosaic go far. If you are reading along you know that the story in Mosaic happens some time before the state of the current Marvel timeline. So, where things like Inhumans vs. X-men ended weeks ago, we are just now seeing exactly how Morris Sackett got involved in all of it from his point of view.
This issue cleared some things up for me. Initially, I did not like the idea of Morris having done the things he did to help out the Inhumans because based on this story, it didn’t fit his character. At least not in a dangerous war like they are waging against the mutants. I thought that at the first sign of danger or trouble, he’d get the hell out of dodge, because let’s face it, he’s kind of a selfish guy. Mosaic #7 tells me, that’s exactly what he was thinking… but then of course there was a girl. Morris has a serious thing for Iso. But only for Iso. Iso cares about her people. He… kind of doesn’t.
When the proverbial fan hitting happens, his first idea is to grab Iso, which honestly was never going to happen, because Iso is an inhuman that has strong ties to her people. Morris does not. The thing that finally puts him out of the fight is Storm putting the hurt on him. Yes, someone is actually able to hurt him while he’s in his energy form! In fact, I want to dissect this whole concept just a little further because his abilities are so interesting it would be a crime not to.
Based on analysis from Beast (Dr. Hank McCoy), when he’s in that form, Mosaic is an energy construct. He interacts with the physical world in a peculiar way, and he’s able to possess living things. However, it seems that energy on a similar spectrum can interact with him, which would explain why he’s able to talk to The Human Torch when he’s “Flamed on” and why Storm can sit his happy butt down with lightning if he gets out of hand. He even notes that his trouble with possessing Magneto was with the energy the man has in his body (as opposed to the theory that his mental defenses could hinder him in any way, because I don’t think he works like that). We don’t quite have all the pieces yet, but with Mosaic #7 we can understand his powers a great deal more.
On top of that, the characterization focus in this issue is the kind of stuff I live for in comics! In trying to get help from his first possession and ex-fan, Fife, he gets a wake up call to the fact that he’s kind of a pretentious arse. Fife gives him a good earful, and after all of that, he still doesn’t seem to get it, and lashes out in anger instead of accepting this fact. As frustrating as this is, it’s great inner character conflict, and being turned into an inhuman is going to set him on a long road of intense character development.
What makes this so appealing is that it deviates from the standard super hero origin story, mainly because Morris is NOT a super hero. He struggles with this great power but he doesn’t want to accept any kind of responsibility. Even Fife (who I’m sure is younger than him) seems to have more maturity about the situation than he does. Of course, being that these are comics he’s faced with a moral dilemma when he runs into what looks like a giant moloid. He possesses it. Now here’s another interesting power dynamic- moloids aren’t real beings. They are engineered. Homunculi is the colloquial term. So, that being said, he runs into some issues. The most notable being that he can’t detach. Plus, we see an old-school villain, Diablo, revealed on the last page.
Art- When it comes to the art in Mosaic #7, I have to be honest. For the most part I’m not feeling it. Even the cover doesn’t do it for me. I can appreciate theme behind him falling towards the inhumans, but aside from that, it is a far cry from every previous cover. After seeing things like what we got in #5 and #6, this just doesn’t do it. On the pages, most of the characters are okay, but their proportions are sometimes off. There are some panels where their expressions work well, and others where they just don’t seem to fit. It’s not horrible, but when you start with Khary Randolph you get a certain idea of how the book should look, and I miss that art. I do like the way beast is drawn at least. It is one of the better representations of him.
Verdict- This issue was a good pick up after Mosaic #6. We got a lot of explanations, story, powers, and personality wise, and it was a great exploration of Sackett. We getting to know him better, and this issue better defines and clarifies his character. I enjoyed this much moreso than the previous issue and I am Looking out for #8!
Star Rating- 4 out of 5