Mosaic Vol. 1: King of the World

by Geoffrey Thorne

[Quirky Cat]

Three and a half stars.

I’d been debating about giving Mosaic a try for a while now. The concept seems really interesting, but it also fits into the realm where it’ll either be hit or miss. So I was torn about actually giving it a shot – until I saw it on Marvel Unlimited. If there’s one thing I know about myself, I’ll read anything if it’s free (yes, I know there’s a subscription fee, but I read so much on there that I more than make up for the $10 fee).
My absolute favorite thing about Mosaic is the artwork. Khary Randolph managed to take abstract concepts and an energy based being and make them compelling and interesting through his work. The color palette is exquisite, with different colors to imply different means of energy beings (we’re given the immediate impression that Morris is electricity based because of his predominantly blue coloring).



As mentioned above I was a bit…iffy…on Morris Sackett and his introduction into the Inhuman world. I loved the concept of his abilities, but the character? He struck me as a bit spoiled. This opinion was further reinforced during the first issue. Everything changes though once Morris gets stuck in that cocoon, and I don’t just mean that in the physical sense (though obviously that happens too).
If you haven’t read Mosaic yet, you’re probably wondering why I didn’t like Morris to begin with. I’ll quickly fill you in; he’s a star athlete that has had everything handed to him, his dad runs his business, he’s got a beautiful girlfriend, money, fame, and the skills that got all that attention? They came naturally to him, he even admits he never had to work for them, never had to practice or try to get better. Plus his attitude pretty much screams rich boy. Now I know that was all just setup – starting him from such a low point makes his character growth that much more obvious.
I think it was somewhere around the third issue I found myself actually starting to like Morris. Okay, like may be a bit strong - he’s still rapidly changing so it’s hard to grow too attached yet. I do feel bad for him and the situation he’s in though. To get to high in life only to have it all torn down…that would be tough. Seeing that happen to him helped me to appreciate his character (and thus his transformation more).
I’m still pretty fascinated by Morris’ abilities, and I have so many questions. For example, Fife (the first guy that Morris/Mosaic) hops into appears to be resistant to a repeat of that event. Does that make Fife special, or does that happen to all the people Mosaic hops into? We never see him try it a second time on anybody but Fife, so thus far I don’t have an answer to my curiosity. What about the physical body that Mosaic left behind? Is it dead and he can simply possess it? Or should he be more concerned with protecting it (does the death of the body mean death of him?). Like I said, I have a lot of questions. I’m most definitely going to read volume two, if nothing else to see if those questions get answered.


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