Comics Review: Rick and Morty – Issue #2
Spoilers Below:
To be completely honest, I’ve never actually reviewed a comic book before (so be gentle with me). Three-and-a-half years with BubbleBlabber, and a whole childhood, and I’m not even sure I’ve read a whole comic book before. (Actually, I’m fairly certain that I read one Star Wars comic way back when.) So it’s not surprising that I was a little apprehensive about it. Rick and Morty is my first assignment, which is great, because I’ll be covering season two of the series when it starts up this summer.
My biggest fear when it comes to TV-show-turned-comics, is that they’ll read rather dryly. I feel like the voice actors employed on each show are an integral part of the success, and without them, the humor wouldn’t play the same.
Fear not though, as the scripted dialogue in the Rick and Morty comics is right on par with that of the show’s. If you’re familiar with the voices on the series (and with Justin Roiland on the job, who can’t be?) you should be able to read the dialogue exactly as it appears on the show.
As for the story, Issue #2 saw Rick and Morty on trial for interplanetary time crimes, and inevitably attempting to break free and return home.
Top Moments:
1) Morty’s outfit when Rick was accused of “soliciting sex to a judge.”
2) “Swangly, “swangliness,” and any other variation of the word.
3) “Be careful there, Morty. I’d hate to see you get hurt falling off your high horse.”
After reading the first issue, I was actually quite unimpressed. It seemed to be riding off the coattails of the series, with the characters appearing as cookie-cutter versions of themselves. It even killed one of my favorite jokes from the show, the “Don’t even trip, dawg” recurring dialogue, and that was a major bummer. Overall, I would have given it a 7 or 7.5. (Sorry, John, I disagree with your 9 ranking.)
But this is about Issue #2, and Rick and Morty’s second go-around was actually very strong – for even on the evening subway train, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the humor. The writing was right in line with the series, and any fan should feel at home reading it in print form. Sure, the voice acting adds a lot (especially considering Rick’s signature voice, drunk demeanor, and constant belching) but this still rang true to the Rick and Morty we all (hopefully) love.
Voices aside, the characters were true to their TV forms, with Rick’s constant pressure on Morty to do something he’s unfamiliar & uncomfortable with, Rick often getting distracted by minute details around him (like the “stoic and handsome” fellow prisoner), and Rick somehow being involved with the original construction of the very prison to which they were sent – because of course he would be.
I enjoyed that there was a nice cliffhanger at the end to keep me interested for the next release (damn you!) and the plot was entertaining & random, even though on paper the visual zaniness couldn’t show through quite as much as hardcore fans might wish. Also, the Beth-Jerry-Summer story was a bit weak, but the Summer mini-comic at the end definitely gave the issue an additional boost, and was much-improved since Issue #1.
In the end, Issue #2 was absolutely good enough to pass to a friend or family member looking for an old school comic laugh, and the print form allows me to easily pluck it off the shelf for a re-read, which I could totally see happening for me in the future. For now, I’d recommend grabbing both issues, and getting ready for a grand old flag time reading the newest big-time addition to the comic universe.
This issue is what a fucking 9 looks like, John.
"There are also other characters that come and go (also owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery conglomerate media company)."
Huh. Is that just referring to other characters from the show itself, or is this implying that the new season is going to have cameos from other WBD IPs