Comic Review: Rick and Morty #57

Overview:

“The Rickoning: Part 2 of 5”

After Peacock Jones kidnapped Morty in the last issue, Rick returns home to find his grandson missing. Recruiting Jerry to help him, Rick follows the trail to another dimension where Rick and Morty is a popular animated television show. Attending a convention dedicated to the show, Rick and Jerry efficiently fly under the radar alongside all of the cosplayers. The hunt for Morty leads them on a wild goose chase until they fall directly into Peacock’s trap.

“Blubber”

On a side adventure, Rick is trying to gain capital for future missions. Discovering a massive space whale, he shoots the thing into millions of pieces. He then tasks Summer and Morty into collecting the whale blubber which he can sell for a high price.

Our Take:

The massive five-part “Rickoning” series continues by taking us to the strangest world we have seen out of this franchise yet, ours. Well, it may not be officially our universe; however, it is as close as you will get. Considering the scale of this ongoing storyline, which includes Rick and Morty issues dating back for years, this turn of events was wildly unexpected.

Of course, the hunt for Morty could have taken Rick literally anywhere, but the last place you would expect is a universe parallel to the real world. In fact, this universe is slightly better than our own. Not only is there an annual convention dedicated to the brilliant show that we all love, but there is also a Rick and Morty existing there. Though this Rick is an attractive young female, and her Morty is a pet dog. Regardless, it equals a great concept that despite the fact that Rick and Morty is a fictitious show, that they may also be living within the universe. So, even in our real world, they may be out there, just not in the way we expect. I still like the concept of Doc Brown and Marty being our universe’s versions of the characters.

Another concept that is dropped in the issue is that Rick travels around dropping the idea of the series in multiple universes. Therefore, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland’s muse for the brilliant show may be Rick himself. This is accentuated by the fact that the series creators happen to make a little cameo within the issue itself. Appearing at the ‘Schwiftycon’ to sign autographs and meet the fans, the two of them meet there demise when a giant Pickle Rick collapses on top of them. Additionally, the comic creators, Mark Ellerby and Kyle Starks also make a quick showing only to be obliterated by none other than Jerry.

These more extensive ongoing series within Rick and Morty comics tend to slow things down. With so much development and storytelling, humour and adventure tend to go by the wayside. It is the one drawback to having bigger adventures within the comic universe. But, this issue kept those themes alive by doing something new and unexpected. Where this could have been a boring chase through the galaxies trying to show us different worlds and versions of the characters, they opted for something much more meta. And, it pays off by making this an exciting read in the midst of a much larger tale unfolding.

The second story, “Blubber” was not much of a story at all. It is more of a brief glimpse at an average day in the life of Rick and Morty. It starts out by admitting itself that this is not some grand adventure, but more of the day-to-day maintenance of their lifestyle. The biggest twist is that Summer hitched a ride in the back, but she could have easily been left out. And, the ending involves the tow kids cleaning up the mess, which we would expect considering Rick’s character. Honestly, sometimes the comics would be better if these second stories were just left out.

Regardless, the main story is enough to make this issue so worthwhile. Even without being a part of an ongoing plot, there is enough here for fans to want to see. In the Rick and Morty lore, it only makes sense that eventually the characters would meet their creators and it all happens here. Plus, we get to see them perish by way of Pickle Rick, which is just a smart move unto itself. This was an exciting book to read. And, with the show taking a midseason break, it is just the time to get your Rick and Morty fix with an excellent comic book like this one.