Comic Review: Rick and Morty: Infinity Hour #3

Overview:

Rick and his companions have found themselves imprisoned by The Federation. Thankfully, with Rick Sanchez, being captured is temporary. Soon, this band of rebels find themselves disguised as gromflomites as they attempt to navigate through an enemy starbase on the way to their spaceship. Unfortunately, they soon find themselves confronted by the nefarious Dr. Infinity, who reveals more than one secret to the rebels. And with the sacrifice of one of their loyal friends, Rick and the rest of the company finally make their escape and make it safely to the rebellion headquarters.

 

Our Take:

It is hard not to be filling your boots with Star Wars content right now. The new Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series is so brilliantly crafted it almost makes the prequels seem cool. However, nothing outdoes the original Star Wars film. Especially if it is wholly remastered, reimagined, and reinvigorated with a heavy dose of Rick and Morty.

Rick and Morty: Infinity Hour is a comic book like none other. Twisting two universes beloved by fans into one amazing story. Within the first two books, the themes and character assignments were made quite clear. Each fan-favourite Star Wars character has received their Rick and Morty doppelganger and at the centre of it all is the Luke Skywalker-esque, Rick Sanchez.

The four-issue miniseries culminates, much like the movies, with the end of the second act. Our heroes, disguised as the enemies, uncover The Federation’s ultimate weapon and face-off against the biggest, baddest villain in the galaxy, Dr. Infinity.

Paralleled in this comic, Birdperson takes the place of Master Obi-Wan in hopes of distracting the nefarious enemy long enough for Rick to escape. Again, much like the movie, some major twists are revealed. Like Obi-Wan to Vader, Birdperson is announced as Dr. Infinity’s former master—although this comes as a surprise to Birdperson too.

Further, Dr. Infinity reveals his knowledge of parallel dimensions. This is significant because he acknowledges that in other dimensions, Birdperson is a mindless cyborg drone utilized by The Federation. We know this variant of Birdperson well, as Pheonixperson, who proved to be Rick’s ultimate combatant in the conclusion of season four of the animated series. This subtle nod works to make these comics cannon. Much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the comic books are a variant reality of the televised series.

Breathe a sigh of relief, however. Unlike Master Kenobi, Birdperson is ultimately not the one to sacrifice himself in this story. Although, the person that does put himself on the line is no easier to take. Despite this being a varying reality of Rick and Morty, it seems as though the story wants to keep the Rick-Birdperson relationship intact. A manoeuvre that makes sense considering this miniseries works much like an origin story for a young Rick Sanchez on his way to becoming one of the greatest minds of the galaxy.

As this issue wraps up, there are still a couple of surprises in-store. Specifically, who the true leader of The Federation is; Emperor Palpatine’s Rick and Morty variant. And, honestly, it is quite the reveal. Just as the comic series has done all the way up to this point, the twists are just off-kilter enough from the source content that it makes it refreshing and new.

This series wraps up with the next fourth and final issue, which is big news because we all know what goes down at the end of the original Star Wars film. Rick and Morty: Infinity Hour is about to climax in an epic battle between the most powerful oppressive force of the galaxy versus a rag-tag group of rebels. It is not a book to be missed, and it will be worth catching up on these first three issues.