Comic Review: Rick and Morty Presents: Krombopulos Michael

I think this lovable little intergalactic assassin may really enjoy killing people. #KMichaelKills

Overview:

In this one-shot presentation from the multiverse of Rick and Morty, we get the chance to explore a day in the life of everyone’s favourite intergalactic assassin, Krombopulos Michael. Armed with business cards, a plethora of weaponry supplied by Rick himself, and a pure desire to kill people, Krombopulos Michael was known as Rick’s best customer – before Morty accidentally killed him in the episode “Mortynight Run”.

Whether this comic is a prequel of Michael’s life pre-death, or if this is an assassin from an alternate universe, we’re not sure. The important thing is we get to see some background on how the character lives, and how his passion for killing people came to be. It turns out, Rick had a significant role in Krombopulos’s origins. Also, there is a peek at the uncomfortable transaction that leads to the infamous business card that includes a tracking device, and the description of his passion for killing people.

Our Take:

I feel like the point may have gotten across that Krombopulos Michael really, truly, just likes killing people. True to the character that we fell in love with in season two of Rick and Morty, nearly every page of this comic mentions at least once that he likes to kill people. Additionally, it is mentioned quite a few times throughout that he has no moral dilemma with the killing of anyone or anything, man, woman, child, animal, or old person. He just likes killing people.

The day in the life concept behind the issue was a lot of fun, and allowing for the many flashbacks to milestone moments of Krombopulos Michael’s career gave us some true insight into the character: he really likes to kill people. We get to see how his career began, how he first met Rick, a bunch of other hilarious interactions between the two characters, and some pretty chilling moments as well. The book is crammed with great Krombopulos Michael memories and it makes me love him so much more.

The absolutely wonderful thing about this murderous psychopath is that he is truly genuine, borderline sweet. If his passion were giving people hugs or making cupcakes he would be a lovable little rascal. He just likes to kill people, and he would kill anyone for anybody, its kind of adorable. The only problem is, the guy has no moral compass, but it is pretty easy to look past that and say “hey, he just likes killing people.”

This is a brilliant comic. If you replaced Michael with Deadpool or Joker it would be a stand-out fan-favorite issue, easily. The humour of it is top notch and the repetitive jokes never got old. The interactions with Rick were the best part about it all. He sees Rick as his ticket to more guns and by association more killing, and therefore Rick is his best friend. But, like anybody in Rick’s position, it gets to the point where its scary and he needs to worry about the safety of himself and his family. Yet, Michael is still that genuine little rascal that just likes to kill people. It creates a pretty fun dynamic.

I loved this character when he appeared on the show, but I love him so much more now that I’ve seen a day in his shoes. I would highly recommend giving this enjoyable one-shot issue a read to any fans of Rick and Morty or comic fans that like a good anti-hero. He’s nice, he’s professional, he’s authentic, and Krombopulos Michael just likes to kill people.