Comic Review: Rick and Morty Presents: The Hotel Immortal

Overview:

Rick has taken Morty to a special resort thanking him for risking his life constantly. The Hotel Immortal is a theme park destination where you can never die. Skydiving, deadly roller coasters, and volcano tours are enough to keep Morty distracted for days. Unfortunately, must do it alone when Rick sees there are Federation agents at the resort, and he hides in his room for the remainder of the trip.

Meanwhile, a dead body is discovered at the same place where no one is supposed to die. Everyone is a suspect, but despite the motives, no one knows how the body died. And as much as Morty tries to help a new friend and figure out the mystery, all he can do is put pieces together. It goes going to take Rick Sanchez coming out of his room to topple this deep-cut murder mystery.

Our Take:

For the most part, Rick and Morty comic books stand within their own universe. Thanks to the show’s premise, it is easy to believe that these are alternate adventures of parallel characters. Although, occasionally, certain issues play within the series’ cannon. And this stand-alone comic takes us back to before season three when Rick was about to get in deep trouble with the Galactic Federation.

This is a much different comic than we have seen from the Rick and Morty collection. Specifically, the Rick and Morty Presents series has been a spin-off collection that explores many of the unique side characters introduced in the animated program. However, Hotel Immortal is an original concept with a plot that does focus centrally on the titular characters.

Surprisingly, not having any recognizable characters or settings was a breath of fresh air for one of these adaptations. This stand-alone book managed to introduce everyone just enough to get to know them while keeping them original enough to uphold the reputation of the franchise.

The most exciting element is the theme. Putting our favourite grandfather/grandson duo in a murder mystery is a fun enough idea. But added to the over-the-top existential craziness of Rick and Morty helps this comic stand out. Unfortunately, the fun of the genre is taken away with a mystery far too complicated for readers to figure out without Rick’s exposition at the end.

Alternatively, when the mystery does unravel, it is with some flare. Involving radioactive isotopes, the Galactic Federation, and alien creatures that are both living and dying simultaneously ala Schrodinger’s Cat was enough to make this unlike any murder mystery seen before. Thankfully, Rick was there to dumb it down for us.

There is no hiding the fact that this reviewer loves Rick and Morty comics. In fact, there are pages and pages on Bubbleblabber to be found expressing excitement over every new stand-alone and miniseries. But Hotel Immortal will be a memorable one and high on the recommended reading list. As an adaptation, the comic maintained the originality and wittiness expected from the franchise while offering something unique from what is already available. For a one-issue story, they do not get much better than this.