Rick and Morty Vs. Dungeons & Dragons

Take someone whose never watched a single episode of Rick and Morty, nor have they ever played D&D, and have them read this book? Well, that's me. But thanks to the personal recommendation of Oni Press editor, Sarah Gaydos, I gave this book a try and I loved it!

At last year's Bull City Comic Com, I interviewed Gaydos as she was the driving force behind the epic Star Trek Vs. Transformers crossover when she worked at IDW. I asked her for any sneak previews of her new projects over at Oni and she told me that I must read this crossover even if I had never played Dungeons and Dragons or ever seen an episode of the Adult Swim hit series.

So I took up Sarah Gaydos challenge when I found this book where else but at my local library! And I loved it!

All of Morty's friends at school are enjoying role-playing games. Not wanting to be left out, Morty goes to his local gaming shop to find out what the fuss is all about. At the store, Morty flirts with a girl gamer who invites him to play D&D one night after the store closes.

Not knowing how to play the game, Morty reluctantly goes to Rick for assistance. Turns out, Rick Sanchez is a total gamer! So, Rick and his older buds try to teach Morty the basics of the game. Only Morty keeps dying! 

Running out of patience and character sheets, Morty insists that Rick create a world in which the rules of Dungeons and Dragons exist for reals in order to truly experience the game in a LARPing sort of way. With Morty's mom and siter eager for adventure and Morty's dad secretly being a master gamer himself, it seems that the Smith family might finally found a way to bond as the perfect family!

I have no real way of knowing if this comic book was anywhere really like the show as I've never seen Rick and Morty. But I know a bit about D&D from reading articles and having discussions with friends who do pole play. (Those certain episodes from The Big Bang Theory helped with my a priori knowledge of the game as well.) But what I can say is that this miniseries was a very funny and a fun read. 

I liked that all versions of D&D are explored including the CBS Saturday morning cartoon and Forgotten Realms. Well, almost all. Why is the Fourth Edition considered unspeakable garbage? I'm interested to learn if that's just an inside jokes or if that edition of Dungeons and Dragons is really that awful. Since Jim Zub is a big name D&D comics writer, I might just have to PM him on Twitter and ask....

The artwork by Troy Little was a great. It was a very good mix of Rick and Morty cartoon meets realistically gritty Dungeons and Dragons art. Now in the comics, all of the orcs, dragons and villains are drawn in the style of the Adult Swim series. But a lot of those amazing covers done by Little and friends have Rick and his grandson illustrated in an epically 'advanced' way!

The only thing I could have done without were the character sheets of the Smith and Sanchez clan. Since I don't play D&D, I didn't understand them. I didn't know if they were meant to be real or done as a joke. If it was the former, I missed out on the punchline.

Rick and Morty Vs. Dungeons and Dragons was a great read for anyone. As long as you are a geek that loves hanging out with friends at their favorite LCS or playing board games and such, you'll enjoy this book. You don't have to be a fan (or even all that acquainted) with either franchise. But it sure won't hurt if you are!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Rick and Morty, Volume One

 

   When it comes to the subject matter of the graphic novel that I'm about to review, Rick and Morty, let me be very clear: I've never seen the show! In fact, if it wasn't for my receiving a copy of this book in a Comic Bento Box, I probably wouldn't have bought this volume.

      If we're confessing secrets here, I had been sitting on this book for a while and if it was for a recent episode of Comic Book Men which features the first issue, I probably would still be letting this book collect dust on my To-Read shelf. But the gang on the AMC show pique my interest, so I gave it a read.

    Rick and Morty is an animated series that airs on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. It's been described as a naughty and wicked version of Back to the Future. After reading this collection of the first six issues based on the Dan Harmon (Community) series, I would have to agree.

    Rick Sanchez is an inventor with a mysterious past. For the past 20 years or so, he feel off the face of the earth, literally. During his 'lost weekend', Rick manipulated and profited from misuse of the time-stream and the multiverse. The inventor has become such a menace that not only is he on public enemy #1 of various agencies that govern time travelling and intergalactic empires, but he's also the target of the infinite number of Rick Sanchez's of the multiverse in whom's names and reputations he has ruined.

    Laying low, Rick Sanchez returns to the present day where he lives with his daughter. But domestic life has very little thrill for Rick. So when adventure calls he recruits his grandson Morty to help him reek more havoc on the multiverse. Up first- playing the futures market for fun, profit, and maybe some mass destruction of a universe or two.

     This volume was crazy. I enjoyed it, though I've never seen the show. Has this made me want to turn on Adult Swim and binge watch it till the cows come home? More than likely no- though if I was flipping channels and I came across and episode, I would definitely give it a shot. 

     I'm also not likely to collect this series. But if I found further volumes for a decent price, I would buy them, not wait so long, and read them. But like I'm going to do with this volume, I will probably sell them to a used book store to get trade credit for something else I want as a permanent addition to my collection. 

     BTW- folks, this might look like an innocent cartoon comic. But Rick and Morty is one of the darkest cartoons out there. This is not for kids. With excessive violence, unedited language, and some mildly heavily sexual themes, this is a teens or older book for sure.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.