A comiXologist Recommends:
Dane Cypel recommends

Rick & Morty #1

Rick & Morty is a coming-of-age tale of a boy and his grandfather. This quick, heartwarming synopsis may sound wholesome but this series is SO much more. Coming from its Adult Swim cartoon roots, Rick & Morty #1 launches as an Oni Press published comic.

The brainchild of Community creator Dan Harmon and collaborator Justin Roiland, Rick & Morty is best understood as a skewed alternate dimension version of Doc Brown and Marty from Back to the Future. In this printed iteration, Zac Gorman (magicalgametime​) takes the authoring duty and attempts to meld the characters from the show with those on the page. Morty’s high pitched shrill of a voice along with Rick’s guttural belches can be imagined with Gorman’s dialogue. In this case, the book channels the show perfectly, making the transition to comics that much more appealing.

CJ Cannon and Ryan Hill bring the look and feel of the cartoon with near-perfect accuracy. The panels appear as if they were screenshots of the show. Often licensed material lacks in the art department- where characters look somewhat off and awkward- but that is not the case here. Cannon and Hill do an excellent job in, again, channeling the cartoon while also bringing something unique to the book.

Curiosity attracted me to Rick & Morty, for the sole fact that Rick was an alcoholic and sociopathic Doc Brown- and though my tastes are somewhat different than the norm, the fantastic stories and strange worlds kept me interested and wanting more. This is a comic for anyone with a quirky sense of humor, who loves well-written cartoons, or wants a ridiculous story. The only thing missing are the commercials.

[Read Rick & Morty #1 on comiXology*]

Dane Cypel is a digital editor at comiXology and freelance illustrator based in Manhattan.

*Not available in all countries.