Review by Frank Plowright
The material reprinted in Book Three was originally published in 2016 and 2017, by which time the Rick and Morty comics franchise was on fire. With the primary creative team of Kyle Starks and CJ Cannon needing occasional fill-ins to spot them on the regular monthly series, the only solution to meeting the demand was to let other creators loose on separate miniseries, and the first of those accompanies five regular issues here.
Starks took over writing most Rick and Morty scripts midway through Book Two, and writes all the longer material from the regular series here. While all Starks’ contributions are good, there can be ups and downs according to the assigned artist, the weakest of which is Starks himself. He’s a passable artist, not a good one, and strangely not able to bring the best out of his scripts. Pair him with primary artis Cannon, though, and the results are generally comedy gold.
The longest Starks and Cannon contribution is the three chapters exploring the idea of a Jerry who’s not only competent, but is also his world’s pre-eminent intellect. Unfortunately for the multiverse, he’s not satisfied with that. The variations on the cast, especially Rick, multiply throughout, it’s interesting seeing Rick beaten for once, and Starks conceives a great way out of the corner he’s painted himself into.
Marc Ellerby illustrates the accompanying shorts, and writes half of them also. They’re all good, yet absent when the remainder of the content is republished as the second Rick and Morty Compendium. Alternatively you can find everything over the two trades Rick and Morty Volume Five and Lil’ Poopy Superstar. The latter is that first miniseries, with Sarah Graley’s plot focussing on Summer, with plenty to reveal about Lil Poopy Buttface. The clever idea is that the most pathetic character to have a role on the TV show is actually a global celebrity on his home planet, aggressively and violently adored.
Graley draws people with large heads and slim bodies, so doesn’t match the look of the animation. This isn’t a great setback as long as the focus remains on Summer and Lil Poopy, but as more of the cast appear in the final chapter the differences are apparent. While not matching the work of Starks and Cannon, the story has a high laugh ratio, and back-up strips drawn by Ellerby show what others are up to while Summer’s away.
Book Four continues the pattern of five regular issues accompanying a complete miniseries.
