Review by Frank Plowright

Debuting in 2015, the animated Rick and Morty TV show is the madcap adventures of grumpy and borderline insane inventor Rick Smith and the voice of reason supplied by his young teenage grandson Morty. The remainder of the Smith family also feature in domestic comedy sequences and are occasionally swept out of their ordinary life into the madness of alternate universes where their counterparts can be very different.

The fast-moving pace and often surreal sense of humour is more difficult to transfer to comics than the bulk of this compendium makes it appear. Primary writer Zac Gorman and primary artist CJ Cannon cover around two thirds of the content, including two of the three extended stories, and their material so accurately captures tone and delivery that you’d swear it was adapting TV episodes. Gorman’s verbal economy is admirably precise, and while the characters withstand other looks, Cannon supplies them as they are on screen. Theirs is a quality collaboration and not bettered in this Compendium.

It’s the creative partnership of Pamela Ribon and Marc Ellerby who come the closest on a story where Jerry and Summer switch bodies and Rick is determined to have Morty pass through high school in a day via virtual reality. They’re not included here, but Ellerby refined his style on a number of Gorman’s short stories included when the material was published in hardcover as Book One and part of Book Two. He also captures the look of the TV show, and Ribon maximises the possibilities of what she’s set up.

Tom Fowler writes a three part tale of the universe changing due to Jerry messing with the toaster. The plot holds up in imitating the way the TV show can suddenly switch from one location to another and introduces some creative situations. However, Fowler is better known as an artist, and his first script is laboured, overly wordy and when it comes to selling the jokes, more quicksand than quickfire. When he draws a subsequent strip, his art doesn’t always capture the personalities either.

Gorman also draws a strip, his style reminiscent of the 1960s underground comics, yet ideally suited to what turns out to be the darkest outing here. It’s all the more disturbing for being a Christmas story, but one set in an alternate universe where the celebrations are very different.

That only leaves Andrew MacLean, handed the poison chalice by having to draw a feature designed to look shoddy. He’s the artist on a Gorman’s parody episode featuring the action show Rick and Morty watch, one with low production values and no budget, so offering low level entertainment. MacLean comes through with shaky art and uninspired designs.

Overall, the Rick and Morty comics have been a creative success, and a definite sales success, and this selection largely demonstrates why. It’s missing the wealth of series covers included in the hardbacks, and the back up stories included in the trades Volume One and Volume Two.