Review by Frank Plowright

Rick and Morty has been a really successful franchise for Oni Press, and they’ve issued so many comics anyone who remembers which was their first spin-off title has to be in touch with one of Rick’s memory storage devices. It’s this one in which Summer heads back to Mr. Poopybutthole’s home planet.

Sarah Graley writes and draws the main strip, picking up from the TV show continuity in which Mr. Poopybutthole was bleeding to death on the Smith kitchen floor. He survived, and we’ll say no more about it. Graley’s interest is in who he was before he encountered Rick and Morty and nearly joined the choir eternal. The superstar element of the title refers to his status on his homeworld, where he was a global celebrity before his disappearance, to the point where his world is plastered with missing person posters. He’s violently adored by men and women alike, which is a clever re-imagining of a character so downbeat and oppressed on the show.

Quite apart from other creators having the lock on the primary Rick and Morty series, Summer being the main character over five chapters removes the story from the mainstream. As the whole schtick of Rick and Morty is shredding consistency and continuity there’s no concerns about a graphic novel somehow violating the TV show bible with Mr. Poopybutthole’s newly revealed status. Graley sets some limitations, so there’s no easy solution for Summer of just creating a portal back home, and she has to rely on her cunning and wits.

Graley’s drawing doesn’t quite capture the look of the series, but for most of the time that’s no issue as Summer is the only Smith to feature significantly. We do see what the other family members get up to during her absence, but Marc Ellerby is wisely drafted in to illustrate these sections. When Rick plays a larger role in the final chapter, Graley’s style of large heads on emaciated bodies isn’t a great fit.

The main story is over in four chapters, and the fifth is almost a coda as Summer goes to her prom, but Graley figures a way to tie in with the remainder, and there’s nice alternative universe epilogue. All things considered, the entertainment is had.

Lil’ Poopy Superstar is also found in hardcover as part of Rick and Morty Book Three.