Review by Frank Plowright

You know that world Jerry skips through to when life gets too much? The one where Rick is goofy, but nice, and delighted to see Jerry? Well, it turns out there is a Jerry on that world after all, and he’s as far removed from the sad sack Jerry as Bute is from Bermuda. That means he’s more than capable of dealing with the primary Rick, and he has his mind set on conquering the multiverse.

As seen in Volume Four, Kyle Starks adapted very quickly to the needs of writing good Rick and Morty, and with in-place artist CJ Cannon he produced a string of first rate stories. The three chapters here dealing with Doofus Jerry typify his imaginative approach, packed with good jokes, having a creative use of alternate universes and most of all being true to the TV show in every respect. Cannon’s excellent cartooning supplies the characters we know and love along with infinite variations of them.

As if to prove how that variety can be applied, we also have Starks and Marc Ellerby’s version of the old SF standby of a starship crew exploring a supposedly deserted spacecraft. Here it’s Rick, Morty and Summer reconnecting with something Rick designed decades previously that disappeared. He’s really chuffed to see it again, as something very valuable within his grasp. Ghosts? Rick’s not bothered about them. Marc Ellerby’s back-up strips are always a delight, and his art on the main feature shines.

The only time Starks falters is when also producing the art. Perhaps one lesser drawn story is a small price to pay for the overall quality, but he’s a very limited artist on the good idea of Morty being plagued by walking around with a numerical display quantifying his level of coolness. It also features the return of Tiny Rick.

The shorter back-up strips from the original comics are also featured, four of them this time, all perfectly crafted by Ellerby. Summer stars twice, first tasked with saving the universe, then coping with the pressures of a job in a clothes store, while Morty fluffs asking Jessica out again. We end where the collection began, with Jerry trying to find the easy solution, and screwing things up.

If you’re sure enough about the quality, why not head straight for the hardback collection Rick and Morty Book Three, and the longer stories also feature in the second Rick and Morty Compendium, which omits the shorts. Roll on Volume Six.