It’s Wednesday and that means new comics. Let Deadshirt steer your wallet in the right direction with reviews (and preview pages) of titles out today from Image, Dark Horse, IDW, BOOM! Studios, Archie, MonkeyBrain, Oni, Fantagraphics, Top Shelf, Action Lab, and more!
Rick and Morty #1
Written by Zac Gorman
Art by C.J. Cannon
Colored by Ryan Hill
Backup by Marc Ellerby
Lettered by Crank!
Oni Press
$3.99
A comic book adaptation of [adult swim]’s Rick and Morty really could go either way. It’s a very visually distinctive show with a clear sense of humor, so if those things can be translated into a comic book, then it’s perfect. And thankfully, Gorman, Cannon, Hill and Ellerby did a great job. The main premise of the issue is Rick and Morty’s quest to become intergalactic billionaires (sound like anyone else you know?), but like most episodes, it’s more of an excuse for various gags and bits. The key shorthand for making Rick and Morty work for me is 1) being able emulate Rick’s slurred, stuttery speech patterns without feeling like Chris Claremont, and 2) being able to do that droopy-lipped expression of surprise or confusion that Morty (and Jerry and occasionally other characters) do all the time. The team nails both with aplomb. The new characters are also fun, especially Catogami, a funny round robot who’d be a popular guy with your friend and mine. He transforms into a battle mode at one point, which is sort of showoff-y for a droid but also a genuinely cool moment with some great composition work. I don’t know exactly how well-suited the characters are to a longer sustained arc, as the comic requires, but I guess we’ll see.
– Joe Stando
(Click thumbnails to enlarge)
Be sure to let us know what you picked up this week in the comments below, on Twitter or on our Facebook Page!