REVIEW: ‘Rick And Morty,’ Issue #55

Rick And Morty #55 is published by Oni Press and comprises two stories: “Honey, I Ricked the Kids” written and illustrated by Kyle Starks, colored by Sarah Stern, and lettered by CRANK! and “Last Things,” written by Magdalene Visaggio, illustrated by Ian McGinty, colored by Sarah Stern, and lettered by CRANK!.

Rick and Morty comics exist as stand-alone stories that can be sporadically enjoyed without paying any real attention to any sequential order (see a previous review). This makes them one of the most delightful comics to review.

“Honey, I Ricked the Kids” features a story about Morty and Summer being injected with a dose of half of Rick’s intellect, thanks to an accident Jerry caused. The story takes place over three scenes: Jerry and Beth trying to revert the transformation by testing it on rats, Morty-Rick taking of the flaws in his school and the education system, and Summer-Rick solving the equation to be the richest and more powerful social media influence in the world.

Starks’s story is very solid, especially given the comedic timing between Summer and Morty trying to unfold their master plans before the inevitable involvement of Grandpa Rick. The art was really difficult to get past, though. Having read multiple versions of Rick and Morty, including the recent Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #1, this comic felt a lot more like a storyboard, or something out of a local newspaper. I am a big fan of the property and seeing the art in Rick and Morty #55, it just feels rushed.

Nevertheless, the colors from Stern are on point. Reading through each of the panels, you get the sense that she was able to capture the essence of how the animation is created on the show.

CRANK! delivers some great lettering and they have ample space to apply their craft. Two big spaces that highlight the lettering are the local school and on a social media platform. The social media panels especially show the creative space for imitating a platform such as Instagram.

The first story delivers some funny moments, but nothing more than a chortle here and there.

“Last Things” is set in the year 400 trillion and highlights a battle scene between Rick and Tammy (of the Galactic Federation). Tammy is consumed with bringing Rick to justice but time and space are about to collapse with 30 minutes to go. Both contenders have evolved over the last trillion years with a multitude of bio-mechanical upgrades.

Visaggio is able to extract a very decent amount of humor out of only a few brief pages. The dialogue is brilliant. Her version of Rick is cruel, realistic, and captures his sarcastic humor fantastically. The ending is tremendous and a great callback to a statement set up in the first few panels.

The artwork and coloring from McGinty and Stern is exactly what my expectations are from a Rick and Morty comic. Some great prior issues have artwork that flows as well as the animated show, the panels seamlessly springing to life. “Last Things” falls nicely into this category.

The majority of the Rick and Morty #55, however, leans more heavily towards the “Honey, I Ricked the Kids” story, which was the less enjoyable of the two.  The irony of Tammy evolving into a bird-person is a great tie-in to the animated show. The effect used on the final panel, mixed in with the message of the story, was also top notch.

As mentioned previously, CRANK! delivers a great product with their lettering, capturing onomatopoeia that mirrors the show perfectly. The dialogue is balanced well and doesn’t distract from the imagery.

Overall, it was an ok issue, but nowhere near the best work I’ve seen on this property. It would serve as some adequate comic relief in-between some heavier reading, but it’s a little disappointing given Rick and Morty‘s new season is about to air. I hoped OniPress would have used this time to leverage the show’s fervor to deliver a more in this comic.

Rick and Morty #55 is available now in your local comic book store.