Rick and Morty Presents, Vol. 1

Rick and Morty Presents

by J. Torres, Daniel Mallory Ortberg, Magdalene Visaggio

Learn the secret stories and hidden pasts of your favorite Rick and Morty characters in Oni Press's RICK AND MORTY PRESENTS! These 4 oversized comics, collected here for the first time, focus on fan-favorite characters and storylines, with writing and art from today's top talent!

Each story is illustrated by series artist CJ Cannon, with Nick Filardi and Brittany Peer. From writer J. Torres (Teen Titans Go!, BroBrots), delve into the secret history of THE VINDICATORS! Writer Daniel Mallory Ortberg (co-founder of The Toast) tells the tale of KROMBOPULOS MICHAEL, the professional assassin who just loves killin'. Writer Magdalene Visaggio (Kim & Kim, Eternity Girl) wonders if it matters that SLEEPY GARY's a mind-altering parasite, if it makes Jerry...happy? And writer Delilah S. Dawson reimagines the Emmy award-winning episode PICKLE RICK.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Dark, Media Tie In

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2019

About the author

Comic book writer whose credits include the Eisner Award nominated Alison Dare, the YALSA listed Days Like This and Lola: A Ghost Story, as well as Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Love as a Foreign Language and Teen Titans Go, which garnered him a Shuster Award.

Reviews

[Samuel Edme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis: Rick and Morty Presents, Vol. 1 contains four stories centering on one-off characters from Rick and Morty.

My Thoughts: This is were petty critical input comes for each issue

The Vidicators: 5/5 - A revived team of Vindicators emerge in this delightfully witty tale. Rick's sardonic and sligtly subtle commentary on how superhero comics' inclination towards killing off beloved characters only to revive or retcon them in the vein of boosting sales (most infameously during The Death of Superman). It felt like an improvenent over The Vindicators episode which lacked the context and parodic humor here.

Krombopulos Michael: 4/5 - It was a fun, goofy, and off the wall talltale about the eponymous character's morbid passion for his job as an assassin/hitman. His constant emphasis on how he 'loves killing' got a little redundant after a while though.

Sleepy Gary: 4/5 - Our titular parasite from Total Rickall returns to alter Jerry Smith's memories again in this story exploring more of Jerry's insecurities contributing to his vulnerabilities, making it more difficult for Rick to hunt down Sleepy Gary.

Pickle Rick: 3/5 - In the final issue of this regaling quartet, our lovable antihero's alter ego makes a comeback to once again avoid therapy sessions and confront Snuffles who is plotting another uprising. While the story started out as a blatant rehash of the Pickle Rick episode, it eventually picked up stream by the time we reach the plot about Snuffles. The only other criticism I have are the random ad non-sequiteurs in between the issue without any sort of given context.

Final Thoughts: Overall, Rick and Morty Presents, Vol 1 was a solid collection of one-off comics worth picking up for any fan of the cartoon desperately waiting for the next season.

[Kame K · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was fed up with watching the series over and over again, so i switched to the comics to keep getting hooked on their humour 🫶🏻

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly awful.

If they were new stories, they might be interesting. If they were faithful retellings of the episodes, they would at least be enjoyable. This is the worst of both worlds - rehashing the same events of prior episodes, but with neutered gags and worse jokes. It's as if they were written as spec scripts by a toddler.

The first (Vindicators) is exactly the crossover nonsense it claims to revile. No plot, no character dynamics, just meandering through bland backdrops. The second story (K. Michael) is a kind of origin story and mildly entertaining, though repetitive and aimless. No stakes. Barely a story. The third (Sleepy Gary) is an extension of an episode, and had promise - but the author mistakes physical movement for a dynamic world, vagueness for development/suspense, and lazy insults for comedy. Abysmal, but still not the worst of the bunch...

The fourth (Pickle Rick) is the same story as its respective episode, but with the serial numbers filed off and the violence removed. Instead of a nameless antagonist, we get another crossover - and instead of Rick fighting to escape, he fights to help Jaguar. But he doesn't really help Jaguar, and he has no reason to help him, and they keep the fake killing scene - for no purpose whatsoever. Jaguar's apparent death is meaningless to the captors and even Katarina, and undone mere moments later.

These are all problems which frequent the Rick and Morty comic line, but in this offshoot the problems are magnified and *constant*. There is hardly an original thought in this entire volume.

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Спін-оффи про різних персонажів серіалу під однією обкладинкою (раніше виходили як ван-шоти). Специфічний твір, розрахований в основному на фанатів серіалу. Новачкам буде важкувато.

У "Віндікаторах" розповідають про перезапуск геройської команди, щоб пройтися по штампах мультивсесвітів та об'єднаних команд супергероїв. Гумор досить примітивний та невиразний, кілька разів ламають четверту стіну. Історія може зацікавити, мабуть, лише кількома неочікуваними персонажами. Але і це не має значення, бо скільки б супергероїв не вбивали, вони все одно повернуться після перезапуску. Трохи пройшлися по сюжетах компанії “Марвел”, але цього явно замало.

Історія про Кромбопулуса Майка експлуатує його коронну фразу "Ось я і знову буду вбивати". Тобто всі жарти та ситуації крутяться навколо неї. Окрім цього, оскільки в серіалі Майк дав Морті свою візитівку, то частина жартів фокусується на ній. Якось це нагадує курсову роботу, де за точно таким же принципом додається "вода". А ще тут бездарно додають флешбеки, без нормального, явного переходу. В певний момент просто починає нудити від того, як Кромбопулус знову когось вбиває.

"Сонний Гері". Ага, історія про клонованого двійника-паразита (за мотивами серії про паразитів, що підмінюють спогади). Джеррі трохи гействує та втікає з паразитом на Марс, але у фіналі це все виявляється черговим експериментом Ріка, який раз-по-раз клонує паразита, щоб переконатися, що той не може його контролювати, тобто піддає реальність сумніву. Фінал, як в класичному фільмі "The Thing". Мабуть, плюс тут лише за цей підхід, гей-версія Джеррі може налякати максимум борцунів за сімейні цінності, та вони комікси не читають.

Історія про Ріка-Огірка - це переробка сюжету серії про "Огірка Ріка". Якось так. Початок однаковий, далі в дію вступає внутрішній Пєтросян сценаристів. Для збільшення кількості референсів повертають одного персонажа з першого сезону. Сеанс у сімейного психолога все ще на місці, плюс є неочікуваний поворот у фіналі.

Високий рівень роботи художника, та це все ще філлери. Сюжетам завжди чогось не вистачає, і це навіть на фоні основної серії коміксів, де сценаристи на Рікові і Морті з іншого всесвіту відривалися так, як їм того хотілось. Може, комусь таке і зайде, але з героями тут не відбувається нічого, що якимось чином могло б на них вплинути в подальшому. Гумор одноразовий, заексплуатований до дір та не дуже смішний.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, ok, I feel like been we’ve over this terrain before. Basically, here are four stories that deal with characters from the series and spinning them off into their own story spotlight. Nice idea I suppose. But nothing here feels original or inspired. It’s just a cash-grab to exploit the fan base and wring out a few more rubles. This isn’t to say it’s awful, there is some funny stuff inside these pages, but nothing like you’ll find in the episodes themselves. I feel like it just wasn’t as well thought out as it might have been.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cubs baseball is trying to kill me so I turned to Rick and Morty for some emotional support. Is this for the casual fan or someone curious about Rick and Morty, nope. Is it crass and ridiculous, yes. Is this for the easily offended, sweet baby cheeses no.

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pretty disappointed with the last volume of the regular series that I read [volume 9] so I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but it was actually really good. The Krombopulos Michael and Sleepy Gary issues were just about perfect, and the Vindicators and Pickle Rick ones started a bit slow but picked up pretty quickly.

Some highlights:


probably still better than those Avengers sequels I refuse to watch




Killing Eve [2018]





I'm surprised how much I liked this issue considering it was about 70% recycled jokes


from my personal experience with Chihuahua Dachshund mixes that means they're going to pee on them

[Pius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the worst comic i've ever read, but certainly not the best. The writing is just nog funny enough to come close to the source material. A shame, since the art is pretty decent.

[Alex Sarll]

One-shots centred on various side characters from the show, and given the series has ended up in a somewhat vexed position with regard to the culture wars, its default fan generally pictured as a condescending manchild, it's interesting that not one of the headline talent is a cis white guy. Daniel Mallory Ortberg takes on insectoid assassin Krombopulus Michael for an exercise in repeating one joke until it gets even funnier than it was before you repeated it too much – boy, he sure does love killing. Magdalene Visaggio makes something extremely queer and surprisingly poignant from Sleepy Gary, though the story more threw me because I'd got him entirely confused with Scary Terry. There's also J Torres doing the Vindicators in a spoof of the reboots and 'universes changed forever' every few months which can make superhero comics such a trying hobby. Alas, it's seldom quite as funny as it ought to be with that material. The collection wraps up with Delilah S Dawson on Pickle Rick, not something to which I was looking forward given what a byword he's become for those worst tendencies of the fans; the result is better than it could have been, but I'm still not convinced it adds up to much more than a list of fan-friendly boxes ticked. Art throughout is by CJ Cannon, who may not be Marc Ellerby, but has been drawing these characters long enough to know what they're about.

[Nikhil Math]

This is my first time reading a Rick and Morty "Presents" Volume. I have read several Rick and Morty Volumes but not a "presents" volume. I guess they went a different route with the presents volume, it is not as fun. It's like the same stories, just told slightly differently, which ruins the whole point of reading the comics. I don't need to read something that I already watched. I think the original volumes I read were in the same universe, but these are based in a different universe.

I would recommend reading the original comic books and not the "Presents" if you are wanting to read the Rick and Morty comics

[Ian Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong compilation of stories, with only a regurgitation of Pickle Rick not quite hitting the mark.

Witty, sarcastic and full of pop culture references that would work just as well on the screen.

This volume brings back a number of one off characters or concepts. A particular favourite was Sleepy Gary's return which hit emotional pathos which the show have managed a number of times.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting additions to Krombopulos Michael and Sleepy Gary's stories, a Vindicator story poking fun at Infinity War, and a decent re-imagining of Pickle Rick that seems unnecessary but entertaining.

[Karolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bawiłam się fenomenalnie!
Do pochłonięcia w chwilę, co jednak nie zmienia faktu, że jestem zachwycona. Dbałość o szczegóły, humor i szata graficzna genialna! W środku 4 części, wszystkie na wysokim poziomie.
Na 100% będę sięgać po kolejne tomy.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Krombopulous Michael was entertaining. The others weren't really that enjoyable, kind of like this show past season 3. I would wager that no one who worked on this will ever reproduce, and at least one is already neutered, kind of like poor Snuffles.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

More twisted tales of Rick and Morty and the Multiverse. If you are a fan this is for you, not a fan, may God have mercy on your empty humorless soul. Check it out.

[Jasper Klerks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Vindicators were not really my cup of tea. I loved the Krombopulos Michael and Jerry stories! It's really Jerry being Jerry.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pickle Rick was unnecessary, but the Sleepy Gary one was awesome and the other two were okay, so it balances out.

[Skerdjan Kroje · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pickle rick tv show was better

[Irene ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick-witted and bizarre as always, though I think some of its humour got lost in this form of media.

[Reshma Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kromombulous Micheal what a psycho

[Bookm0l · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that’s a collection of stories! At the beginning I wasn’t sure if I liked the style but it won me over. Entertaining, fun and classic Rick and Morty adventures.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

One-note jokes stretched to far.

[Benjamin Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Great stories, very imaginative and funny content. Not one to miss people! Seriously read it now. Wubba lubba dub dub!

[chvang · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of 4 short stories rehashing/inspired by episodes from the Rick & Morty TV show.

The first is "The Vindicators", where Rick and Morty team up with the Vindicators to stop a Boon, a Thanos-like villain w no wields the Infinity Glove. There is some meta commentary, but overall, is a bland and forgettable as the most bland and forgettable Marvel movie.

Up next is "Krombopulos Michael," where the majority of the story is spent telling us how much Krombopulos Michael loves killing, by literally having almost all of Krombopulos Michael's dialogue consist of telling us how's much he loves killing. Sometimes followed by how he has no ethics and is willing to kill anybody, children, women, old people, he loves killing.

Third is "Sleepy Garry." The parasite is back and escapes with Jerry. They are everything in love and on the run from Rick. Rick catches up to them. The end.

Finally, "Pickle Rick." Not a new story with the same premise, but literally the same story recycled from the TV episode. Except this time the villains are the super-smart dogs led by Snowball. To its credit, it reads like the first draft of the Pickle Rick episode. And there's a nice reveal at the emd. But the actual episode was better.

Verdict: Pass; just rewatch the TV series.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Individual issue reviews: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4

Total review score: 3.19

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok collection

The stories were ok. My favorite stories were with the vindicators. The other story I liked was with pickle rick

[Artur Coelho]

Sim, confesso, sou fã de Rick and Morty. A elegância de insanidade à solta com que esta série brinca com a FC seduziu-me. Mas não ao ponto de mergulhar nos seus spin offs. Este comic deu-me razão. Rick and Morty vive do dinamismo acelerado das cenas, do seu ritmo rápido, e das vocalizações dos atores. Os comics apenas conseguem replicar a lógica cómica dos guiões, as restantes dimensões ficam para trás. Não são tão interessantes quanto a série original. Isto é especialmente notório numa das histórias deste livro, que tenta ir pelas nuances temporais sobrepostas, mas falha por completo no ritmo das pranchas.

Como spin off da série, este comic reconta alguns detalhes das histórias dos episódios. Os argumentistas tentam ser divertidos, os ilustradores seguem o estilo gráfico da série, mas os resultados não são convincentes. Por vezes, a transposição entre media funciona. Estou a pensar no caso Star Wars, onde a banda desenhada não só complementa como levou mais longe o universo cinematográfico. Noutras vezes, não, e Rick and Morty é um exemplo disso.