Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons II: Painscape #4 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS II: PAINSCAPE No. 4, December 2019

Depicting “the final battle between demons, gods, and the most min-maxed Rick imaginable”, Jim Zub’s narrative for Issue Four of “Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons II: Painscape” surely must have had any players of Gary Gygax’s co-creation appreciatively frothing at the mouth with all its excellent nods to the rule-set’s celebrated lore. Indeed, considering that this comic contains such notable weapons as “the legendary Dragonlance (enhanced with Boo, miniature giant space-hamster)” and “The unholy Wand of Orcus” it’s arguably easy to see why the mini-series’ final instalment managed to maintain a 11,226-strong readership in January 2020.

Furthermore, these intermittent dips into “an ancient conflict that raged between the fiends of the Lower planes” and the Caves of Klang genuinely provide the twenty-two-page publication with both some ludicrous laugh-out-loud jiffies, as well as some surprisingly dark moments; most notably when the Canadian writer pens the Smith Family individually meeting a truly unheroic demise before the overwhelming demonic hordes of Bardrick. Such contrasting emotional journeys really help to keep the audience engaged with the decapitation-laden action at hand, even when it consists of some seriously silly skirmishes during “the real Blood War at the Hobby Mall -- Now.”

Quite possibly this periodical’s finest moment though, comes with the coverage of Rick Sanchez following the Level Five Wizard’s decision “to shakety-shake things up a bit” and delve into multi-classing. The elderly scientist’s short-lived battles against a Manticore, Medusa and Frost Giant are a lot of fun to follow, as is the subsequent Rogue’s friendship with a Beholder which ultimately ends in the floating head’s unexpectedly sad death, and a significantly older-looking adventurer grasping the “Ring of Three Ultra-Wishes – A bulls**t item younger Rick came up with as the ultimate treasure in his ultimate dungeon.”

Also plying his trade most prodigiously is Troy Little, whose well-pencilled panels are absolutely packed full of all sorts of eye-candy. The cartoonist’s depiction of the Blood War is particularly gruesome, courtesy of numerous severed limbs and cleaved heads being visible during the intense fighting. And let us not forget the incredibly insensitive demise of poor Boo, loyal companion of the Rashemi ranger Minsc, who is explicitly fried alive by Sanchez’s evil musical counterpart following a tragic blow from the demon lord Orcus’s obsidian rod.

Written by: Jim Zub, Illustrated by: Troy Little, and Colored by: Leonardo Ito

Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons II: Painscape #3 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS II: PAINSCAPE No. 3, November 2019

Plush with plenty of the slapstick humour which helped make Adult Swim’s animated television programme so critically acclaimed, Jim Zub’s storyline for Issue Three of “Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons II: Painscape” certainly bounds along at an enjoyable pace, as the Smith Family desperately battle the demonic forces ‘wonkily named’ by the fantasy role-playing rule-set’s creators to try and convince parents that it was not “Satan’s game.” Yet whilst such a narrative creates a few laugh-out-loud moments, such as Jerry’s son using a sneak attack to annihilate Sorcerick with a standing lamp, it also arguably contains some rather lack-lustre moments which help explain the mini-series fall in sales to just 11,936 copies.

Foremost of these frustrating flaws is the way Rick Sanchez is seemingly wasted just wandering around his old, incomplete campaign setting, trying to determine whether there truly is “no way home” from the “little burg of graph paper regret” he created in his younger days. This initially slow, sedentary sequence does momentarily appear to contain a real gem of a plot idea when it forces the scientist to negotiate the Caves of Klang – a “masterpiece dungeon” the central protagonist forgot he wrote.

However, rather than depict the Level One Wizard using his wits for once as he encounters obstacles he was far from expecting, the storyline quickly degenerates into a series of simple conflicts between him and a quartet of his failed, previously rolled characters; “Man, you are the worst f*****g Rick I’ve seen since Doofus Rick from J19 Zeta 7…” Indeed, by the time Sanchez finally encounters the Level Six Elven Fighter, Warriorick and his cursed intelligent longsword, the utterly insane battle inside a busy, modern-day shopping mall involving Jerry, Summer and Beth has become much more entertaining.

Possibly this publication’s best asset therefore, alongside the excellent layouts of artist Troy Little, are all the nods to the extensive lore established by Gary Gygax’s co-creation which are scattered throughout its twenty-two pages. Much of this background is seemingly taken from the Second Edition sourcebook, Monstrous Compendium: Outer Planes Appendix, with the comic’s illustrator not only going so far as to pencil a recognisable likeness of the book’s cover, but also ensuring that its contents describing the Outer Planes are all clearly hole-punched.

Written by: Jim Zub, Illustrated by: Troy Little, and Colored by: Leonardo Ito

Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons II: Painscape #2 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS II: PAINSCAPE No. 2, September 2019

Splitting this comic’s storyline into two distinctive plot threads, Jim Zub’s decision to focus upon Rick Sanchez’s early encounters with “the world’s greatest role-playing game” must surely have delighted its 13,813 readers in October 2019. In fact, the mega-genius’ evident frustration with a rule-set that simply can’t provide him with all the “statistics and probabilities” he requires so as to “measure and o-o-optimise” his character is perfectly palpable, and it’s little wonder that the increasingly enraged scientist quickly fills his Folio of Flawed Failures when each creation is repeatedly based upon chaotic dice rolls; “Fate has dealt its hand, my friend. You don’t qualify for bard-dom, but it’s still a powerful array. You could --"

Equally as entertaining is Albert Ein-douche’s subsequent foray through the labyrinthine Tomb of Horrors, which demonstrate what an absolute badass Sanchez can be when he already has foreknowledge of the obstacles impeding him. These snappily-paced action sequences concerning a four-armed gargoyle, poisonous snakes, secret doors and levitation rooms are seemingly correct “down to the last f*****g detail”, and only disappoint in the brevity of ‘spotlight’ awarded to “the deadliest dungeon in Dungeons and Dragons history” when compared to the arguably less entertaining exploits of Rick’s grandson.

Indeed, Morty and Summer’s lengthy confrontation with a Level Thirteen Half-Orc Barbarian named Barbarick probably contains some of this twenty-two page periodical’s weaker moments, especially when so much of its drama is simply based upon the two adolescents hiding behind furniture until their assailant runs out of puff and falls asleep. True, the Canadian writer does manage to incorporate plenty of rule-set references into the narrative, such as Acrobatics, Athletics and Stealth checks. But compared to their grandpa’s desperate attempt to flee the Painscape by creating an all-new portal gun at a medieval blacksmiths, the children's unsuccessful attempt to phone the police from a bedroom is debatably a little underwhelming.

Far more riveting is Troy Little’s layouts, which are vibrantly coloured by Leonardo Ito. The incredible vexation felt by a young, hippy Sanchez at his inability to consistently roll well is plainly pencilled upon his face by the illustrator, as is Rick’s anger at being teleported back to the fictional Borden instead of Earth, after having proved himself “the master of these dungeons.”

Written by: Jim Zub, Illustrated by: Troy Little, and Colored by: Leonardo Ito

Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons II: Painscape #1 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS II: PAINSCAPE No. 1, August 2019

Offering “a new mini-series issue of Dungeons & Dragons with Rick and Morty”, Jim Zub’s narrative for this twenty-two page periodical certainly demonstrates the “fan favourite dice dependent” author’s love of all things six-sided. Indeed, the Canadian author’s depiction of a world which entirely revolves around everybody’s love for Dave Arneson’s co-creation is incredibly enticing, especially when it contains twenty-four seven televised broadcasts of live games, thirty-seven shop-filled Hobby Malls dealing exclusively with the fantasy role-playing game, and a limited, life-size reproduction of the “Aegis-Fang Warhammer from the Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore.”

Sadly however, such an intriguing storyline soon starts to arguably disappoint once Sanchez deduces that the planet has become infected by a “D20 Dependence Outbreak” devised by the barking-mad scientist’s first two characters for the tabletop game. Admittedly, it’s momentarily quite cool to explore Rick’s “unfinished masterpiece” Borden and question the medieval settlement's various walking quest prompts. But such a fascinating campaign setting is regrettably soon replaced by Bardrick and Sorcerick kidnapping the dysfunctional protagonists and using a portal gun to enter our own dimension from the Painscape.

In addition, whilst such Smith-family focused shenanigans also provide this comic with some laugh-out-loud moments, such as when Morty giggles hysterically at his grandfather’s embarrassing choice of names for his playing pieces, nothing is penned explaining just how the entire Earth became contaminated by “a virulent, unstoppable need to play Dungeons & Dragons” in the first place, nor why Rick is able to simply teleport himself to its source without any difficulty whatsoever; “I don’t wanna keep saying the same s**t, but I still have no idea what’s going on.”

Fortunately, what this book’s plot debatably lacks in exposition it does make up for with solid storyboarding by Troy Little. The Prince Edward Island-born cartoonist genuinely seems able to capture all the nuances of the animated sitcom’s considerably-sized cast, and pencils a gobsmackingly good cliff-hanger when Sanchez realises he’s been dispatched to the tomb of the demi-lich Acererak in order to experience Dungeon Magazine’s “third greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time” first-hand - Gary Gygax’s “Tomb of Horrors”.

Written by: Jim Zub, Illustrated by: Troy Little, and Colored by: Leonardo Ito

Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons #4 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS No. 4, December 2018

Debatably abandoning any strong notion that this comic’s central cast are actually Rick Sanchez and his daughter’s dysfunctional family in favour of a party of brave, world-saving adventurers, Patrick Rothfuss and Jim Zub’s script for Issue Four of "Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons" certainly demonstrates both the writers’ love and intimate knowledge of the “fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.” In fact, it is arguably easy to forget at times that this book isn’t simply about Kiir Bravian and the confident Abjurer’s desperate quest to thwart “the sacrifice of six non-human children”, as opposed to being a tie-in to Adult Swim’s animated television programme.

Happily however, this full-on ‘dungonfest’ proves to be an incredibly enjoyable read, simply packed full of excitement, tension, destruction and even the shock death of one of its lead characters. In addition, despite having been physically transformed into the gnome bard Gee-Willikers Petalebutt, Morty’s acid-tongued grandfather persistently provides some genuine laugh-out-loud moments as the diminutive-sized musician no longer finds himself the centre of attention, and instead falls victim to a plethora of fantasy-based scenarios – whether it be an encounter with a gelatinous cube, a monstrous red dragon, or even failing the Athletics skill check required to cross a bottomless ravine via a rope.

Summer Smith’s alter-ego Ari Strongbow is also blessed with some considerable ‘screen time’ within this twenty-five page periodical, courtesy of the ogre-hating ranger’s comprehensive backstory and gut-wrenching sacrifice made towards the end of the book. This gruesome demise is poignantly penned by the creative team, as it leads into a surprisingly emotional moment with Kiir (Jerry) deciding he doesn’t wish to dwell inside the ‘D&D universe’ now the warrior of the wilderness has died, and the surviving quartet subsequently returning to a seemingly empty home; “I mean, we could clone her, or bring in a Summer from another dimension, but her brain, her memories… It wouldn’t be her.”

Equally as enthralling as this publication’s writing is Troy Little’s pencilling, which absolutely excels in depicting all the storyline’s action. Of particular note though, are the incredibly well-pencilled antics of Petalebutt, whose facial gestures when he has either been partially-disintegrated from the waist down by a hungry jelly, or trying to read a just out-of-reach tome in the Greyhold Library, are utterly hilarious to peruse.

Written by: Patrick Rothfuss & Jim Zub, Art by: Troy Little, and Colors by: Leonardo Ito

Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons #3 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS No. 3, November 2018

For those readers able to wade through this twenty-five page periodical’s opening dialogue-driven half, there’s an incredible amount to enjoy in “Reality Bites (For 3D6+1)”. Indeed, once Kiir Bravian’s band of adventurers encounter their first wandering monster, Patrick Rothfuss & Jim Zub weave an incredibly entertaining narrative, which is not only absolutely packed full of some sense-shattering Fifth Edition-inspired shenanigans. But also contains some genuine ‘laugh-out-loud’ moments, such as when the party’s pointy-eared wizard successfully goes toe-to-toe with a Half-Ogre sorcerer; “You motherf****r! I’m going to rip off your d*ck and kick it into the sun! Who the f**k plays an Abjurer? Seriously!”

Disappointingly though, the same praise cannot arguably be heaped upon this comic’s first few scenes as Rick attempts to locate “a dimension where the Dungeons & Dragons paradigms are real” following Jerry’s unfortunate destruction of the fuming-mad scientist’s fantasy gaming simulator. Sure, there’s undoubtedly some fun to be gleaned from the family’s friction over this turn of events. However, there’s an incredible amount of word balloons to be navigated before a somewhat familiar-looking “smarmy little dice-deucing megalomaniac” of a Dungeon Master finally transports the central cast literally into the heat of battle.

Fortunately, this publication’s penmanship improves dramatically once Morty’s father surprisingly leads his family against a pair of truly massive Ogres, and with some satisfaction witnesses both his wife and children successfully overcome the super-strong monsters. This action-sequence really is enthrallingly written, and contains plenty of moments of genuine concern, courtesy of the alternative world’s visitors all being vulnerable to death should they tragically receive a fatal wound.

Suffering somewhat similarly to this comic’s storyline, Troy Little’s artwork inside Issue Three of "Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons" is also debatably a game of two halves. The Canadian cartoonist’s pencilling prior to the lead characters’ transforming themselves into their role-playing alter-egos looks decidedly off-point when compared to the illustrator's much more detailed panels later on in the book. In fact, there’s such a marked contrast between the quality of the drawing, that some bibliophiles may well have found themselves checking the comic’s creators to see whether someone else was responsible for the early layouts.

Written by: Patrick Rothfuss & Jim Zub, Art by: Troy Little, and Colors by: Leonardo Ito

Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons: The Meeseeks Adventure #1 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE MEESEEKS ADVENTURE No. 1, February 2022

Whilst there are arguably few followers of the animated television series “Rick and Morty” who haven’t fast become fans of the blue-skinned humanoids universally known as Mister Meeseeks, Jim Zub’s decision to pen an oversized one-shot starring them somehow battling their way through Gary Gygax’s role-playing game probably had many of them scratching their heads in utter bemusement. Indeed, this comic’s opening perhaps unsurprisingly just depicts the short-lived ‘task completers’ as mindless Djinn successfully achieving the physical burdens metered out to them by a couple of fairly unimaginative, low-level thieves; “Carry that sack of loot back to town.”

Happily however, “The Meeseeks Adventure” soon shows just how badly misused a Meeseeks Box can be when Crinious Ravenscry takes a shine to her partner-in-crime’s brand new, Keltar-leather boots and asks for her own pair. The sheer hilarity which then ensues is tremendously well-penned by the Canadian author, and debatably few within this book’s audience will be able to stifle a genuine belly laugh as Blodgette Blaggard fights to keep his footwear intact – at least until the shocking moment when the determined Meeseeks turns murderously homicidal so as to achieve his goal.

The rogue’s disconcertingly brutal downfall really is incredibly impactive, and establishes an increasingly dark-humoured theme which eventually turns the lonely Meeseeks into such a dangerous killer, that even a trio of die-hard adventurers ultimately turn their back on the now foul-smelling, heavily-bearded creature before it leads their increasingly battle-weary party to a ghastly end. This ‘snowball effect’ makes for an enthralling read, especially once the bulbous headed creature summons an army of his own people and, following a tremendous attack upon an adult Blue Dragon, subsequently storms Castle Kludgemire in an effort to seize the King’s crown.

Delightfully, the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Award-winner’s thirty-page script is made all the more amusing by some terrific tongue-in-cheek pencilling by Troy Little. The cartoonist does a tremendous job of showing each individual Mister Meeseeks wearing their respective hearts upon their sleeves, so as to ensure each member of “the cobalt-coloured death” all display their own unique personalities. In addition, the animator seems to have the perfect sense of timing when it comes to a character being ‘dispatched’, with both the demises of Ravenscry and the Castle’s Royal Guardsman doubtless catching many a bibliophile completely off-guard.

Written by: Jim Zub, Art by: Troy Little, and Colors by: Leonardo Ito

Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons #2 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS No. 2, September 2018

Packed full of Kobolds, Bugbears, Gnolls, Displacer Beasts and even the occasional chest trap, it’s quite clear from Issue Two of "Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons" that co-writer Jim Zub was indeed allowed to “open a Pandora’s Box of insane adventure material and iconic creatures from the granddaddy of all tabletop role-playing games” when he was asked to pen this comic’s narrative by “IDW Publishing”. But whilst this mesmerising twenty-four page tome definitely does justice to Gary Gygax’s fantasy world, it is perhaps its handling of Rick Sanchez and his obsessive power gaming which really captures the spirit of this crossover limited series.

In fact the characterisation of Morty’s grandfather is arguably indistinguishable from that depicted on the ‘adult animated sitcom’, with the crackpot scientist initially appearing to be solely dedicated to helping his dysfunctional family enjoy some increasingly dark dungeoneering, only to later reveal that the entire computer-generated escapade is simply another of his infamous ego trips; “I’m still figuring out the rules here, but even I can tell that you’re cheating dad.” This underlying motivation really encapsulates the “mad science-making grandpa”, and his desperate need to be the best at whatever he does no matter the cost.  

Of course, having been called out for being “an all-powerful immortal” wizard, Rick strikes out on his own and soon demonstrates just how insanely superior he has made his virtual avatar by nonchalantly defeating a skeletal dragon and its ghastly minions single-handedly. However, once triumphantly sat upon his throne as Dungeon Master, Sanchez soon realises that he’s missing out on the sense of achievement only attained by defeating genuine challenges with his family, and subsequently skulks back to Mudville’s local tavern to join them in a quest against some “Spriggan in the woods north of town.”

Troy Little’s contribution to these tongue-in-cheek trials and tribulations also cannot be overstated, with the Canadian cartoonist capturing the look and feel of both the television show and the fighting frenzy of an underground lair crammed full of sword-wielding Kobolds with great aplomb. Indeed, one of this comic’s highlights is the way the artist lays out the exploits of the adventurers as their monstrous encounters increase in toughness, along with the injuries they receive whilst battling them.

Written by: Patrick Rothfuss & Jim Zub, Art by: Troy Little, and Colors by: Leonardo Ito

Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons #1 - IDW Publishing

RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS No. 1, February 2019

Promising a “crossover with one of the biggest fantasy franchises in the world” when “Oni Press” and “IDW Publishing” first announced in April 2018 that they were joining forces to craft a four-issue limited series entitled “Rick And Morty Verses Dungeons & Dragons”, this opening twenty-page periodical must have landed well with fans of either franchise when it appeared approximately four months later. Indeed, Patrick Rothfuss and Jim Zub’s narrative for “Rick Rolling” seemingly captures both the enigmatic energy of co-creator Justin Roiland’s animated world and the tabletop role-playing game with consummate ease; “I’m your D&D sh-uuuuurp- Sherpa, Morty. I know this game inside and out. All the modules. I made a Bard back in the old days, Morty.”

Foremost of these irresistible hooks has to be the excellent characterisation of Rick Sanchez’s always agitated grandson, whose endless quest to “get laid” suddenly throws the youth headlong into a hobby mall packed full of Gary Gygax’s most famous old school publications. Desperate to win the adoration of shop girl Annika, the fourteen-year-old frantically tries to unsuccessfully get his head around the contents of the Player’s Handbook within the space of a few hours, and subsequently finds himself asking for his maniacal grandfather’s assistance to build him “a brain-hat… And learn Dungeons & Dragons!”

Of course, having sought to teach Morty using the tried and tested method of rolling dice with a group of fellow (aged) adventurers, Rick decides the best thing to do is reconfigure the Roy arcade machine at Blips and Chips in order to provide Smith with a virtual venture. This action-packed sequence is arguably the highlight of the comic, as Morty somewhat impressively hacks his way through a countryside packed full of the Undead until he 'critically fumbles' and inadvertently skewers Sanchez with his double-handed sword.

Adding enormously to this book’s palpable sense of humour is Troy Little’s artwork, which manages to capture both the television cartoon’s aesthetic, as well as the reckless dynamism of Rick’s impulsive scientific shenanigans, with prodigious aplomb. The Canadian artist’s illustrations are especially noteworthy inside this comic’s Director’s Cut Edition, where the Prince Edward Island-born penciler’s work-in-progress pages are fascinatingly printed directly alongside Rothfuss and Zub’s original scripts.

The regular cover art of "RICK AND MORTY VERSES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS" #1 by Troy Little