Comic Review: Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons #1

Geeks unite!  Worlds are colliding into one magnificent story, and it all starts here!

Overview:

Morty has been overhearing a lot about a popular game around the school.  As people are making friends and hanging out, Morty becomes more interested.  But, when he finds out that playing Dungeons and Dragons can get you laid, he is all in.  Investigating the game at the local hobby shop he receives his first invite, and it’s from a girl!  Obviously, Morty puts his foot in his mouth and makes himself seem more knowledgeable than the rookie he is.

After spending some failed time trying to learn the game on his own Morty goes to the one person that can literally insert knowledge into his brain, Grandpa Rick.  Surprisingly Rick is ecstatic about helping Morty learn the ways of dungeons and pulls out his old school books.  One game and Morty is discouraged by losing way too much and playing with Rick’s senior friends.

Rick decides to step things up, and they enter a virtual reality updated version of D&D.  The game is a lot cooler for Morty, and he is beginning to get the hang of it.  Unfortunately, the virtual reality machine has the plug pulled, and these two heroes may be stuck inside of a game of D&D indefinitely.

Our Take:

I was very excited about reading this book when I first heard about it.  Rick and Morty are fantastic in any setting, but something utterly nerdy like D&D sounds like a good time had by all.  But, I really lost my cool as I picked up the book.  The author’s name stood out to me, and I had to be certain.  Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons are in fact written by one of the most profound fantasy novel writers of our time, Patrick Rothfuss.  Anyone who has read his Kingkiller Chronicles series knows that this author is a master of prose and a talent that goes above most anyone in his field.  This comic book just got a whole lot more exciting.

One of the truly interesting things that surprised me starting this book is it has an honest story that breaks away from traditional Rick and Morty plots.  Morty is playing the part of the every-kid, discovering D&D for the very first time.  Going from initial intrigue to being overwhelmed with where to begin, anyone who has played D&D has been in his position.  A good contrast is having Rick actually be interested in mentoring his grandson into this world.  So, we have both essential roles covered, one the novice and one the expert.  It opens the doors for many adventures to come their way.

There is also an extreme amount of D&D references incorporated through the book.  I may not be that huge into the game, but even I recognize the websites, the podcasts, and the themes that are included through the story.  Any D&D superfan is going to be eating this comic series up.  It honestly does not get much geekier than this.

Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons is already high above my expectations.  I knew this would be an interesting read, no doubt, but I had no idea that the story would be this involved.  Really, anything Rick and Morty you expect a lot of satire.  With something like D&D, I thought it would be a lot of making fun of nerds.  To the contrary, this book is a fan service, making D&D look like the amazing adventure it is, and still keeping much of the necessary Rick and Morty humour that we love.  I cannot wait to read the next issue, and if there is any comic that I have reviewed on this site, this is one I would recommend most getting on board with.  Go pick up an issue now, and tell me you don’t want more.