Comic Review: Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons Chapter II: Painscape #1

Overview:

The Summer family is enjoying the bond they developed during their first foray with Dungeons and Dragons by watching D&D TV. However, Grandpa Rick ruins all the fun, destroying the television and pointing out that the day before the world was not obsessed with the roleplaying game as it seems to be presently. Rick is concerned that everything is being affected by something that is causing D&D to be more popular than it should be.

Taking Morty with him to get to the bottom of things, Rick ends up in a dimension of his own creation. The world is a D&D map that he had created much earlier in his life. The duo ends up captured by Rick’s own former characters, who have released the spell that infected the world with D&D-mania. Now with Rick sent to the Tomb of Horrors, the characters are now attempting to control his dimension starting at the Smith’s home.

Our Take:

Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons is back, baby! It’s no lie that we love our Rick and Morty comic books here at Bubbleblabber, but this title was a shockingly pleasant surprise. What could have been a book that failed to capture the lore of both franchises ended up being a heartfelt admiration. Feel free to recap our reviews of the brilliant mini-series by following the link, here. As the epic crossover wrapped up, it was expected that that would be all. We had our fun, and things would move on to other exciting projects. But, co-author, Jim Zub, had other plans, putting together another run that all starts right here. And we couldn’t be more excited.

One of the things that made that first mini-series so exciting was that it was co-written by one of the biggest names in fantasy, Patrick Rothfuss. The legendary novelist helped to bring these worlds together, and also brought his own fanbase. Understandably Rothfuss was not involved in this follow-up project. But, no worries, as we are in the capable hands of Zub, who pours a lot of passion into these books. In fact, earlier this year, I had the chance to talk to the writer off-record about these titles, and his love for the franchises is beaming. And, with his partner not involved, Zub did not miss the chance of having Rothfuss appear in the book with a prominent cameo near the beginning. Hopefully one day we will get to see these two authors have a real game of Rick and Morty themed D&D.

Chapter two of Rick and Morty’s adventures in D&D has a much different beginning than the inaugural run. While the tone remains the same, thanks to the cartoons quirky humour, the story is entirely original. No longer are we following an uneducated Morty as he learns the ropes of the role-playing game. Instead, we are thrown into a world where D&D is popular enough that it influences everyone’s daily lives. Of course, the only one that would notice that there is anything wrong with that would be Rick. However, it is his own creations that are causing the issues to begin with. So, in place of an introduction to the game and it’s workings, chapter two may be more about the creative fun that goes into character design and worldbuilding. Which could be a lot of fun.

This adventure takes the different approach where these characters are not being thrown into simulations any more. This is their real-world. In place of becoming powerful beings, they are still going to be the weak humans that we know. Going forward this could mean that they find bravado in who they are, as Summer’s foreshadowing of archery lessons suggests. Or, they are going to be trapped in a world in which they are powerless. And, with Rick caught in a tomb at the conclusion of this first issue, it means the Smith’s are going to have to overcome some serious obstacles.

All in all, this is an excellent start to what should be another brilliant series. Unfortunately, this time around expectations are much higher than they were. The first issue of the original run was surprisingly brilliant and exciting. This time around the first issue is a lot of setup. Which hopefully means a lot of pay-off in the end. Thankfully, the issue is rich with Rick and Morty humour, the characters are written as well as the first, and Rick will be playing a more significant role. I cannot wait to see how this title plays out, and if you haven’t read chapter one, now is the time to do it. The adventures are only going to get bigger and badder from here.