Review: RICK AND MORTY: KINGDOM BALLS #4

The conclusion of Rick and Morty: Kingdom Balls has finally reared its metatextual head, and the world we live in is just a little bit better off because of it. This comic only had a run of four issues, but it packed a whole lot of storytelling into those four issues. Rick, Morty and Jerry, as a band of ‘Ball Bladers’, fought their way through all the primary narrative kingdoms – Man v Man, Man v Nature, Man v Society, and now, finally, Man v Self.

Writers Josh Trujillo and Ryan Little obviously had a lot of fun bringing this ripping adventure to fruition. The titular testicles dangling from the swords of Rick, Morty and Jerry may make one think that ‘Kingdom Balls’ is nothing more than penis-themed piffle, but there is actually a smart, sensitive story hiding behind those scrotal swords. This is a straight-up quest narrative, with all the trimmings. Everybody learns things and develops new skills as they move from kingdom to kingdom in their collective effort to defeat Rick’s evil ex-boyfriend – the handsome and disturbed Julio. Even Jerry finds a little bit of purpose by the end of Kingdom Balls! 

Illustrator Jarrett Williams and colourist Hank Jones have created a visual feast with these story worlds – it would be great to see any of these characters in Halloween costume form come October. It’s very easy to picture a nine minute Youtube tutorial on how to make your own Ball Blade out of high density foam. 

As always, the various variant covers are a real delight, but this month’s Variant of the Month Award has to go to French illustrator Nicolas Hitori De’s contribution. It’s simple and slightly silly – just look at the distance between the eyes of each character! But it also somehow evokes the aesthetics of the poster of an early Miyazaki film. There is also some subtle symbolism going on with the placement of Rick’s hands that is particularly enjoyable. Nice work, sir!

The Rick and Morty franchise, as a whole, tends to be more than just a little bit cynical – every time a character goes on a journey, it tends to be a one-way trip to Jaded Town. And that’s kind of the whole point of Rick and Morty. – it subverts the standards of storytelling in a way that appeals to our darker nature. Our heroes delight in hurting others, and they find catharsis in choosing not to care. 

Of course, there are moments of earnest sincerity that do crop up every now and then, but those tend to be the times when a character has achieved a level of despair so deep that the only thing with enough strength to escape it is the truest sorrow. Rick and Morty also has moments of pure, unadulterated joy, but that joy is almost always spurred by berserker violence and the freedom that so often accompanies total nihilism. We, as fans of the show, have come to expect stories that start with something complicated happening that tends to end with the addition of yet another scab to the already scarred hearts of our unloveable anti-heroes. 

What we least expect from Rick and Morty is a story arc where everybody ends up just a little bit better off through hard work and soul-searching. And that’s what makes Kingdom Balls so refreshing – it subverts our expectations of having our expectations subverted, and, in doing so, delivers something truly beautiful. Check it out!