The next chapter in the latest story arc from Oni Press’ Rick & Morty comic book series hits store shelves Wednesday and this latest chapter is quite the interesting presentation as its story shows. The story, written by Alex Firber, picks up where the story left off in Issue #4 and will be discussed shortly. The art – created by the team of Marc Ellerby, Andrew Dalhouse and Christopher “Crank!” Crank – adds its own touch to the presentation and will be discussed a little later. The dialogue used to help advance the story rounds out its most important elements and will also be examined later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of Rick & Morty Issue #5. All things considered they make this latest issue of Oni Press’ ongoing comic book adaptation of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim series another engaging and entertaining entry in the ongoing franchise.
Rick & Morty Issue #5, scheduled for release Wednesday in comic shops nationwide, is a presentation that fans of the ongoing series are sure to enjoy. That is thanks in part to the twisted story at its heart. Written by Alex Firber, the story featured in this issue finds Rick having to escape from the clutches of Glug Vronsky, who is hellbent on making Rick his friend. Vronsky is so bent on making Rick like him that he is holding him in a prison cell of sorts. Rick manages to escape and eventually meets back up with Morty, who is himself a prisoner, but of a different type. He is being tortured by a pair of sadistic dentists who are ripping out his teeth. His ability to withstand the torture leads the pair to take him to Vronsky, who uses him to try and figure out how to make Rick like him. The whole thing is so bizarrely twisted that audiences cannot help but read the story. Along the way, Firber adds in a sharp dig at the issue of artificial intelligence when Vronsky brings Morty an AI made version of Morty’s love interest Noelle. The commentary about this creation creates its own share of entertainment and engagement. Even wilder is that all of this is taking place inside a giant interstellar dog. Yes, an interstellar dog. It is something that audiences must read to believe. All in all the story featured in this issue of Rick & Morty forms a strong foundation for its presentation.
The story featured in Rick & Morty Issue #5 is just part of what makes it so intriguing. Its artwork makes for its own share of interest. The gory display that Ellerby, Dalhouse and Crank present as Morty is being tortured is hard to look at but one can’t help but look at it, seeing his teen being pulled, still connected by nerve endings, to his mouth. And seeing him become his own version of Rick, complete with the wild hair, is so entertaining in its own right. Knowing Morty is Rick’s grandson, now readers get to see what Morty could look like one day thanks to the group. The AI version of Noelle is another example of the importance of the artwork presented here. The blank, vacant eyes, the overall cartoony look makes her look like something from perhaps one of Disney’s current crop of animated series. The design has that look, and it makes the design so fun to see. What’s more it shows how wild AI can be in creating its own product, so to speak. That it looks so odd and honestly somewhat scary, helps to drive home the argument of the danger of relying too much on artificial intelligence for creative purposes. The overall look of the art in this issue clearly plays well into its appeal and is just one more aspect of what makes the issue work. The overall dialogue also plays into the issue’s success.
The impact of the issue’s dialogue is most audible late in the story as Morty goes absolutely crazy, imagining he is Rick. When Vronsky tells Morty that Rick doesn’t need him anymore and that he is Rock’s friend, that sends Morty over the edge. He goes absolutely crazy, telling Vronsky, “I’m Rick! All the hate! All the anger!” This, as he tries to choke out Vronsky. This is a side of Morty that readers rarely see. Yes, from time to time he does stand up to Rick but for Morty to go this mad is very rare. Staying on the topic of Morty, his discussion with his captors about how he has survived their incredible torture is just as wild. He explains that the survival technique – imagining the pain was happening to someone else – was taught to him by Rick, ironically. There is just something about this moment, Morty’s casual manner of discussing the matter shows the intensity of the pain he has felt. It makes the moment just all the more shocking.
On yet another note, Vronsky’s commentary about AI universes being imperfect is a hard-hitting commentary about the tech that is AI. It is a reminder that humans should not rely so much as we already do on the technology. Even being so brief, it is a strong statement that everyone should heed. This is just one more example of what makes this issue’s dialogue as important as the issue’s art and story. When all three elements are considered collectively, they make Issue #5 of Rick & Morty an interesting overall new issue of the ongoing comic book series.
Rick & Morty Issue #5 is an intriguing new addition to Oni Press’ ongoing comic book series adaptation of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim series. Its interest comes in part through its story, which is a bizarre, twisted tale of Rick and Morty each having to escape their own captors and stopping mad tech genius Glug Vronsky. The whole thing takes place inside a giant interstellar dog. Yes, a dog. The artwork used in this issue plays its own important role in the issue’s overall presentation. The dialogue offers more biting satire about the real world, albeit briefly while also offering plenty of entertainment through lots of weird discussions. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the issue. All things considered they make Rick & Morty Issue #5 another interesting entry in Oni Press’ ongoing comic book series.
Rick & Morty Issue #5 is scheduled for release Wednesday through Oni Press. More information on this and other titles from Oni Press is available at:
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