Rick and Morty, Vol. 4

Rick and Morty (2015)

by Kyle Starks, Marc Ellerby, C.J. Cannon (Contributor)

The hit comic book series based on Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland s hilarious [adult swim] animated show RICK & MORTY continues!
Catch up on the adventures of degenerate genius Rick Sanchez and his bumbling grandson Morty as they explore the outer reaches of time, space, and morality. This volume features Eisner award nominated writer Kyle Starks (Sexcastle) in collaboration with series artist CJ Cannon in a three-issue story of interplanetary drug rings and star-traveling pickup artists. Also included is "Rick Burn, Dude," drawn by artist Marc Ellerby, in which Rick and Morty take a germaphobic planet by storm, a totally swole one-shot drawn by Kyle Starks, and hilarious backup comics about the whole family!"

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Humor, Adventure, Comic Book, Fantasy

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2017

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just saying. I would write the hell out of a Rick and Morty story....

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume ends on a low note but I already know it picks up a lot in issue #21. Also, if you love Meeseeks like I do then you're going to enjoy their inclusion in this volume.

Individual issue reviews: #16 | #17 | #18 | #19 | #20

Total review score: 3.4

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

"No one is special. We're all just bags of water and meat trying to keep the species alive." - Rick

It was ok!

A few good adventures with Rick and Morty and a few not so good and a chore to read after awhile. Mostly decent artwork with the classic art from the show. A few good jokes, but overall an ok read that's forgettable.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of stories this time around, including a touching (yeah-right!) holiday tale.

Dammit, Jerry! Why do you exist?

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun graphic novel that fans of the TV show will surely enjoy!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like getting additional episodes of the series. Looks and feels exactly like the tone of the show. Plus more Meeseeks!

Received an advanced copy from Oni and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Taha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick 10 numaraydı:)

[Ashly Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synopsis

What can I even say to sum up the Rick and Morty comic issues in this collection? Hmmm. I guess I’ll just say that if you’ve ever watched the show, you know exactly what you’re in for.

Rick and Morty, Vol. 4 by Kyle Starks, Marc Ellerby, Cj Cannon, Ryan Hill, and Katy Farina

★★★★½
Genre: TV Show Based/Science Fiction/Satire
Release Date: February 2017
Source: Free Review Copy via Netgalley
On My Shelf: Sadly (literally so sadly) No

How do I even put into words how much I loved this comic?

No, but seriously, how? I’ve been a Rick and Morty fan for a while now which caused me to jump on the opportunity to read this volume when I saw it on Netgalley. I squealed when I was approved!

I haven’t read the previous comics/collections in this series, but I had no problem diving in with this one. That also means, though, that I was a bit leery when I scrolled to the first page of this collection. I, of course, wanted to love this, but I was afraid I wouldn’t. But, then again, it’s on volume 4, I told myself, so the artists have to be doing something right…right?

Right.

I found myself seriously smiling, heck, even often laughing out loud at how awesome these comics were. The artists definitely captured the essence of the show perfectly. With each comic I felt that I was actually watching an episode of the show–the comics were honestly that on point.

I’m not really sure what else to say about this comic volume besides I’m so thankful that Netgalley and the publisher provided me with a review copy of this because I enjoyed every second and every page. I picked up the latest issue at the comic book store last week and can’t wait to read more of this series!

I definitely recommend this book to any and all fans of the TV series. This was well worth the read.

Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Ashly Reads.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my rating. All thoughts are and remain my own.*

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fine. The three-parter is definitely good to see something build on a foundation of new ideas.

I want to like this book more, but Rick & Morty the show set such a high dopamine threshold that “good” R&M stories feel flat and derivative. Doesn’t help that these stories are grounded in frequent callbacks to stuff that’s already been explored in the show, without deepening the meaning of the thing.

Kinda wish the creators in this book were given more license to invent new mythology. Who knows, maybe they were, and I’m just being a spoiled baby for wanting every gag to be distilled through a writers room.

[Evans Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

A massive step up in quality from the previous volume. After the confusing, cluttered mess that was Volume 3, Volume 4 is a blast from start to finish. Recommended.

[Mariana Anaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I guess family will do whatever it takes to get their family back. Even crazy stuff”.

This is the best volume so far! 🤩

[Waqim · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Hey, I'm Mr Meeseeks. Look at me!!"

This has Mr. Meeseeks and I'm happy with that much. The story was a little on the down side of the graph compared to the other volumes. Worth a read through.

[Pamela (Here to Read Books and Chew Gum) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Rick and Morty there's not a lot you won't like here. It's like another three Rick & Morty Episodes in book form. What's not to like?

[Lör K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free copy provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review

Rating: 4 / 5

Publication Date: 15th February 2017
Review Date: 01st April 2017

I heavily enjoyed the first section of Rick and Morty Vol. 04. I just recently finished both series of the show and I’ve been looking for more to read, and coming across this on Netgalley was brilliant.

The Ricky Horror Peacock Show

This was an absolutely brilliant story. I loved this one. It’s total Rick and Morty and ran as smoothly as an episode of the show would. Morty tells Rick that he has to be less selfish and should use his science knowledge for good, and then, of course, Rick becomes Rick.
The plot wasn’t totally guessable, some parts were, but not all of it, which I count to be important in graphic novels like this. Rick, Morty, Summer and Jerry were all seamless and it was wonderful to see in this. My only qualm is that this section ended with an unanswered question that is likely going to annoy me later on. The Ricky Horror Peacock Show is getting four out of five stars.

New Rick City

This was hilarious, but I feel that the sectioning of Volume 4 broke the story up. It’s slightly annoying to see that, and not be able to immediately dive into the rest of it, but the second part of it is ready to be downloaded – it’s not a massive problem. This was a good story. I enjoyed reading Rick seeming to be selfless, only to turn out he’s being extra selfish – I can’t believe I expected anything else from Rick. New Rick City is getting 4 stars of five.

The artwork in this felt a little bit like a let down. Morty, Summer, Beth and Jerry were all drawn perfectly, but Rick just didn’t seem to be as seamless as the other four. It stuck out like a sore thumb and made it hard to fully focus on the graphic novel. Other than this, it was brilliant, and I found it highly enjoyable.

Desperately Meseeking Ruin

The return of the Meseeks! It was great to see them back again after seeing Meseek and Destroy in the show, and it was wonderful to see a little Easter egg from the show itself. This was another brilliant story about Rick and Morty. Summer standing up to douchebag men (girl power, you go girl), and Rick’s smooth jokes all add up to the perfect story. This was a brilliant continuation of the story going through volume four and I’m giving this story five out of five stars.

Rick Burn, Dude

This was another brilliant instalment in a new Rick and Morty story. Phones talking out loud, robot sentience and serious germaphobes. I love the aliens we meet every instalment, it’s a brilliant look into alien world and it shows such beautiful imagination. I have no idea how people keep coming up with these ideas for Rick and Morty, I really don’t. The characterisations in this were absolutely perfect and I just love how petty and nonchalant Rick is. This one is definitely getting five out of five stars from me.

Again, my only qualm is that Rick’s drawings don’t seem to be so fluid and smooth, where as everyone else seems to be perfect, but, rubba-lubba-dub-dub, it’s a brilliant instalment to the volume and it’s definitely made me want to read on and read more of it!

Morty Bounce to the Ounce

First of all, the artwork in this story is horrifying. It isn’t smooth at all like the rest of the small stories in this volume. It was very offputting, and I was tempted to skip this story at page two of it. However, I read on and this was actually a really good story. It’s been a while since Morty got a story centred more around him, rather than Rick and this was great to read. However, the artwork was really annoying and was hard to focus on so this individual story is getting 3 stars from me.

Bonus Shorts

These were brilliant! I laughed way too hard at way too many of these. They were perfect. Everyone’s characters were spot on, the artwork was great, and the short plots were all wonderful. I’d love to see full fledged ones of these in the future.

Overall, I’m giving this 4 stars out of five because this was wonderfully wicked and I definitely want to read more of the Rick and Morty comic book series because of this volume.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

It'd been five years since I read or watched any Rick and Morty, but I recently got going on the show again, so I thought I'd check out the comics too, especially since Kyle Starks takes over as the writer this volume, and I've enjoyed a few of his creator-owned graphic novels this year.

Rick's up to his usual amoral shenanigans: dealing drugs, spiting friends, and tormenting Morty. The stories do a pretty good job of matching the tone of the show, and that's all you can ask of a media tie-in like this.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Part One. The Ricky Horror Peacock Show / Kyle Starks, writer; CJ Cannon, illustrator -- Part Two. New Rick City / Kyle Starks, writer; CJ Cannon, illustrator -- Part Three. Desperately Meeseeking Ruin / Kyle Starks, writer; CJ Cannon, illustrator -- Rick Burn, Dude / Kyle Starks, writer; Marc Ellerby, illustrator -- Morty Bounce to the Ounce / Kyle Starks, writer and illustrator -- Bonus Shorts / Marc Ellerby, writer and illustrator [Don't Look a Gift-Horse in the Rick -- Pocket Mortys -- Mecha Morty -- Jerry Decoy Model -- 'Twas the Night Before Rickmas]

[Saif Saeed · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Rick and Morty. The humour is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer’s head. There’s also Rick’s nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation- his personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realise that they’re not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Rick & Morty truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn’t appreciate, for instance, the humour in Rick’s existential catchphrase “Wubba Lubba Dub Dub,” which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev’s Russian epic Fathers and Sons. I’m smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Dan Harmon’s genius wit unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools.. how I pity them. 😂

And yes, by the way, i DO have a Rick & Morty tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It’s for the ladies’ eyes only- and even then they have to demonstrate that they’re within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand. Nothin personnel kid 😎

[Yuno · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[DaViD´82 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zatímco první alba byla aspoň z ranku zbytečného přívěsku, který sám za sebe sice nefungoval, a sázel čistě "že fanouškům to bude stačit", ale jakžtakž to ještě obstálo, tak zde už neplatí ani to. Čistý výškrabek bez jakéhokoli náznaku snahy, nápadu. Humor je čistě v recyklační záchodové rovině, žádná sofistikovanost, hravost, punk. Nic tomu nedává ani překlad, který se snaží být za každou cenu zajímavý. Opravdu je třeba si v rámci překladu neodpustit hlášku "pro kámoše Tetsua"? To jsme v době nadšeneckých překladů náctiletých sobě a nejbližším pro radost z počátku devadesátek.

[Alex Sarll]

Having recently binged on the first series of the hilarious, scabrous cartoon about a drunk mad scientist and his schmuck grandson, I thought I might as well take a look at the comics tie-in, because the quality of such things is way up these days. Part of which lies in hiring the right talent, and they've excelled here; Sexcastle's Kyle Starks writes most of this, with art largely by Marc Ellerby, both of whom are perfect fits for the show's smart-dumb, cartoon-grotesque feel. The main story fits in piss-takes of both Doctor Who and Breaking Bad, plus a gun which shoots bees; one of the shorts even manages to find a use for idiot paterfamilias Jerry. Well, almost. If you're jonesing for more of the show, this should certainly tide you over, and what sentiment could be more Rick than that?

(Netgalley ARC)

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Rick and Morty Vol. 4' was something I read because I know little to nothing about this animated series. I've seen the characters, but I don't have cable and I haven't tried to look them up online. It's funny if a bit weird and crude.

In this volume, Morty convinces his grandfather Rick to use his powers for good and create medicine that will benefit the world. This means killing a flying creature that is the last of its kind. This also turns Rick into a very wanted drug lord. How he gets out of this is pretty funny. Also, Morty wants to be muscular and Rick does it, but warns about the side effects, which turn out to be pretty gross.

I don't know how true these feel to the series, but since the creators are linked to the book, I have to imagine that they are. Over the issues included in this volume, the art style varies a bit, but it's passable. There are bonus short stories included. I have another one of these to read, but I don't know if I'm a fan yet.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't want to say much here, as Rick and Morty is the most fun when personally experienced. Most of the Volume involves the typical hijinks:
- Morty helps Rick do something he finds morally wrong (this time harvesting drugs)
- Summer goes off on her own adventure (this time with a intergalactic lothario, who gets very upset when says they are "just friends")
- Rick uses something crazy to get them out of trouble (this time a massive amount of Mr. Meeseeks, who were being used as drug runners early in the story)
- Jerry says something stupid and Rick tries to fix it, only causing more trouble (this time making a perfect dad Jerry bot)
- Rick does something even worse to Morty (this time using Morty as a host for tons of diseases so he can help his friend escape from imprisonment)
- To make up for it, Rick helps out Morty with something he wants, which always backfires (this time giving Morty tons of "muscles" so Jessica will like him)

All in a typical day for Rick and Morty, but still very funny and a good read. Recommend.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main story arc is fantastic, mean-spirited Doctor Who references and all.



Big letdown here was a one issue that breaks away from the traditional art style. "Morty Bounce to the Ounce" confused me, it felt like fan fiction and I don't understand the change in art style, it was distracting.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review is for the first 5 volumes in the main line.

The spirit of the series is captured, but the art is inconsistent to the point of being disconcerting between some issues, reducing the overall enjoyment of the series.

[Alex Memus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like writing of Starks at all. It's not funny and dark w/o a point. Not 2 stars only for the sequence with hip-hop in background. I turned on the music and it was funny to read.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

re-read

[James Francisco Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked it.

[Emily Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Fort Vancouver Regional Library for bringing the bookmobile to my school and for carrying Rick and Morty Volume 4 on said bookmobile.

Rick and Morty is a hilarious animated show on Adult Swim that I have not been able to watch in years. Because children. And also no TV.

The premise of the show is that Rick, the grandfather of the family and Morty, his grandson, travel to other dimensions. Rick is a perpetually inebriated genius who is always scheming and getting the pair in trouble. Morty is not as bright and not as assertive and so often ends up being Rick’s patsy.

Morty also has a mother, Beth, who is a successful veterinarian and a father, Jerry, who is a failure who takes a lot of abuse from the family. His sister, Summer, is a lot more savvy than Morty.

On their adventures, Rick always has an ulterior motive that he is dragging Morty into. While Rick is often shown to have extremely poor morals, he ends up saving the day, and on occasion being kind. When it serves him.

In this volume, Rick tricks Morty into helping him form a drug ring. At the same time, Summer is going through a bad breakup and joins them on a trip only to be picked up by a bad actor. There are several stories within this volume that connect and a few that don’t.

It was a fun, sarcastic, dark humor read.

Would I teach this book? Based on the genre--it being an additional written volume to a cartoon show--probably not. However, it is an excellent example of how to make a TV show into a comic book. The characters seem true to their television selves, the plotline does not disrupt the TV plotline but also does not feel inconsequential. And, perhaps most importantly, it is funny, gross, and weird at all the right times. So, perhaps if I were to teach a course on graphic adaptations of cartoons (wouldn’t that be quite the alternate reality) I might very well include this volume.

[Jack Mercer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first arc is fine. Theres some decent comedy but honestly I didn’t laugh much at all, the meeseeks were probably the highlight. The story kinda feels a bit too much like previous stories in this comic, and there was no overly interesting ideas. I guess the Indiana jones parody was semi funny, and the summer story was fine but it was also kinda eh. Both Rick and morty also act very out of character in this, I didn’t mind it in the previous comics due to it being alternate versions but these are meant to be C-137 and they act a bit too selfish to fit in the show. The next chapter is by far the best issue of this entire series so far. I was consistently laughing from beginning to end, the comedy is so tightly written and fast paced. The best part is definitely the sentient household appliances but the disease stuff is just as hilarious. Final short story has a really weird art style that I’m pretty mixed on. That aside, the story is pretty good but definitely not as good as the last chapter. The story feels very Rick and Morty and the twist on how the device works is a mix of disgusting, clever and hilarious. The ending of the comic is really toxic in Rick and Morty fashion, but still somewhat sweet. It’s definitely not a bad chapter and it feels very in tune with the show, but it’s still not anything too amazing. The shorts are also really damn good in this issue, both Jerry shorts are fucking hilarious and the pocket morty one is both really interesting and entertaining. Honestly this is by far the best volume of the bunch, it’s biggest draw back is really those first 3 chapters which are by no means bad, but just leave a lot to be desired and aren’t that funny. I really hope this is a sign that the next issues will be more consistent.

[liv !! · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked part 2! That was really fun and wholesome.. in a way. Although the bit with morty being infected with the deadliest diseases is funny but also really insane😭. All of his rambling on and on about how he’s about to die is insanely valid, and the bit where he can’t fight in the giant mech thing for the life of him is pretty valid too, it makes Rick sound crazily toxic 😭 which is true but yk it’s played off for laughs in these.

Oof, oh yeah I did NOT like the art style in the morty basketball chapter. It feels too unserious and really made me appreciate the art style in previous chapters. Some genuinely have perfect expressions that are in the essence of the Rick and morty pilot animation. The basketball chapter art style is just so funny looking, and not in a good way. I think that’s the best way I can describe it right now. I also didnt really enjoy that chapter but I liked the ending. A lot of what was in that chapter repeated a lot of concepts the show or comics already covered, which was pretty lame, it seemed like the person who wrote and drew the chapter wasn’t putting a lot of effort into it.

There were some quotes and bits that I really liked, I think the reference to pocket mortys is really cool!!

So I don’t know, I have mixed feelings and thoughts all over the place, kind of like this volume. So I like it, and I don’t, but I like it enough to reread for the parts I do like. Yippee! I think

[Douglas · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I've read volumes 1 - 6 plus the one set in a pocket dimension and I plan on finishing them in case they improve or some piece of vital R&M lore is brought to light. In the mean time I will simply copy and paste this review for all the books.

The truth is that these books aren't written nearly as well as the tv show. The prime example is story about Jerry from doofus Rick's universe (I think in volume 4). This Jerry is hyper competent, even to the point of being able to beat C-137 Rick, but that is largely due to C-137 Rick acting like a complete idiot. When C-137 Rick meets "doofus" Jerry C-137 Rick doesn't use his intelligence at all, he simply physically attacks "doofus" Jerry repeatedly. As a result C-137 Rick gets his butt kicked repeatedly and gives up. C-137 Jerry eventually does something stupid that accidentally saves the day. Moronic. As was all the pocket universe stuff involving Ricks setting Morties to fighting each other. As was everything else in these books. There seriously is not one worthwhile story in any of these books and the only reason they are getting even two stars is because of the reflected value from the tv shows.