Comic Review: Rick and Morty #43

Rick and Morty #43

Oni Press

Writers: Kyle Starks, Tini Howard

Artists: Sabrina Mati, Jarrett Williams

Rick and Morty is one of the better adaptations of a movie or TV show to comic book format. They’ve done a lot of stories/jokes that I don’t think would work on the small screen. And we don’t have to wait a couple of years between seasons. In (what I’m calling) a controversial statement (it really isn’t): The Rick and Morty comic is better than the TV show.

With the controversial statement out of the way, Rick and Morty #43 sees a fight between two Ricks. Dick is a cool, hip, friendlier version of Rick, with a skunk-Morty named Farty. The two have been living with the Smith family for a while when regular Rick and Morty return, and the duos fight it out. In the backup story, Rick and Morty continue their quest across the public domain to capture histories copyright free characters.

I find a lot of comics humorous, but this is one of the ones that regularly make me physically laugh. “Dick and Farty” might not be the deepest, most complex joke ever, but it’s funny. The story is pretty straightforward, with the two Ricks fighting for their place with the family. But I think the one issue stories work better than bigger arcs for this series. Kyle Starks really has a good grasp of the characters and makes everything feel like it could be an episode of the show. The art by Sabrina Mati is pretty good. There’s nothing too “out there” for a Rick and Morty setting. It’s the Smith house, and the family looks like the family. I do like the design of Dick and Farty though, a “bro” version of Rick, and Skunk Morty.

Some of the backup stories in the past haven’t been as good as the main story. This “Adventures In The Public Domain” story by Tini Howard is pretty good though. It does a good job of telling a small part of the story in the few pages it has. Rick and Morty are going around collecting DNA from public domain characters. This time, it’s Tom Sawyer. The art is good here, and because it’s on the short side, there isn’t anything notably bad about it. It’s good, but not the best. I like the period piece costumes for Rick and Morty.

At the end of the day, this is a good issue of Rick and Morty. The story is a little straightforward and predictable but makes up for it with humor. The characters feel like themselves, and make the story work. The art is good, without anything notably bad, or even nitpick worthy. The backup story is good and to the point. Which, for the limited pages it has, works in its favor. I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again. If you like Rick and Morty the TV show, you should be reading Rick and Morty the comic. It’s the better of the two.