Review – Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: The Meeseeks Adventure #1 (IDW Publishing)

Posted on February 20, 2022 in IDW Reviews

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Jim Zub
Artwork: Troy Little
Colors: Leonardo Ito
Letters: Crank!
Release Date: 9th February 2022

Whilst there are arguably few followers of the animated television series Rick and Morty who haven’t fast become fans of the blue-skinned humanoids universally known as Mister Meeseeks, Jim Zub’s decision to pen an oversized one-shot starring them somehow battling their way through Gary Gygax’s role-playing game likely had many of them scratching their heads in utter bemusement. Indeed, this comic’s opening unsurprisingly depicts the short-lived ‘task completers’ as mindless Djinn successfully achieving the physical burdens meted out to them by a couple of fairly unimaginative, low-level thieves; “Carry that sack of loot back to town.”

Happily however, “The Meeseeks Adventure” soon shows just how badly misused a Meeseeks Box can be when Crinious Ravenscry takes a shine to her partner-in-crime’s brand new Keltar-leather boots and asks for her own pair. The sheer hilarity which then ensues is tremendously well-penned by the Canadian author, and few within this book’s audience will be able to stifle a genuine belly laugh as Blodgette Blaggard fights to keep his footwear intact – at least until the shocking moment when the determined Meeseeks turns homicidal in pursuit of his goal.

The rogue’s disconcertingly brutal downfall really is incredibly impactful, and establishes an increasingly dark-humoured theme which eventually turns the lonely Meeseeks into such a dangerous killer that even a trio of die-hard adventurers ultimately turn their back on the now foul-smelling, heavily-bearded creature before it leads their increasingly battle-weary party to a ghastly end. This ‘snowball effect’ makes for an enthralling read, especially once the bulbous headed creature summons an army of his own people and, following a tremendous attack upon an adult Blue Dragon, subsequently storms Castle Kludgemire in an effort to seize the King’s crown.

Delightfully, the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Award-winner’s thirty-page script is made all the more amusing by some terrific tongue-in-cheek pencilling by Troy Little. The cartoonist does a tremendous job of showing each individual Mister Meeseeks wearing their respective hearts upon their sleeves, so as to ensure each member of “the cobalt-coloured death” all display their own unique personalities. In addition, the animator seems to have the perfect sense of timing when it comes to a character being ‘dispatched’, with both the demises of Ravenscry and the Castle’s Royal Guardsman doubtless catching many a bibliophile completely off-guard.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]