If you’re among the many waiting for Rick and Morty’s fourth season prepare to geek out hard. While news of the show is still under wraps as the Cartoon Network decides its fate, fans will be happy to learn that an alternative is being provided to make the waiting a little easier.
IDW Publishing, in partnership with Oni Press, announced Sunday that they will be bringing together Adult Swim’s hit show Rick and Morty and Dungeons & Dragons in a new four-issue comic book series set to debut in August of this year.
In a surprising string of connections that seem entirely plausible in the context of Rick and Morty, Prince Edward Island-based illustrator Troy Little (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas comic adaptation) was tapped for the project. He and writers Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicles) and Jim Zub (The Avengers, Wayward) are throwing Rick and Morty into a “high-fantasy adventure”—’cause, you know, travelling interdimensionally to fight otherworldly creatures could use just a touch more of the fantastic.
“I love Rick and Morty™ with a powerful love, and I’ve played D&D since the 5th grade,” said Patrick Rothfuss. “So when they approached me about writing a story with both of them together? That’s some serious you-got-chocolate-in-my-peanut butter $#!& right there. I’m in. I’m all the way in. I’m gettin’ that chocolate all up in the peanut butter. Like, deep in. All the way in. It’s going to be sticky and delicious.”
So, obviously Rothfuss is qualified to write for the part.
Little is no lightweight either. The Summerside-born, Charlottetown-resident artist has received nominations for Eisner Awards—the comic industry’s version of the Oscars.
“I was that guy in class who spent more time drawing then doing my work. Around grade 12 I was informed I had to make some choices about my future and with my only skill being art I decided to apply to Sheridan College in Ontario,” says Little.
Little has since spent the better part of the last two decades working in comics and animation. He self published a book called Chiaroscuro, which was later collected into a hardcover graphic novel from IDW, followed by two Eisner Award-nominated Angora Napkin books, also published through IDW, and he began working with the Cartoon Network on titles like The Powerpuff Girls. His most recent claim to fame has been the comic adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s modern classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
“The “Fear & Loathing” adaptation was a real trip,” says Little. “I love that book to begin with and am a huge Hunter Thompson fan. I still can’t believe my luck getting to do that book.
The publisher and I agreed from the get go that there’s no imitating Steadman. Don’t even attempt it. So for me it was a matter of just trusting myself that my own interpretation would sit comfortably alongside the original novel and the film without feeling like a derivative knock-off. My #1 goal was to not screw it up and try to do justice to the book. Thompson fans are rabid and I’m sure a number of them would lynch me for going near this book. Luckily the reviews came out positive and the threats have died down.”
Last year, in the midst of other working on other projects one of Little’s editors at IDW reached out to gauge his interest in working on a “Rick & Morty / Dungeons & Dragons” crossover mini-series.
“Hell yeah, but at the time I was locked into a storyboard gig and could only offer cover work. The project was bumped and delayed so long that my gig ended and when I got back in touch with her they hadn’t settled on an interior artist yet. I jumped on it and they like my work. The hard part has been keeping quiet about it for so damn long!”
The team are keeping details of the Dungeons & Dragons crossover pretty quiet, but Little hints that writer Jim Zub may have let some secrets slip.
“The Dungeons & Dragons crew is letting Pat and I open a Pandora’s Box of insane adventure material and iconic creatures from the granddaddy of all tabletop role-playing games,” said Zub. “I wish I could say we’ll take good care of it, but, the simple truth is, this is Rick and Morty™ we’re talking about. No fantasy world or otherworldly plane of existence is safe.”
Analyze that for whatever it’s worth.
The comic is still in the stages of having its character designs worked out as Little mashes Rick and Morty into traditional D&D character roles. We’re betting that means Rick is a Chaotic Neutral Wizard who flips the board to become the Dungeon Master once he gets tired.
In the meantime, Little is brushing up on his own skills as a Dungeon Master to get into the swing of things.
“I used to play in high school and read a lot of the books “back in the day”. A few months ago my kids expressed an interest in trying it out so I picked up a starter set to refresh me on how to play. A few session in and the kids are having a ball and I’m remembering how much fun it is!”
So does Little have any knowledge of what’s happening with season four?
“Ha! No comment…. I’m in the dark as much as anyone. I have a buddy who works at Cartoon Network. How much money have you got for bribes?”
While we still have to wait until August (which is almost certainly sooner than we’ll see any new episodes) Oni has been publishing Rick and Morty comics for a while, so you can still get your fix. They just won’t be Dungeons & Dragons related.