Warning: contains a preview of Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu #1!As a franchise, Rick and Morty is known for its nihilistic perspective and biting comedic style, which leaves no science fiction franchise or trope unskewered. Now, in a new preview for Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu #1, the cynical scientist is winkingly tearing his own franchise to the ground.
There is no such thing as sacred when it comes to Rick and Morty, and all properties are fair game to be humiliatingly deconstructed by Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith’s adventures throughout space and across realities. In fact, the very concept of the show itself began as a lampoon of Back to the Future’s Dr. Emmett Brown and Marty McFly. Even beyond that, Rick and Morty have parodied everything from Jurassic Park to the MCU, and Rick often does this with a wink and a nod to the audience, who he's actually aware are following along through the fourth wall.
Now in Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu, by Jim Zub, Troy Little, Leonardo Ito, and Crank!, the titular grandfather and grandson duo are not only taking on Lovecraft and Cthulhu, but are going out of their way to show some brutal self-awareness. In typical Rick fashion, the scientist explains that the Smith house has become infested with “mythos molecules.” He goes on to explain that fictional franchises build up credence through excitement and cultural awareness which often leads to, “bad merch, lame commercials, and soulless crossovers with fast food restaurants, video games, or tabletop RPGs…” On the surface, Rick is describing pop culture's obsession with Cthulhu, but it is also immediately obvious that he is also referring to his own franchise, which has done commercials for several fast food franchises, and multiple Dungeons & Dragons crossovers.
Rick and Morty Takes Itself Down
The franchise calls itself out frequently, especially in the comics - with a whole miniseries titled Rick and Morty: Corporate Assets - and the creative team are clearly ready to tackle fan cynicism over this much-anticipated crossover. Check out a preview pages for Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu #1 below, as shared by CBR.
Rick and Morty has taken part in self-aware commercials for Wendy's, Pringles, Playstation, Old Spice, Carl’s Jr., Instagram, and more. They have famously crossed over with shows like The Simpsons and even made an extended cameo in Space Jam 2. There was an entire comic series was written about Rick’s obsession with Dungeons and Dragons which lead to a full-blown playable D&D box set that featured him and the Smith family as characters. And, of course it is hard to forget how Rick and Morty convinced McDonald’s to bring back its discontinued Szechwan sauce. All of these examples tie back to Rick’s analysis of Cthulhu's spotlight in pop culture, which is why Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu makes a lot of sense. It is only proper that this comic series doesn’t shy away from criticizing the mythos of Cthulhu or the cultural milieu that has surrounded the Old God in recent decades.
In that way, Lovecraft’s monster is akin to Rick himself, not only because they are both representative of an unfeeling and unknowable universe, but also because both Cthulhu and Rick and Morty have become shameless pop culture icons used to sell everything from comic books to chicken nuggets - something Rick and Morty won't be ignoring as its characters dive into the Cthulhu Mythos.
Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu #1 will be available from Oni Press starting on December 7, 2022.
Source: CBR