It’s safe to say Mr. Poopybutthole is one of the most inane yet strangely hilarious characters that have come out of pop culture in the last few years. To give him his own series may be a stretch, but that’s why we’re here to answer the question: is it good?
Rick and Morty: Lil’ Poopy Superstar #2 (Oni Press)
So what’s it about? The Oni summary reads:
Mr. Poopybutthole lets Summer Smith in on an industry secret: that being a huge TV and movie star isn’t what it’s cracked up to be! He should know after all, seeing as he was this dimension’s biggest Lil’ Poopy Superstar until he mysteriously went missing! Together Summer and Mr. Poopybutthole must work together to avoid savage fans, sneak into buildings undetected, and get back onto the big screen. Meanwhile, Rick Sanchez and Jerry Smith go on a pleasant inter-dimensional road trip!
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Why does this book matter?
We get to learn the true backstory of who Mr. Poopybutthole is (and maybe see how he mends his relationship with the awful Sanchez/Smith family) plus there’s a backup story by Marc Ellerby. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first issue, but this series has potential as it promises to reveal more about this strange character.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
How cute.
Writer and artist Sarah Graley infuses this story with just enough cutesy crazy to pull off the humor throughout. I can’t say I laughed out loud much, but there’s definitely an audience for this book. A lot of the humor generates from Mr. Poopybutthole’s name, as well as his mannerisms, but when the violent attack montage kicks in you can’t help but laugh. Summer’s need to coddle and love Mr. Poopybutthole (she calls him PB probably because it becomes tiring to read his full name) is cute too. We also get to see more of the world he’s from, though the reason why he’s so beloved is still a mystery.
There’s a backup that involved Rick and Jerry getting ice cream that’s endearing and it’s good at reminding us Rick is one crazy bastard. Marc Ellerby writes and draws this one and it looks and feels a lot more like the show than the main story does.
It can’t be perfect can it?
Once again, I can’t say the main story is all that funny. It seems to be repeating itself in the humor department, and it’s also moving along way too slowly which makes it hard to care about any of it. We’ve yet to really see or understand Mr. Poopybutthole’s world, which is the most fascinating part of this series thus far.
Graley captures PB very well.
Is It Good?
A so-so main adventure with a fantastic backup by Marc Ellerby makes this a skippable experience. This series has yet to prove why it needs to exist though it’s obvious there’s a story in there somewhere.
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