Carl Roberts 
Carl gets to grips with the stunning exhibition artwork found in the new Rick And Morty book from Titan Books
Let me get this out of the way early. I haven’t seen one episode of the Rick And Morty show. Not even a second of it. I am aware of the premise but for some reason, I haven’t got round to seeing any of it. Despite this, I peeled off the cellophane from the book to see exactly what it contained and to see what I had been missing out on.
Rick And Morty: Show Me What You Got | By Gallery 1988
The book showcases the work of the 1988 Exhibition. Opened in 2004 on the corner of Melrose and La Brea, the gallery became the world’s first pop culture art gallery. When a new piece has been showcased, they have upwards of 2,500 people in attendance. Many celebrities have adored the artwork hanging on the gallery’s walls and the gallery has partnered with several high-interest properties such as WWE, Star Wars and Marvel Studios in displaying official artworks for them. The book encompasses work of 64 different artists throughout its pages. Starting with a foreword by James Mcdermott, a self-confessed 41-year old Rick and Morty nerd and married father of two whose entire wardrobe are filled with Rick and Morty clothing, we move along at a brisk pace, admiring the artworks the pages contain.
We begin with a piece by Anthony Petrie. It is of the character of Rick, his brain filled with all the people and creatures that Rick has to tolerate and deal with on a daily basis. Accompanying the piece is a question and answer-filled page, getting the artist’s motivations and concept ideas and getting him to reveal his reasons for creating the piece. Near the bottom of the page, we see small close-ups of the piece plus a 3D composition of the framed artwork. Accompanying each work of art is a small bio of the contributing artist and a small reveal of their portfolio.
As we go through the pages and view each piece of artwork, we see differing styles emerging. 3D renderings leap out of the pages to meet us. Storyboard style artwork makes us stop and look. Sketchbook artwork appears before receiving its colourful rendering. Old school pulp artwork assaults our eyes and senses. Classic advertising artwork makes us smile. Three colour, hand-pulled, screenprint grabs our attention as we move forward. Classic old school 1970s animation style give us a throwback to a simpler time. Psychadelic art draws us in and makes us look more closely. Classic throwback 1950s magazine-style brings us a nice sense of yesteryear. Block art that is masterfully created astounds us. Classic portrait painting style artwork makes us stop and appreciate the pieces even more. Issac Asimov style artwork makes us turn the pages and our heads as we make sense of what’s on view. And Monty Python style animation brings the viewer a thrill.
The book showcases the work of all the artists really well. Every piece is reprinted and represented to a glorious standard and some are complete standouts. For the uninitiated like myself, we can look at the works and marvel at the complexity and effort that every artist has put into them while not being 100% sure who or what we are looking at. For the fans out there, they will instantly recognise the characters and places depicted here and cannot help but be happy and impressed with what the book contains.
At the back of the book, every piece is reprinted again although to a smaller standard in the artist’s gallery. It is here that the reader can once again look upon the wonderful artwork contained, this time without any headers or additional photos to draw their eyes away from the artwork and allow them to indulge in the vibrant colours and impressive contours every artist has included in their work.
Final Thoughts:
My opinion is the book will appeal to the fans, art lovers and design students. Anyone studying art or has an interest in animation styles, drawing techniques and portrait painting will get a kick out of it and can’t go wrong if they make a wise choice and pick up a copy of this book. I can see why there is a gallery out there that are showing this kind of art and why it is so popular. It’s almost like being in a gallery that specialises in showing and selling comic book art. Many places are open around the world and many different people from different walks of life can’t help but admire the art that adorns the walls and windows. This is the crowd and the people the book is catered for and as a whole, is a triumph.
Rick And Morty: Show Me What You Got by Gallery 1988 is published by Titan Books and is available to buy NOW!
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Carl Roberts is a Senior Staff Writer and Books and Literature Correspondent for Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Indiana Jones and Horror movies. Follow him on Twitter @CarlRoberts2 where he uses the force frequently!
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Editors Note: A big thank you to our friends at Titan Books for sending over our advance review copy.
Future of the Force News Editor,Liverpool F.C fan,Halloween Movie Fan, Friday The 13th movies fan, Star Wars Fan, Star Trek Fan.
