Rick and Morty – Head-Space

Rick and Morty
– Head-Space

Rick and Morty – Head-Space cover

Date| March 30, 2016 (Part 1)[1]
April 27, 2016 (Part 2)[2]
May 25, 2016 (Part 3)[3]
No. of issues| 3 (+2 one-shots)
Main characters| Morty Smith C-132 (Morty'Dyb)
Rick Sanchez C-132 (QuasRick Haderach)

* * *

Rick C-137 and Morty Prime (cameos)
Publisher| Oni Press
Creative team
Writers| Tom Fowler
Pamela Ribon (Ready Player Morty)
Artists|

* CJ Cannon
* Marc Ellerby (Ready Player Morty)
* Tom Fowler (Big Game)
* Mady G. (variant covers)[4]

Letterers| Crank!
Colourists| Ryan Hill[5]
Creators| Justin Roiland
Dan Harmon
Editors| Ari Yarwood
Hillary Thompson
Original publication
Published in| Rick and Morty
ISBN| 978-1-7858-5985-4
Chronology
Preceded by| The Rickfinity Crisis (comic)
Followed by| The Ricky Horror Peacock Show (comic)

Rick and Morty – Head-Space (alternatively stylised as Headspace, without the hyphen) is a graphic novel, written by Tom Fowler (in his writing debut) and illustrated by CJ Cannon, which was released in three parts throughout 2016 by Oni Press, as the third volume of the comic series based on the television series of the same name by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. The only multi-part story arc of the series written by Fowler, following the departure of Zac Gorman, and before the introduction of Kyle Starks,[6] Part One was released on March 30, 2016, Part Two was released on April 27, 2016, and Part Three was released on May 25, 2016, with the collected volume including the one-shots Ready Player Morty and Big Game (The Noble Pursuit of Fair Play), respectively written by Pamela Ribon, illustrated by Marc Ellerby, and released on February 24, 2016; and written and illustrated by Fowler, and released on June 29, 2016.[7][8][9][10]

The series is notable as the last Rick and Morty comic series arc to follow the Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith of Dimension C-132 (who are killed at the conclusion of the storyline),[11] with all subsequent arcs of the main series (with the exception of The Rickoning) switching focus to follow Rick C-137 and Morty Prime, the same versions of the characters from the television series (via the plot element of interdimenstional travel).[12][13] The third chapter of the storyline loosely adapts Dune by Frank Herbert, a concept later revisited in the 2022 spin-off series Rick and Morty Presents: HeRicktics of Rick, with Mortys inspired by both interpretations of Dune later being made available as playable characters in the video game Pocket Mortys.[14][15][16][17][18]

In September 2021, Christopher Lloyd and Jaeden Martell respectively portrayed the Rick and Morty of Dimension C-132 in one of a series of promotional interstitials, directed by Paul B. Cummings.[19][20][21][22]

## Premise[edit]

### Part One[edit]

In a very special issue of Rick and Morty, the family finds RICK'S SEVERED HEAD! Unable to find Morty, they assume both are dead and begin the somber steps of funeral arrangement. Meanwhile, Rick and Morty… have bigger problems.[23][24]

### Part Two[edit]

Rick and Morty are stuck inside the severed head of another dimension's Morty, and things are getting... weird. They still have a narrow chance of saving their own dimension from alien invasion… but only if Morty can get the science right![25]

### Part Three[edit]

Having survived their adventures fending off alien invasions in "head-space," Rick and Morty finally return home just in time for the beginning of the same freakin' alien invasion. Can Rick and Morty stave off this newest, samest invasion? What awful decisions will they be forced to make? How long will this new galactic empire last? (Maybe 80 years? More? Probably somewhere in there).[3][26]

### One-shots[edit]

#### Ready Player Morty[edit]

In this special one-shot, the Rick and Morty of Dimension C-132 go to a Roy-type high school simulation planet that allows the player to accelerate their experiences straight to a diploma in just one day. Rick repeatedly kills Morty's character, forcing him to restart in more and more vicious (and sometimes illegal) high school experiences-until Morty does things the way Rick wants and finds himself on the brink of an intergalactic war. But ultimately Morty will be Morty, no matter what universe or scenario. Meanwhile, in a tribute to Freaky Friday, Jerry and Summer stumble upon one of Rick's unattended experiments and end up body-switching! Summer must find a way to get back into her body before her dad ruins her reputation or her mom rounds second base.[27][28]

The title and plot is a reference to the 2011 science fiction novel Ready Player One.

#### Big Game (The Noble Pursuit of Fair Play)[edit]

In this special one-shot, after being goaded into an argument with Season Two Jerry about the 'noble nature' of hunting, Rick C-137 takes Jerry and Morty Prime to the biggest Game in the Galaxy, where parents bet on their children as they fight to the death in a giant murdertorium! And Morty gets a front row seat (albeit as a contestant)! Will Rick save Morty in time to prevent him competing? Will Jerry manage to elude the space mob? Will Morty find love in the bowels of the arena before it's too late? Probably not.[29][30]

## Development[edit]

Speaking on his "writing stint" on Rick and Morty ahead of its March release in January 2016, in a non-spoiler interview with Paste Magazine, Tom Fowler revealed the arc would be inspired by the first season of Rick and Morty (having then not seen the second season), in particular "Rick Potion #9", and that as the veteran illustrator's writing debut, he would be "carte blanche to do anything, as long as you can come up with some kind of [a] scientific explanation that’s both coherently and comedically relevant"[6] with one issue of Zac Gorman's run additionally providing inspiration for the three-issue arc:[6]

> In one issue of Zac [Gorman]’s that I read all the way through, they're in this alien death maze, and there's only enough charge in the portal gun to get one of them out. Rick gives Morty some kind of excuse and shoves him through. Then there’s this beat where Rick is alone at the end of this maze. It's a silent panel, and you just see how sad and like, existentially alone Rick is. That hit me in the gut, and I said, “Okay, that’s what I'm going for. That's the thing I want to keep. Everything else can be drawn from whatever situations I or my 8-year-old can come up with.”[6]

## In other media[edit]

In September 2021, Christopher Lloyd and Jaeden Martell respectively portrayed the Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith of Dimension C-132 in one of a series of three promotional interstitials, directed by Paul B. Cummings.[19][20][21][22] Several Mortys inspired by Dune-based third chapter of Head-Space (and HeRicktics of Rick) were later made available as playable characters in updates to the free-to-play role-playing video game Pocket Mortys.[14][15][16][17][18]

## Reception[edit]

Issue #  | Publication date  | Critic rating  | Critic reviews  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

1  | March 2016  | 7.9/10  | 5  | [31]
2  | April 2016  | 8.1/10  | 4  | [32]
3  | May 2016  | 8.3/10  | 3  | [33]
Overall  |  | 8.1/10  | 12  | [34]

## Collected editions[edit]

Title  | Material collected  | Published date  | ISBN

|
|
|

Rick and Morty Volume 3 – Head-Space (Trade Paperback) | Rick and Morty #11–15.[35] | September 21, 2016  | 978-1785859854
Rick and Morty Book 2: Deluxe Edition | Rick and Morty #11–20, cover art, extra art, introduction, and an exclusive sound clip of Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith (as originally voiced by Justin Roiland; 2013–2022).  | November 7, 2017  | 978-1620104392

Bob Franco of Comics Verse complimented the "fun adventure with plenty of laughs and imaginative situations" of Ready Player Morty,[36] with Emily Gaudette of Inverse describing Big Game as a "non-enthused novelization of the show",[37] and David Brooke of AIPT Comics complimenting Fowler as "manag[ing] to capture the [concept of] rage and fear so damn well there's no question [what] is a comedically traumatic moment" in depicting the inner rage of Morty Smith.[9]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Schwarz, John (April 7, 2016). "Comics Review: Rick and Morty – Issue #12 – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
2. ^ Schwarz, John (April 28, 2016). "Comics Review: Rick and Morty Comics #13 – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
3. ^ a b Schwarz, John (May 26, 2016). "Comics Review: Rick and Morty – Issue #14 – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
4. ^ Schleicher, Stephen (February 15, 2016). "[Variant] Jesse James Comics lands Rick and Morty exclusive variants". Major Spoilers. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
5. ^ Nevin, Will (April 28, 2017). "The majesty, magic and occasional *urrp* misery of working in the 'Rick and Morty' world: An artists' roundtable". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
6. ^ a b c d Thompson, Barry (January 20, 2016). "Exclusive: Incoming Rick and Morty Comic Writer Tom Fowler Takes Series to Sad, Absurd Extremes". Paste. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
7. ^ Schwarz, John (November 9, 2022). "Review: My Year of Dicks – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved November 9, 2022. "We here at Bubbleblabber know Pamela Ribon best as a writer for a couple of Rick and Morty comic stories including "Summer's Eve" and "Ready Player Morty"."
8. ^ Carrillo, Jaime (September 15, 2017). "Get your wubba lubba dub on with 'Rick and Morty' comics". The Daily Dot. Retrieved September 15, 2017. "Follow Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty Smith as they adventure across the multiverse. With adventure titles like Ball Fondlers Special, Ready Player Morty and Honey I Shrunk the Ricks, you can bet on nothing short of hilarious romps."
9. ^ a b Brooke, David (June 28, 2016). "Rick and Morty #15 Review — AIPT". AIPT Comics. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
10. ^ Schwarz, John (June 30, 2016). "Comics Review: Rick and Morty #15 – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
11. ^ Keough, Robert (November 16, 2020). "Rick & Morty: Where to Start Reading The Comic Series". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 16, 2020. "One major issue when creating a comic book based off an existing, ongoing television show is finding a way to make the plot of the books have depth and weight without affecting the canon of the episodes, or being too crucial that fans that only watch the show will miss out on an important plot point. In an effort to avoid this problem, the creators of Rick & Morty opted to take advantage of the series' multidimensional aspect, having the comics revolve around an alternate Rick and Morty from a different plane of existence than those from the show, well, at least at first. The first two volumes avoid messing with the series' continuity by using these different versions of the title characters, allowing for more creative freedom, however as the popularity of both the comic and the show exploded, the comic eventually shifted [focus]. Starting with the third volume, the comics moved from these doppelgängers back to the original Rick [C-137] and Morty [Prime] from the show. From this point forward, the comics become [the stories of] their off-screen adventures, adding to the canon and beefing out the relationship between the two. Whether reading comics from the first two volumes, or stories involving the main Rick and Morty, the comics follow the same formula. Each issue includes a main storyline about the wacky pair, as well as a shorter secondary story."
12. ^ Thapa, Shaurya (February 9, 2022). "Rick and Morty and 9 Other Comics Based on TV Shows". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 9, 2022. "However, given how the show in itself deals with alternate realities and diverse characters, the writing team used the franchise's [dimension]-traveling premise to establish a new continuity that wouldn't confuse readers. In the first two volumes, alternate versions of the alcoholic scientist and his bumbling [grandson] are introduced. Even though they look and act the same as their TV counterparts, their exploits take place in another dimension."
13. ^ Rangel, Felipe (December 21, 2022). "Rick & Morty Show And Comics Villains Join Forces In New Fan Art Image". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 21, 2022. "The Rick and Morty comics followed a Smith family from a different dimension for the first two volumes before switching focus to [depict] the off-screen adventures of Rick and Morty from the show."
14. ^ a b Connolly, Spencer (November 5, 2021). "Rick and Morty Will Be Venturing To Dune In Upcoming Issue". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
15. ^ a b Valdez, Nick (November 8, 2021). "Rick and Morty Honors Dune With Hilarious Crossover". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
16. ^ a b Saarubba, Stefania (November 9, 2021). "Rick and Morty pokes fun at Dune with hilarious crossover". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
17. ^ a b Spry, Jeff (November 28, 2021). "'Rick and Morty' pays tribute to Dune, Star Wars and Logan's Run in crazy new comics for 2022 (exclusive)". Space.com. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
18. ^ a b Walsh, Michael (November 30, 2021). "Rick and Morty Comics Will Parody Dune, Star Wars, and more". Nerdist. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
19. ^ a b Pulliam-Moore, Charles (September 3, 2021). "Rick and Morty…This Is Heavy". Gizmodo. Retrieved September 3, 2021. "There's nothing all that much going on in the clip itself, but the "C-132" reality designation included in Adult Swim's tweet is a reference to the first two volumes of Oni Press' Rick and Morty comic."
20. ^ a b Denis, Matthew (September 3, 2021). "'Rick and Morty' Goes Live (and Meta) with Christopher Lloyd and Jaeden Martell". The Manual. Retrieved September 3, 2021. "Eagle-eyed fans will notice that the "C-132" reality designation included in Adult Swim's tweet is a reference not to the "main" C-137 Rick and Morty, but rather to characters from the first two volumes of Oni Press' Rick and Morty comic."
21. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (5 September 2021). "Christopher Lloyd Goes Dimension-Hopping as Rick Sanchez in New 'Rick and Morty' Teaser". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
22. ^ a b Guttmann, Graeme (5 September 2021). "New Rick & Morty Live-Action Clip Has Christopher Lloyd Eat a Pickle". Screen Rant. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
23. ^ Wickline, Dan (December 15, 2015). "Another Castle Joins Invader Zim, Rick and Morty In Oni's March 2016 Solicitations". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
24. ^ Hendricks, Keith (March 30, 2016). "March 30th Oni Previews: Rick and Morty #12 and the Oni Press Starter Pack 2016". NerdSpan. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
25. ^ Brooke, David (April 25, 2016). "Rick and Morty #13 Review — AIPT". AIPT Comics. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
26. ^ CBR Staff (May 21, 2016). "Rick and Morty #14". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
27. ^ Casey, Dan (March 3, 2016). "Behold the Rick and Morty #11 Convention Variant Cover (Exclusive)". Nerdist. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
28. ^ CBR Staff (February 22, 2016). "Rick and Morty #11". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
29. ^ CBR Staff (June 24, 2016). "Rick and Morty #15". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
30. ^ Robot Overlord (June 26, 2016). "[Preview] Rick and Morty #15". Major Spoilers. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
31. ^ "Rick and Morty #12 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
32. ^ "Rick and Morty #13 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
33. ^ "Rick and Morty #14 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
34. ^ "Rick and Morty Vol. 3 (2016) Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
35. ^ Muhammad, Latifah (September 2, 2021). "'Rick and Morty': Blu-rays, Books, Games, and More Collectibles to Buy". IndieWire. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
36. ^ Franco, Bob (February 25, 2016). "Rick and Morty #11 Review: New Writer, New Feel". Comics Verse. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
37. ^ Gaudette, Emily (February 25, 2016). "Read Comics: Gore and Old Ladies in This Week's Pull List". Inverse. Retrieved February 25, 2016.

* v
* t
* e

Rick and Morty franchise

Animated series|

* Rick and Morty (2013–present)
* episodes
* Season 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5
* 6
* 7
* Vindicators 2 (2022)
* The Anime (forthcoming)

Comic series|

| Volumes|

* Head-Space
* A Tale of Two Jerries
* Let the Rick One In
* The Rickoning

|

Limited series|

* Lil' Poopy Superstar
* Pocket Like You Stole It
* vs. Dungeons & Dragons
* Go to Hell
* Worlds Apart

Video games|

* Pocket Mortys
* Virtual Rick-ality

Characters|

* Rick Sanchez
* Morty Smith
* Summer Smith
* Beth Smith
* Jerry Smith
* Mr. Meeseeks
* The President

Music|

* The Rick and Morty Soundtrack
* "Terryfold"

Related|

* Gravity Falls: Lost Legends
* The Eternal Nightmare Machine
* MultiVersus

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Frank Herbert's Dune

* Brian Herbert
* Kevin J. Anderson

Original series|

* Dune (1965)
* Dune Messiah (1969)
* Children of Dune (1976)
* God Emperor of Dune (1981)
* Heretics of Dune (1984)
* Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)

Sequels|

* Hunters of Dune (2006)
* Sandworms of Dune (2007)

Prequels|

| Prelude to Dune|

* House Atreides (1999)
* House Harkonnen (2000)
* House Corrino (2001)

|

Legends of Dune|

* The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
* The Machine Crusade (2003)
* The Battle of Corrin (2004)

Heroes of Dune|

* Paul of Dune (2008)
* The Winds of Dune (2009)
* Princess of Dune (2023)

Great Schools of Dune|

* Sisterhood of Dune (2012)
* Mentats of Dune (2014)
* Navigators of Dune (2016)

The Caladan Trilogy|

* The Duke of Caladan (2020)
* The Lady of Caladan (2021)
* The Heir of Caladan (2022)

Films|

* Dune (1984)
* soundtrack
* Dune (2021)
* soundtracks
* accolades
* Part Two (2024)

Television|

* Frank Herbert's Dune (2000)
* Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003)
* Prophecy (2024)

Games|

* Dune
* Dune II
* Dune 2000
* Emperor: Battle for Dune
* Frank Herbert's Dune
* Spice Wars
* Imperium
* Board game
* Card game
* Role-playing game

Other|

* The Dune Encyclopedia (1984)
* National Lampoon's Doon (1984)
* Short stories (1985–2019)
* Songs of Muad'Dib (1992)
* Dreamer of Dune (2003)
* The Road to Dune (2005)
* The Science of Dune (2007)
* Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
* Rick and Morty – Head-Space (2016)
* Rick and Morty Presents – HeRicktics of Rick (2022)
* Lego Dune

Universe|

| Organizations|

* Bene Gesserit
* Bene Tleilax
* Face Dancers
* Fremen
* Honored Matres
* Mentats
* Sardaukar
* Spacing Guild

|

Characters|

* Alia Atreides
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* Chani
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* Margot Fenring
* Feyd-Rautha
* Gurney Halleck
* Vladimir Harkonnen
* Duncan Idaho
* Princess Irulan
* Lady Jessica
* Gaius Helen Mohiam

Elements|

* Arrakis
* Butlerian Jihad
* Spice
* Sandworm
* Technology
* Glossary

* Category

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Mary Rodgers's Freaky Friday

Films|

* 1976
* 1995
* 2003
* 2018

Other|

* 2003 soundtrack
* Stage musical

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Ernest Cline's Ready Player One

Books|

* Ready Player One (2011)
* Ready Player Two (2020)

Films|

* Ready Player One (2018)

Music|

* Ready Player One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
* Ready Player One: Songs from the Motion Picture

Related|

* Ready Player Morty (2016)
* 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back (2017–present)

* v
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* e

Oni Press

* Bob Schreck
* Lion Forge Comics

Publications|

| Original|

* The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius
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|

View Askewniverse|

* Clerks.
* Jay and Silent Bob

Scott Pilgrim|

* Precious Little Life
* vs. the World
* The Infinite Sadness
* Gets It Together
* vs. the Universe
* Finest Hour

Rick and Morty|

* Head-Space
* A Tale of Two Jerries
* Let the Rick One In
* The Rickoning
* Lil' Poopy Superstar
* Pocket Like You Stole It
* vs. Dungeons & Dragons
* Go to Hell
* Worlds Apart

Whiteout|

* Whiteout
* Whiteout: Melt

Oni Press
Entertainment|

| Films|

* Whiteout (2009)
* Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
* Atomic Blonde (2017)
* Extraction (2020)
* Extraction 2 (2023)

|

TV series|

* The Sixth Gun (2013)
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* Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023–present)

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