Looks like my suggestion worked: Rick and Morty #4 is a ton of fun owing to its brisk pace.  Telling at least one self-contained story per issue is the way to go for this title. The one-shot stories at the end of each issue of Rick and Morty have far and away been the best part of the comics so far (so much so that I recommended buying issue 3 solely on the basis of the mini comic at the end).  It's just a fact with this animation style that longer stories that require serialization are better suited for the cartoon.  If they aren't going to push the envelope on how they illustrate this series in the comics, then the single story, one-shot format of Rick and Morty #4 is the way to go.

The issue even features a callback to a certain feature of one of the earlier issues, and I really enjoyed this.  Why?  Because it proves that they can keep this one-shot thing going while still adding to the richness of the world of Rick and Morty in the comics.  If they continue to deploy features of previous issues then, eventually, they might actually build up to something which justifies a story spanning multiple issues.

I'm hard on Gorman and Cannon for bringing these characters straight to the page as if it were the cartoon, but it simultaneously deserves a great deal of praise: anybody who watches the television show will instantly connect with these characters.  More praise, I think, is due to colorist Ryan Hill and Crank! (that's Chris Crank with one of the best pen name's in the biz) on the letters.

More than anything else, Hill's colors often set the scene and denote changes in mood and setting.  Yes, it's the function of his job: but he does it very well, and he is bringing most of the personality that these stories have as comics.  Additionally, Crank!'s lettering often serves a comedic role that needs to be filled due to the lack of sound.

I still would like to see this comic push the boundaries and offer a fresh visual interpretation of these characters and locales; but, if this creative team continues to crank out one-shot stories that are this entertaining, it's worth buying, especially if you enjoy the show.

Score: 4/5

Rick and Morty #4 Writer: Zac Gorman Artist: CJ Cannon Colorist: Ryan Hill Publisher: Oni Press Price: $3.99 Release Date: 7/22/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital