Rick and Morty is one of the most inventive and darkly humoured programmes on TV. Tricking you into a false sense of security with its Doctor Who, Back to the Future-esque jaunt through time and space, it somehow gets away with grotesque and terrifying creatures and horrific violence that takes you by surprise in hilarious ways. So, what kind of warped mind comes up with this stuff? Led by creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon is a team of illustrators, artists and designers who, over the ten-month production for each season, create an eclectic multiverse of characters and backgrounds through which the adventures can unfold. For seasons one and two, the art team was creatively directed by James McDermott, who ahead of Rick and Morty’s upcoming season three launch, has shared some of his sketchbooks showing the birth of many of the show’s creatures and scenery.

“What I love about Rick and Morty is their dynamic, their friction,” James tells It’s Nice That. “Here you have this 14-year-old impressionable boy, and Rick, this belligerent guy that can’t be bothered and is too smart for his own good, and has seen things no one should have ever seen. He takes Morty into his world, and we see it through Morty’s huge, wide-open eyes. And he’s mortified! Throughout the show, Morty grows and gets his own gumption and crawls out of his shell, but Rick sort of stays the same. They’re fire and ice, they rub off each other, and you get comedy gold out of that every time.”

As art director, James worked closely with Justin particularly to develop the show’s playful yet gruesome visuals. “Justin [Roiland] is a serious moviephile, horror fan and sci-fi fan,” he says. “The library in his head, what he can recall, is amazing. He has very specific ideas of what he wants for the characters.” While working on the show, James and the art team would receive the outline script two weeks ahead of the rest of the crew and work with Justin to develop the art for that episode. He refers to the genesis of the Total Rickall episode, where a parasite manifests itself as dozens of new characters claiming to be part of the family, including the now infamous Mr Poopybutthole.