Rick and Mortyis one of the most popular adult animation franchises in recent memory, which should come as no surprise, as the series expertly mixes smart jokes with potty humor, intense action with heartfelt drama, and serialized storytelling with episodic adventures. It seemsRick and Mortyhas something for everyone who watches it. And the best part? The adventures of the titular Sci-Fi adventurers aren’t limited to the original animated series (orthe newRick and Mortyanime), but continue in comic books.
Oni Press has been publishingRick and Mortycomics for nearly a decade, both in the form of a 60-issue series, and separate limited series/one-shots. These comics are not only wildly entertaining, but they alsoexpand onRick and Morty’s established loreimmensely. Sometimes the comics flesh out characters and relationships that were neglected by the animated series, and other times they introduce all-new elements that fans who have only seen the show would never even know about. Out of them all, these are the10 bestRick and Mortycomic book momentsthat TV fans totally missed!
“Have You People Never Heard of Diminishing Returns?": For Its Tenth Anniversary, Rick & Morty Officially Surpasses the Original ‘Pickle Rick’
Rick and Morty’s ‘Pickle Rick’ is one of the most beloved gags in the history of the franchise, and now, the series has absolutely outdone itself.
10Rick and Morty Reveals the Origin of Baby Cthulhu from the Opening Credits
Rick and Morty vs Cthulhuby Jim Zub and Troy Little
Everyone who’s seen an episode of Rick and Morty has also seen the part in the opening credits when Rick, Morty, and Summer are inside Rick’s ship flying away from Cthulhu with a baby Cthulhu inside the ship with them. This moment was never given any context in the show, yet persists as one of the permanent scenes in the opening sequence throughout the series. Then, in Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu, fans are finally given some background on the scene.
After battling Cthulhu and other Great Old Ones,Morty is impregnated with a baby Cthulhuin order to usher in a new era for this pillar in cosmic horror at a later time. However, Morty seemingly grows attached to his child, so when Cthulhu comes for it, Morty refuses to give it up - and Rick and Summer help him.
9Forget Jessica, Rick and Morty Comics Give Morty an Even Better Love Interest
Rick and Morty#2 by Alex Firer and Fred C. Stresing
Morty is famously infatuated with Jessica throughout theRick and Mortyanimated series, but it was always clear that they just weren’t right for each other. Firstly, Jessica never really liked him, and secondly, they have absolutely nothing in common, meaning any hope of a genuine relationship is out the window. While Jessica isn’t right for Morty, the series did introduce someone who is: Noelle Goldenfold.
Noelle is the niece/sidekick of a Mr. Goldenfold from another universe who’s just as smart as Rick.During Rick’s brief skirmish with this Goldenfold, Morty meets Noelle, and they hit it off immediately. Both are the sidekicks of dimension-hopping geniuses, and both have experienced major trauma as a result. While it didn’t last, the Rick and Morty comics gave Morty a much better love interest than Jessica.
81 Beloved Rick and Morty Side-Character Becomes a Multiversal Villain: Noob-Noob
Rick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators#1 by J. Torres and CJ Cannon
Noob-Noob made hisRick and Mortydebut in the season 3 episode “Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender” as an alternate Vindicator who the other members would never give a chance. While his spirits remained high in the episode (especially after a touching tribute from Rick), it seems Noob-Noob was harboring some major darkness because of this rejection - and theRick and Mortycomics explore it by introducing fans to Noob-Noob’s evil alter ego: Boon.
Noob-Noob becomes a parody of Marvel Comics' Thanos, as he’s collecting cosmic artifacts that are basically Infinity Stones to take over the universe. In trueRick and Mortyfashion, the entire comic is a gag on superhero comics, though it’s also an interesting expansion of a side-character’s shockingly fascinating story arc.
7Rick and Morty Didn’t Get Rid of All the Mr. Meeseeks, & 1 Went Completely Mad
Rick and Morty: Crisis on C-137by Stephanie Phillips and Ryan Lee
Perhaps the most iconic episode ofRick and Mortyin the series' existence (besides maybe ‘Pickle Rick’) is the season 1 episode “Meeseeks and Destroy”, as that episode (as the title suggests) introduced the fan-favorite Mr. Meeseeks. In the episode, the Meeseeks famously lose their minds over Jerry’s inability to follow their golfing instructions, which meant they were forced to continue to exist long after they were supposed to. By the end, Jerry finally got it, and all the Meeseeks happily blinked from existence - except one.
The last Meeseeks from “Meeseeks and Destroy” figured that his true purpose was to kill Rick, so he gathered every major villain fromRick and Mortyto launch an attack on the Smith Family. This comic is an awesome continuation of a fan-favorite episode, and a cool look at what happens to a Meeseeks when he’s not allowed to die.
6Rick and Morty’s Jerry Becomes a God & Steals Marvel Comics’ Most Brutal Line
Rick and Morty Presents: Jerryboree#1 by Grace Thomas and Gina Allnatt
The most brutal line of dialogue ever uttered in Marvel Comics has to be when Scarlet Witch said, “No more mutants”. Wanda used her abilities to eradicate mutantkind, and the words she uttered to do so are still some of the most iconic ever spoken in Marvel Comics to this day - andRick and Mortygave an identical line to Jerry.
He utters his own version of Scarlet Witch’s spell, “No more Jerrys”
When a Jerry takes a field trip to Blips and Chitz with his fellow Jerrys from their multiversal daycare, he wins enough tickets to receive a ‘god pill’, which turns him into a literal god for ninety seconds. Within that time,Jerry sees all the suffering endured by Jerrys across the multiverse,and he utters his own version of Scarlet Witch’s spell, “No more Jerrys”, killing every Jerry in his immediate area - which alone makes this comic worth reading.
5Rick Finally Finds a Nemesis Who’s Just as Smart as He is: Mr. Goldenfold
Rick and Morty#1 by Alex Firer and Fred C. Stresing
As previously mentioned, there’s a version of Mr. Goldenfold in theRick and Mortymultiverse who is arguably just as smart as Rick, and that Goldenfold makes his presence known to Rick upon trying to take over his universe and fold it into his own version of Rick’s Central Finite Curve. While Rick is a master of science and invention,Goldenfold is an unparalleled mathematician, who uses equations to learn every secret of the universe- including multiversal travel.
While their rivalry was short-lived, it was still really cool to not only see another character who could rival Rick (especially in the clever way of highlighting math over science), but that the character in question was the variant of the famously dim-witted Mr. Goldenfold.
4Rick’s ACTUAL Arch Enemy isn’t Rick Prime or Mr. Nimbus… it’s Butter-Bot
Rick and Morty 10th Anniversary Specialby Alex Firer, Fred C. Stresing, and Dean Rankine
WhenRick and Mortyfans think of Rick’s all-time greatest nemesis, they’ll likely think of Rick Prime or even Mr. Nimbus, as they have been established as two of Rick’s arch enemies in the show. However, as confirmed in this comic, neither of them are Rick’s actual nemesis, as that honor (apparently) goes to Butter-Bot. Butter-Bot was first introduced in season 1, a little robot Rick invented on-the-fly whose purpose it was to pass the butter.
Honestly, if anyone was going to become a villain, it makes sense that it was Butter-Bot,as he was immediately dissatisfied with the reason for his existence, and now, it seems he’s finally doing something about it. Butter-Bot’s story is actually a pretty great arc, and easily one of the most unexpected character developments from the show to the comic.
3Rick and Morty Confirms Pickle Rick was More than Just a Gag, but Rick’s Strongest Form
ThisRick and Mortycomic reveals that ‘Pickle Rick’ was far more than an iconic gag, but was actually Rick’s strongest form in-canon (and it has nothing to do with his Rat Mech Suit). When Rick and Morty were helping the Vindicators take down Boon, Rick decided to recruit a few super-powered people he knew, and one of them was a Pickle Rick from another universe. ThisPickle Rick had access to what was known as the ‘Sour Force’,granting him untold cosmic power - and, apparently, every Pickle Rick shares this connection.
While he didn’t use it upon his debut (at least, not obviously), Rick C-137’s Pickle Rick could have tapped into the otherworldly power of the Sour Force just like the Pickle Rick variant introduced in this comic, and it wasn’t until this comic thatRick and Mortyfans learned that to be true.
2Rick and Morty Reveals the Real Reason Rick is So Afraid of Mr. Nimbus
When Mr. Nimbus was introduced as Rick’s nemesis in season 5, everyone - fans and in-world characters alike - immediately thought that was strange. Mr. Nimbus is like a bad Namor parody, a character who should be related to a forgettable gag at best - what is he doing being Rick’s nemesis? While that alone is basically the whole joke, there’s also a canonical reason for this, and it’s primarily due to Nimbus' secret ‘blood-bending’ power.
In this issue,Nimbus manipulates all the water in Jerry’s body to swell up in his brain until his head explodes, as Nimbus has the ability to control all kinds of water, including that within the human body. In other words, there’s really nothing Rick could do if Nimbus actually decided to kill him, and Rick respects/fears that enough to make Nimbus his actual nemesis.
1Rick and Morty Comics Introduce a Rick Prime/Evil Morty-Level Threat: Doofus Jerry
Rick and Morty#21-23 by Kyle Starks and CJ Cannon
Doofus Jerry invaded the Citadel of Ricks, developed a Rick-killing toxin to take them all down
Rick Prime and Evil Morty are easily the two greatest villains inRick and Mortyhistory, though there’s another villainous Smith Family variant that belongs right there beside them: Doofus Jerry. Contrary to what his name would suggest, Doofus Jerry is actually a brilliant and ruthless businessman who practically took over his world. Once he learned about interdimensional travel from Doofus Rick (hence his moniker), Doofus Jerry invaded the Citadel of Ricks, developed a Rick-killing toxin to take them all down, andruled over the Central Finite Curve.
Doofus Jerry is a villain that deserves to be in the animated series, as he’s truly as great a threat as the likes of Evil Morty and Rick Prime. However, even if he doesn’t, Doofus Jerry will remain a prime example of why everyRick and Mortyfan should read the comics, along with these other 10 moments that fans missed if they didn’t read the comics.
Rick and Morty
Cast
Rick and Morty is an animated science fiction series that follows the eccentric scientist Rick Sanchez and his impressionable grandson Morty Smith as they embark on perilous adventures across space and alternate dimensions. The show explores the impact of these exploits on Morty’s tumultuous family life and personal challenges.
