New In Hardcover: Rick And Morty Vs. The Universe — Plus Rick And Morty: The End #5 and C2E2 Round Up

Hi, all.

On sale now in hardcover—

The author, pictured for some reason.

The Collected Rick And Morty Vs. The Universe (2025 - 2026)

Incredibly proud of this work — with amazing art by the dynamic and consistently mind-blowing Jarrett Williams, gorgeous colors by the endlessly impressive Alessandro Santoro and tie-ins co-written by me from all-star writers Jody Houser, Jake Black, and Alex Firer — reuniting with longtime Rick And Morty artist partner, Fred C. Stresing. But don’t take it from me, take it from publishers quoted by me. Via Oni Press and Simon & Schuster

MOVE OVER, BIG BANG! GET WRECKED, BIG CRUNCH! GALAXIES COME AND GALAXIES GO, BUT OUR PLANE OF EXISTENCE HAS NEVER FACED ANYTHING AS CONSEQUENTIAL AS . . . THE FIRST-EVER RICK AND MORTY COMICS EVENT!

From the deviant psyches of comics mastermind and multiple Emmy Award–nominee Daniel Kibblesmith (Loki) and artistic annihilator Jarrett Williams (Speed Force), this summer's seven-part countdown to the end of everything that was, is, and will be begins with . . . a bachelor party that gets a little out of hand?

Rick’s old buddy Dimension C-137 (where Rick and Morty Cronenberg’d Earth) has reached his UNIVERSAL HALF-LIFE and is getting MARRIED—to the female-presenting embodiment of the Parmesan Dimension! He's found true love and wants his old pal Rick to plan his bachelor party! WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Answer: Pretty much everything . . . and it is all Rick's fault! Now Rick and Morty are on the run from EVERY SINGLE UNIVERSE THEY'VE EVER MESSED WITH—meaning, no matter what dimension they escape to, the universe will literally be against them. And, to survive, Rick will be forced to something he hoped he would never have to do—a last resort of EPIC PROPORTIONS!

DON'T CALL IT A CRISIS! The FIRST RICK AND MORTY COMICS EVENT in one EPIC volume, featuring Rick and Morty vs. the Universe #1–4 alongside three event tie-in one-shot issues featuring Summer, Jerry, Beth, Space-Beth, and Morty! Wubba Lubba Dub DUB!!

If you’ve ever watched the famous TV show Rick And Morty, or enjoyed any of my other comics, or follow me online and are curious about the jokes I write not-for-free — this is a big one for me. It’s the hardcover culmination of the first Rick And Morty Comics event from Oni Press, comprised of one four-issue cosmic epic, and three equally epic tie-ins.

It would mean the world to us if you picked it up here or from a local bookseller or comic shop near you. Read it and comment below to let me know what you think.

(And if you enjoy it — the follow-up hardcover Rick And Morty: The End is right around the corner.)


Also On Sale Now:

Rick And Morty: The End #5

Cover A by Dave Bardin

This is a good one. I tasked myself and subsequently Jarrett with an insanely challenging premise — essentially doing a locked room mystery version of Twelve Angry Men as a twenty-page comic book. Jarret’s pacing, choreography and overall visual storytelling in this issue is truly masterful and Alessandro’s colors turn it into a psychological noir and battle of wits that adds so much complexity and tension (and comedy!) to the script — I’m eternally blown away by these guys and grateful to be working with them.

Via Oni Press

From the twisted mind of @daniel.kibblesmith (Loki, Darkwing Duck) and the unceasing brush of @jarrettwilliams (Super Pro KO!) comes a mind-bending, body swapping, courtroom disaster of Rick and Morty proportions!

Rick Sanchez, the smartest man in the universe, is on trial for his life, and his latest tactic to avoid the gallows is to swap bodies with one of the jurors! But just to keep them guessing, he swaps EVERYONE’s bodies! How long can he evade capture trapped in a room with 12 angry, uh, humanoids? It’s literally a who’s who of the Rick and Morty universe! GET IT?!

🌀DON’T MISS THE END OF ‘THE END’ ON 5/13🌀

#rickandmorty #rickandmortycomics #onipress #getshwifty

The hashtags don’t work on my website, but I thought they were funny so I kept them. Pick up Rick And Morty: The End #5 digitally or from a local comic shop near you.


C2E2 2026 Round Up

Sweet home? CHICAGO? It’s more likely than you think.

Hail to the King.

Thanks to the con for having me, had fun, met fans, and sold a fair amount of books, which is great, because when they’re not in your hands, they’re in my garage — one assumes performing a more depressing version of Toy Story.*

Watched Cubs opening day on the flight in (went bad), met a Vote Loki, met a Low Key, met a very hardcore Darkwing Duck, my dad cosplayed as Tom Baker Doctor Who and I finally hit Red Hot Ranch. You can see most of this in the photo gallery above (I did not take a picture of Red Hot Ranch, but I thought about it). Look for cameos from Eric Lindberg (as Bilbo Baggins) and Andrew Rostan (as Andrew Rostan).

See you next year? Maybe! I’m pretty tired at any given moment.


Coming To Paperback And Hardcover

Darkwing Duck: Year One, Part One

Let’s get dangerous with our wallets.

Cover by Darkwing Duck creator, Tad Stones.

I wrote these for now-adult 90s kids to read with their 2020s kids. It’s working at my house. But don’t trust my child (ever). Trust this other publisher — Via Dynamite:

HE PUTS THE "ABLE" IN "UNRELIABLE NARRATOR"!

He is the terror that flaps in the night! The fowl that felons most fear! A legend in his own time (and his own mind)! He is... DARKWING DUCK!

But how did this avian exemplar develop his redoubtable reputation? What lessons did he learn in his early days of crime-busting and foe-foiling? His legion of fans (or, at least, his adopted daughter, Gosalyn) want to know - and DW is more than happy to tell her the whole (possibly embellished) story in this unauthorized (and unorganized) autobiography!

Acclaimed author DANIEL KIBBLESMITH (Black Panther vs. Deadpool) and the double-headed art team of TED BRANDT & RO STEIN (The Mighty Captain Marvel) return to the rooftops of St. Canard for an all-new tale that revisits (and revises) Darkwing Duck's formative years.
Collecting issues #1-6 of the high-flying series, Darkwing Duck: Year One, Part One also includes a complete cover gallery featuring iconic imagery from BRANDT & STEIN, MARK BAGLEY, NICOLETTA BALDARI, CIRO CANGIALOSI, and TAD STONES - creator of the original Darkwing Duck animated series!

Preorder it directly from Dynamite here or call your favorite local comic shop or bookstore now.


Currently Playing

“Enhance, stop. Move in, stop.”

On a big Blade Runner kick lately, and was astonished to find out that people hold this game in high regard. Given how relatively little Blade Runner expanded media there is (which I do feel is for the best) I was very excited to learn that the licensed tie-in computer game was actually good. This is the “enhanced” version, but the first thing I did was turn off the graphic smoothing because, at my age, 90% of this exercise is pixel nostalgia.

I got my digital copy for the Switch (1) on sale for $2.49 (sale ends 4/15/26). I don’t receive a commission for sales links, this ain’t Wirecutter. I just care about you.


*How do you do a more depressing version of Toy Story?


Rick and Morty: Forever, Darkwing Duck hits bookstores — and more.

Hi, all.

I went ahead and wrote the last Rick And Morty comic.

Cover by Troy Little

At least, the last one from Oni Press, the publisher that has held the license for the past ten years and put out many, MANY Rick And Morty comics by creators like Kyle Starks, Tini Howard, Marc Ellerby, Tom Fowler, Zander Cannon, Jim Zub, Nick Filardi, CJ Cannon, Jake Black, Jody Houser, Meg Casey, the team of Alex Firer and Fred C. Stresing both together and separately — honestly too many to list here. But only one writer was so unapologetically awful that they could be trusted to destroy this comics line once and for all, and I was not a hard man to find.

Artist, Troy Little, was probably a harder man to find, because he is enormously talented and therefore enormously busy. Together, along with the whole Oni Press gang, we bring you the epic 48 page series finale Rick And Morty: Forever. If you’ve been watching this space (or following the comics) you know that myself, Jarrett Williams, Alessandro Santoro and company have been torturing Rick and Morty through two epic, cosmic, universe-spanning (and universe-fighting) miniseries: Rick And Morty Vs. The Universe and Rick And Morty: The End. So what comes after The End? It’s like the blue guy says, “Nothing ever ends.” And then he showed his penis and became god. Via Oni Press:

How do you punish the smartest man in the universe?

Show him everything—everything—he’s ever wanted to know or see, and afford him no power to do anything about it,” reads the Oni Press release. “Rick Sanchez, the destroyer of worlds. Now he sits in endless observation of all there is to see, tortured by cosmic impotence, the ultimate expression of ‘go to your room and think about what you did.

But in his endless torment, Rick realizes that a fate of unspeakable horror also awaits his unwitting companion: his grandson, Morty. Can Rick save the soul of the only being that ever stood by him through all his indiscretions? Can the transformative power of love give rise to the triumph of the human spirit? Or is everything just #@$%@?

Find out by pre-ordering Rick And Morty: Foreverdigitally or from a local comic shop near you.


Coming To Paperback And Hardcover

Darkwing Duck: Year One, Part One

Let’s get dangerous. And let’s get more durable.

Cover by Darkwing Duck creator, Tad Stones.

The only downside to writing Darkwing Duck stories in a print medium is that you don’t get to hear the theme song, which is why I’ve been trying to get into your house at night, so I can personally soothe and thrill you with it. Since you’ve been pretending you didn’t see or hear me (how dare you), I am thrilled and soothed to announce that the first paperback collection of our Darkwing Duck comics from Dynamite Entertainment will soon be appearing in a cloud of smoke in a comic shop or bookstore near you.

Via Dynamite:

HE PUTS THE "ABLE" IN "UNRELIABLE NARRATOR"!

He is the terror that flaps in the night! The fowl that felons most fear! A legend in his own time (and his own mind)! He is... DARKWING DUCK!

But how did this avian exemplar develop his redoubtable reputation? What lessons did he learn in his early days of crime-busting and foe-foiling? His legion of fans (or, at least, his adopted daughter, Gosalyn) want to know - and DW is more than happy to tell her the whole (possibly embellished) story in this unauthorized (and unorganized) autobiography!

Acclaimed author DANIEL KIBBLESMITH (Black Panther vs. Deadpool) and the double-headed art team of TED BRANDT & RO STEIN (The Mighty Captain Marvel) return to the rooftops of St. Canard for an all-new tale that revisits (and revises) Darkwing Duck's formative years.
Collecting issues #1-6 of the high-flying series, Darkwing Duck: Year One, Part One also includes a complete cover gallery featuring iconic imagery from BRANDT & STEIN, MARK BAGLEY, NICOLETTA BALDARI, CIRO CANGIALOSI, and TAD STONES - creator of the original Darkwing Duck animated series!

These are all-ages comics for the whole family (honestly designed, by me, for millennial parents to read with and to children) — so if your floppy Darkwing Duck comics are already officially graded as 10.0’s and perma-bound in Lucite, here’s an opportunity to give a sturdy volume of Darkwing comics to a kid who is allowed to throw it in their backpack, leave it in their tree house, and overall read it to shreds.

Preorder it directly from Dynamite here or call your favorite local comic shop or bookstore now.


On Sale Now


Coming VERY Soon!

Strip Law on Netflix!

Set your reminders now and follow the official Strip Law Instagram account for more extremely funny clips and trailers like this one.


Currently Reading

I’ve been pushing Adam Becker’s More Everything Forever like I get a cut. We already know that billionaires are ignoring real world problems and their own roles in them by hyperfocusing on an impossible A.I. fueled pipe dream future in space, but it’s cathartic to hear a very smart person make an accessible, yet definitive case for why it’s all bullshit. Pick it up right now.


Okay, seeya.


'Strip Law' trailer, Mad Magazine, Rick and Morty and more.

Hi, all.

Here’s the trailer for Cullen Crawford’s new animated Netflix comedy Strip Law.

Via Netflix:

Uptight lawyer Lincoln Gumb, who is too boring to win cases in Vegas, teams up with local magician/hedonist Sheila Flambé to bring some flash and pizzazz to the stupidest cases the city can throw at them.

I am one of the writers for this show and it is the best job I have ever had. It took some of the smartest, funniest, most good-hearted people on Earth to make something this unapologetically weird and funny and unflinchingly human and all I can compare it to is the earlyish seasons of The Simpsons that inspired us (among other things, like other great comedy and life’s daily punishments and horrors).

I’ve known and worked with Cullen for twentyish years (oh no), and he is the secret or not-secret mind behind much of the comedy you’ve enjoyed in that time — and this is what it’s all been building toward.

Strip Law drops February 20, 2026. Click here or search ‘STRIP LAW’ on Netflix to set your reminders now. And if you’re reading this in the future, which literally all of you are, after you watch Strip Law, click “RATE THIS TITLE” and the double-thumbs-up “LOVE THIS!” icon to tell Netflix’s algorithm you want season two.

Unbelievably, I am not joking. This is important.

DO NOT GIVE STRIP LAW A ONE-THUMBS UP. This is not a joke. For reasons that were not made clear to us, but are real, ONE thumbs up is actually bad for the show’s metrics. TWO is good. Am I supposed to be revealing this information? Unclear. Does it matter? Not really, because Strip Law is going to be your new favorite television program and you’re going to want to give it as many algorithm-boosting thumbs up as possible.


Just Announced:

MAD About DC

Ask your Mom to take you to the grocery store, because Mad Magazine is back — in D.C. Comics form.*

Cover by Chip Zdarsky

When I received an e-mail from Chip Zdarsky with the subject line “MAD!!!” — I assumed he was mad. Either at me, for the many horrible things I’ve said about him over the years and the ways I’ve quietly worked to impede his career. Or, alternatively, that he had gone “mad” the way King George was mad —mentally unstable and peeing blue according to a movie I saw in grade school.

It turns out it was a little of the latter, because Chip had just been named the editor (sort of like a “king”) of a new Mad Magazine send-up of D.C. comics and he wanted me to script a story for it. I did not end up finding out what color his urine was.

I was not a Mad Magazine reader growing up (more of a Disney Adventures kid), but I am a comics and cartoonist fan/dork so it’s only a matter of time before I point my face down into the exploded Chernobyl reactor that is Mad Magazine’s history of showcasing creators like Al Jaffee, Sergio Aragonés, Wally Wood, and their professional peer starting now — me.

Mind you, I did not draw this comic story myself, and I’m not sure I’m allowed to say who did, but if you’ve been following my other comics output, you won’t be surprised or disappointed. You might, however, be angry (MAD?) that it was limited to one page, because — Jesus Christ, look who all they got for this thing:

Via D.C. Comics:

DC is proud (and slightly concerned) to announce MAD About DC, a 64-page one-shot arriving April 1, 2026. Yes, April 1. And no, this isn’t a prank—unless you count letting Chip Zdarsky run this thing as its Guest Editor a prank on the DC Universe itself. You’d have to ask Chip.

“They say at DC there’s nowhere to go but down after writing Batman, and, yeah, it’s true,” said Zdarsky. “It’s very true.”

MAD About DC brings together an all-star lineup of writers and artists to lovingly roast, parody, and generally make a mess of the characters fans hold dear.

“This project embraces the spirit of MAD Magazine in the best possible way,” said Marie Javins, DC’s Editor-in-Chief. “MAD has a long tradition of sharp, fearless satire, poking fun at everything, including DC, with real wit and craft. When Chip pitched a project that would roast the DC Universe, it was clear he could assemble the right team. These creators know our characters inside and out, which is why they can twist them in ways that feel both surprising and smart. That kind of playful irreverence is what MAD does best.”

Inside MAD About DC, readers will find:

• Sergio Aragonés with “A MAD Look at Comic Book Stores”

• Jim Zub & Ramon Perez teaming for “Guy vs. Spy”

• A brand-new DC Fold-In by Charles Soule & Ryan Browne

• A parade of MAD-style parodies skewering the DC comic books you love, and a few you’ve always hated anyway, from Kyle Starks, Dave Johnson, Tini Howard, Mattie Lubchansky, Mark Waid, Ty Templeton, Rainbow Rowell, Vita Ayala, M.L. Sanapo, Mark Russell, Steve Lieber, Jeff Parker, Lukas Ketner, Gerry Duggan, Scott Aukerman, Mitch Gerads, Joanne Starer, Joe Quinones, Scott Snyder, Josh Williamson, Deniz Camp, Gail Simone, Colleen Doran, Joe Kelly, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Ryan North, Erica Henderson, Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Mariko Tamaki, Riley Rossmo, Al Ewing, PJ Holden, Shannon Wheeler, Leah Williams, Isaac Goodhart, Cody Ziglar, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Daniel Kibblesmith, Brandt & Stein, Casey Gilly, J. Bone, Skottie Young, Andrew Wheeler, Stephen Byrne, Colleen Coover, Benjamin Errett, Matt Fraction, Kagan McLeod, Lee Gatlin, Joseph Starkey, Graham Roumieu…and more?!

Whether you’re a lifelong MAD Magazine fan, a DC diehard, or simply someone who enjoys watching respected creators make questionable choices, MAD About DC promises to fulfill your every comic book dream…or at least three or four of them.

MAD About DC goes on sale April 1, 2026, wherever comics are sold. No whoopee cushions included. The issue features a main cover by Dan “MAD About Gluten Labeling Because It Should Actually Be Clearer or Else What’s the Point” Panosian ($7.99 US), cardstock variants by Simon Bisley and Chip Zdarsky ($8.99 US), and a foil variant by Panosian ($10.99 US).

Call your local comics shop to reserve a copy now — and/or find one to start patronizing regularly, it’s good for the community, the arts, the business I’m in, and the soul.


On Sale Now!

Rick And Morty: The End!

On sale now from Oni Press — the epic six-part conclusion event to the Rick And Morty Oni Comics Universe! Will this be THE END of RICK AND MORTY? YES! That is LITERALLY the TITLE!

Cover by Dave Bardin

The incredible artist Jarrett Williams and the whole Rick And Morty Vs. The Universe team follow-up the first ever Rick And Morty comics event with the last ever Rick And Morty comics event!

Via Oni Press:

OUT OF THE SMOKING RUINS OF RICK AND MORTY VS. THE UNIVERSE, THE OMNIVERSE’S MOST DYSFUNCTIONAL PAIR OF SCIENCE ADVENTURERS IS ABOUT TO FACE THEIR BIGGEST, MOST INESCAPABLE ADVERSARY OF ALL TIME: THE END OF ALL THINGS . . . AND EACH OTHER! Rick Sanchez, the most wanted man in this and every other universe, is on the run. With a bounty on his head, every government, military, pirate, mobster, bounty hunter, bail bondsman, religious institution, theater troupe, circus clown, and endangered species is on the hunt to bring in Rick—DEAD OR ALIVE. The only one who can bring Rick in warm is the one person who knows him best: Morty Smith. But Morty’s not the only Smith hot on Rick’s trail . . . "Space Beth" Smith is determined to bring Rick in, and she doesn’t particularly care how. Now it’s just a question of who can get to him first! THIS TITLE IS NOT SOME KIND OF ARTFUL METAPHOR, FOLKS! After 10 years and 100+ issues, the beginning of THE END starts here as cosmic annihilators Daniel Kibblesmith (Loki) and Jarrett Williams (Speed Force) prepare to unleash a fantastically fatal finale for RICK AND MORTY!

Available here or from that comic shop near you that you just discovered. Rick And Morty: The End (4 of 6) hits stands February 4th, 2026.

Also Still On Sale!

And the 144-page, illustrated hardcover handbook from Chronicle Books — So You’ve Been Bitten By A Radioactive Spider: How To Survive The Marvel Universe.

Cover by Kyle Hilton.

—all available digitally or from a local comic shop near you.


Currently Reading

This Year by John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats. One song/chapter per a day as a little ritual. If I recall from the introduction, this is not a strict prescription, but how often are you invited to experience art this way, outside of a Far Side calendar?


*See, I wasn’t kidding about the Simpsons influence.


NEW! Rick And Morty Vs. The Universe #3 and Beth 'Til Death!

Hi, all.

Daniel here, with some comic books that I wrote for you. First up—

ON SALE NOW

RICK AND MORTY VS. THE UNIVERSE #3 !

This is a good one. Rick gets kicked out of continuity and ends up in the realm of the NON-CANONICALS, a real “dirty dozen,” if you will (minus three). Once there, Rick has to lead this “squad” (if you will) on a “suicide” mission (if you will), to sneak their way back into reality — if the 90s-esque, musclebound cyborg monstrosity known as BLOODRYCK doesn’t permanently cancel them first … permanently.

Check out the cover gallery above, featuring covers from Dave Bardin, Troy Little, Flops, Tom Fowler, and series artist THE Jarrett Williams. More via Oni-Press:

ENTER: BLOODRYCK! Rick and Morty’s infinite secret crisis across many, many (and then some) Earths is about to get REALLY crazy as chaos-incarnate creators Daniel Kibblesmith (Loki) and Jarrett Williams (Speed Force) launch an overmuscled, overpowered, self-aware, power-fantasy version of Rick hell-bent on killing every other copy of himself into the midst of Rick and Morty’s first-ever summer event!

In order to escape, he’ll have to recruit an expendable squad of NON-CANONICAL RICKS all from outside of continuity. You’ve heard of the DIRTY DOZEN, now meet the NON-CANONICAL NINE! For those of you in the back: Yes, that’s nine—count ’em—nine obscure Ricks from outside any continuity we’ve ever encountered before. And all of them are on the run from Bloodryck! 

Wait, this is the first appearance of BLOODRYCK and THE NON-CANONICAL NINE, too? If you’re thinking what we’re thinking, surely this comic will be worth one billion dollars one day. Buy three (and thank us later)!

Order a copy directly from the publisher here, digitally, or from a local comic shop near you.


ALSO ON SALE NOW

RICK AND MORTY VS THE UNIVERSE PRESENTS: BETH ‘TIL DEATH!

Cover by Dave Bardin.

“For the Beth and Jerry-Heads out there!” Written by Rick and Morty comics vet, Jake Black, co-written by me, with art by Suzi Blake and color art by Meg Casey. Beth ‘Til Death is the second of our three tie-ins to Oni’s Rick And Morty Comics Event, Rick And Morty Vs. The Universe!

Variant Cover by Troy Little.

Via Oni Press:

A RICK AND MORTY VS. THE UNIVERSE TIE-IN EXTRAVAGANZA! Mad-with-power co-writers Daniel Kibblesmith (Loki) and Jake Black (Sonic the Hedgehog) join totally-run-amok artist Suzi Blake (Aggretsuko) for the next seismic special tying together Rick and Morty’s first-ever summer event!

With the impending nuptials of Prime and Parm Universe, love is in the air, and Jerry, being Jerry, has a stupid idea. Things have been rocky with Beth lately, what with separating and getting back together and then the arrival of Space Beth. So to return to solid ground with their marriage, Jerry is going to re-propose and ask Beth to renew their vows. One problem: Jerry doesn’t know which Beth is the one he married. Actually, no one does!

Direct from the publisher here, digitally here, or (preferred) from a local comic shop near you.

I also talked about both of these on Instagram or TikTok — check it out and give me a follow there, but if you’re reading this, it’s likely you already followed me there first and just found out that people are still making websites in 2025.


COMING SOON: ME TO NEW YORK COMIC-CON!

Pictured: Me making myself comfortable at Eliot Rahal’s table last year. Too comfortable.

I will not have a table. But I will be present from Thursday 10/8 - Sunday 10/12, walking around like a cryptid. It’s your job to spot me. Thursday tickets still available here.


Hey, also — thank you for reading and/or subscribing to this and forward and share it with friends. If you’re not already subscribed to e-mail updates, do so by clicking the button below. You can also leave comments. Ideally, this website becomes more popular than Bluesky (and I can leave Bluesky).

We should embrace the ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ future of delivering each other individual e-mails on chunky tablets with physical buttons.
— Daniel Kibblesmith

ON SALE NOW: Rick and Morty Vs. The Universe #1

Hi, all.

Rick and Morty Vs. The Universe #1 is now on sale from Oni Publishing.

It’s Rick and Morty’s first ever comics-crossover event, an epic, cosmic, ridiculous and tragic four-part series scripted by me (and in some cases co-scripted with me as “showrunner” which was extremely fun). Available for purchase digitally here, RIGHT NOW, to read on the screen you are currently looking at — as well as via mail order here, or from a local comic shop near you.

‘Rick and Morty vs. The Universe’ #1 covers: (From L-R) Cover A – Bardin, Cover B – Litttle, and Cover C – Gedeon.

Why you should buy it.

Rick and Morty in 2025 is a tough sell. The co-creator is a monster (now removed from the organization). The most vocal fans have been famously annoying tween boys. And I.P. comics, in general, already sell fewer copies than superhero comics, despite superheroes currently being the culturally dominant I.P., but you know what I mean — comics based on cartoons.

Many retailers will not even carry these comics. I called Captain’s Comics and Toys in Charleston — the very cool shop I would be physically closest to on the Issue #1 release date — to try and reserve a copy for a pub day announcement selfie and they politely, but firmly told me they do not sell this series. There’s just not enough interest.

So, here’s why you should be interested:

#1. We’re pals. You know I’m not gonna let you down.

#2. Some of those comics based on cartoons are very good. Ryan North & Co.’s Adventure Time (2012) is very good. Tom Scioli’s Transformers Vs. G.I. Joe is VERY good (and insane). Mark Russell and Steve Pugh’s The Flintstones is an actual modern classic. Also presented without comment: Garfbert.

‘Rick and Morty vs. The Universe’ #1 covers: (From L-R) Interlockiing Flops, Prime Variant – Fowler, and Wedding Variant – Gonzales.

And Rick and Morty Vs. The Universe is also very good. The art by Jarrett Williams (Super Pro K.O., Speed Force) is recognizably on-model while still having a life and personality all its own. Jarrett’s bringing all the same comedy and dynamism on display in his creator owned work and is consistently blowing me away. Especially with his designs of the [REDACTED CHARACTERS] in Issue #3. I am also bringing my A-Game, as I always do, because I’m a “former gifted child,” which is something you can Google.

To get extremely into the comics weeds for a second, I posted on Bluesky.com that this Rick and Morty series is my stab at an Alan Moore’s Supreme. That requires a level of explanation where you either get it or you don’t, but if you get it, then you have some idea of our approach to this thing and the level of thinking I’m trying to put into it.

Rick and Morty Vs. The Universe: Summer of Love A-Cover by Dave Bardin.

It’s also just funny and FUN. We have three upcoming One-Shot issues tying into the main series, including one written by my pal Jody Houser, in what she claims is her first fully comedic script, which is intimidating because it’s extremely funny. Art on that one from Phil Murphy and Meg Casey, and similarly killer creative teams on the other two, returning Rick and Morty comics creators Jake Black and Suzi Blake, and longtime — dare I say “fan favorite” — writer and artist duo behind the Rick and Morty flagship title, Alex Firer and Fred C. Stressing. Or as I call them “The Doughboys … boys.”

I’ve been a Rick and Morty fan for ten years, which sounds impossible, but here we are. From the moment I watched them bury their own corpses to Mazzy Star, I was fully sold. There was something special here — and monoculture quickly agreed. The (non-Mazzy) star has faded, but nothing burns that hot without there being something really special in its DNA. That’s what me, and the co-writers, and the artists, and the editorial team are all trying to unlock for you — the best presentation of what makes this thing work and what may have made it important to you at one point. I already have total confidence that this series will be a “cult hit.” So the goal is to get you to read it now rather than later, after the cult has formed. Do not be late to this bachelor party.

Preview BELOW!

Official Solicitation Via Oni:

MOVE OVER, BIG BANG! GET WRECKED, BIG CRUNCH! GALAXIES COME AND GALAXIES GO, BUT OUR PLANE OF EXISTENCE HAS NEVER FACED ANYTHING AS CONSEQUENTIAL AS . . . THE FIRST-EVER RICK AND MORTY COMICS EVENT!

From the deviant psyches of comics mastermind and multiple Emmy Award–nominee Daniel Kibblesmith (Loki) and artistic annihilator Jarrett Williams (Speed Force), this summer’s seven-part countdown to the end of everything that was, is, and will be begins with . . . a bachelor party that gets a little out of hand?

Rick’s old buddy Dimension C-137 (where Rick and Morty Cronenberg’d Earth) has reached his UNIVERSAL HALF-LIFE and is getting MARRIED—to the female-presenting embodiment of the Parmesan Dimension! He’s found true love and wants his old pal Rick to plan his bachelor party! WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Answer: Pretty much everything . . . and it is all Rick’s fault! Now Rick and Morty are on the run from EVERY SINGLE UNIVERSE THEY’VE EVER MESSED WITH—meaning, no matter what dimension they escape to, the universe will literally be against them. And, to survive, Rick will be forced to something he hoped he would never have to do—a last resort of EPIC PROPORTIONS!

DON’T CALL IT A CRISIS! The FIRST RICK AND MORTY COMICS EVENT starts here with a cosmos-colliding spectacular TOO BIG FOR TV . . . and featuring, well, EVERYONE!

In Shops: Jul 09, 2025

Thanks, all. Oh, and if you’re truly insane, you can also already pre-order the full, collected hardcover from Oni Press and Simon & Schuster.


Okay, I think that’s everything.
— Daniel Kibblesmith