After 10 years of anticipation (okay, maybe not), the Rick and Morty 10th Anniversary Deluxe Omnibus Library is now live on Kickstarter. The massive, two-thousand-plus-page box set contains 100 issues of the Oni Press adaptation of the animated series. And not only does it include this iconic comics, it also has two, all-new Rick and Morty comics from writer Kyle Starks and Troy Little. But — and here’s the catch — they are “unreprintable,” with the 16-page first issue and 8-page second issue only getting printed this one time, in limited quantities.
“Working in comics is always an exercise in being culturally obscure, so why not make it more difficult to find us?” Little joked to Comic Book Club in an email interview. “That said, the online world is full of too much noise and easy access to stuff so the idea of making a rare, physical Rick & Morty comic is actually kind of great. It’s the kind of jerk move Rick would pull.”
To find out more about the project that you’re gonna have to act quick to snag, check out our interview with Starks and Little, below.
Comic Book Club: Kyle, Troy, how excited were you when Oni hired you to create a story that they were going to make sure even less people are able to read than usual? And then another one for even less people? How psyched were you???
Kyle Starks: As the longest tenured writer for the Rick and Morty comic series – who wrapped up his final issue the literal month that the pandemic shutdown happened five years ago – I thought it was, actually, a really great way for me to come back to work on the series again. It made the return special for me and, hopefully, special for the fans of my run on the series. I also think adding a unique-to-this-kickstarter reward is a really great idea.
Troy Little: Working in comics is always an exercise in being culturally obscure, so why not make it more difficult to find us? That said, the online world is full of too much noise and easy access to stuff so the idea of making a rare, physical Rick & Morty comic is actually kind of great. It’s the kind of jerk move Rick would pull.
More seriously, what went into crafting these Unreprintable stories? Are they rare and high-end like diamonds and caviar? Or are they unreprintable because they’re really gross?
Starks: For me, there was one more story I wanted to tell I never got the opportunity on my 48 issue run so it was great to be asked to come back and get to finally use it. For the 8 pager, I wanted to follow up to the final issue of the main comic series and let Troy do some fun “comic book universe” Rick and Morty stuff. Needless, to say, Troy hit it out of the ball park. So what went into crafting it…was love and fun.
Little: It was great to work with Kyle on these, which are a step outside of the VS books I’ve done with Jim Zub and more rooted in the R&M world(s). Also, I got to play Bugs Bunny in a Rick & Morty style “Duck Amok” romp with the comics medium, which is a cartoonist’s dream.
Okay, actually more seriously this time, what drew you back to Rick & Morty? What do you find engaging about this world?
Starks: I put basically five years of my life into this series. It will always be special to me – and, like nearly everyone else – I love the show so it was an honor to be asked to come home. I’ll always be drawn to this property I lived with so long and feel like I, legitimately, contributed a lot to.
Little: It’s the ultimate playground for an artist because literally anything goes here. If you can imagine it then it probably has a place in the Multiverse. It’s a joy and a curse as some of these writers abuse us with words like “A two page epic spread of 10 million Meeseeks storming a castle” (Yes, Zub, I haven’t forgotten…). I jest – it’s honestly the best to just go hog wild with these characters and see how far you can push things.
Choose one: Rick or Morty.
Starks: It’s always Rick!
Little: Yeah, it’s the Rick Show.
This is part of a massive box set including a slew of comics. What’s it like being in such storied company?
Starks: Haha, I mean, almost half of it is my work. I did 48 issues of the Rick and Morty series, so the real question is how do all those other talented creators feel being in my company? I’m kidding, of course. Wait, I’m half-kidding, of course. But, sincerely, Oni has always had great creators work on the Rick and Morty books so it’s great for us all to finally be together in one place.
Little: I feel like an upstart trying to butt into the Pantheon of Marc Ellerby but I’m honored to add my bit into the mix. Also, he’s probably tired. I’d be tired! I am tired. Why are there so many Meeseeks? Who writes this stuff and can we hold them accountable??
Now that we’re getting a 16 page first issue and an 8 page second issue, will the page count continue to halve in further issues until your demands are met?
Starks: I don’t want to speak for the rest of the comic creator universe but I’m sure if we thought we could sell 4 page comics to the general public we’d all happily go into that business. But seriously, this format has been par for the main series run – a long story and a shorter backup. Recreating how the show has always done an A and B story each episode This is how we’ve always done it, baybeeeeeee.
Little: I suggest we start doing negative numbered issues. Backwards masking comics on records. Hidden tracks on CD’s. Comics only visible on a specific visual wavelength that require glasses only obtainable in defunct cereal boxes from the 80’s. We need to make it harder for people to find us and all the more desirable by proxy. These “Unreprintable” issues are only the beginning!
The Rick and Morty 10th Anniversary Deluxe Omnibus Library is live on Kickstarter now.
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