You know that feeling when you're scrolling through a digital storefront and you see a tie-in comic that looks like a blatant cash grab? Honestly, that’s what most people expect from Rick and Morty: Ricker Than Fiction. It's a natural reaction. We've been burned before. But if you actually sit down and read this thing, you realize it’s doing something way more interesting than just recycling old "wubba lubba dub dub" jokes. It’s weird. It’s meta. It’s exactly what the show used to be before everything became about lore dumps and canon wars.
What is Rick and Morty: Ricker Than Fiction anyway?
Let’s get the basics out of the way. This isn't a new season of the show. It’s a comic series published by Oni Press. Specifically, it’s a four-issue miniseries that dropped in late 2024. If you’ve followed the comic run at all, you know Oni Press has been handling the license for years, often producing stories that are, frankly, better than some of the mid-tier TV episodes.
✨ Don't miss: Bill Maher Answers Larry David: What Really Happened Between the Two Comedy Legends
The premise is basically Rick and Morty getting trapped in a world governed by the tropes of fiction.
Rick, being the arrogant genius he is, thinks he can just "science" his way out of a narrative. He’s wrong. The story, written by Zac Gorman—who was instrumental in the early success of the Rick and Morty comics—takes the "meta" commentary and cranks it up to eleven. Gorman knows these characters. He knows that Rick is at his best when he’s frustrated by things he can’t control, like the literal laws of storytelling.
The problem with meta-humor today
We’re all kinda sick of meta stuff, right? Every movie now has a character looking at the camera saying, "Well, that just happened." It’s exhausting.
However, Rick and Morty: Ricker Than Fiction handles it differently because it treats the "narrative" as a physical antagonist. It’s not just a wink to the audience. It’s a cage. In the first issue, we see Rick realize that their reality is being dictated by "The Storyteller." It’s a classic setup, but the execution feels fresh because the stakes aren't just about saving the world—they’re about saving their own free will. Or whatever version of free will Rick thinks he has between benders.
Why this comic feels like "Old School" Rick and Morty
If you’ve been watching the show since 2013, you probably miss the episodic chaos. The newer seasons are fine, but they’re heavy. They’re obsessed with Rick’s backstory and his beef with Rick Prime. Rick and Morty: Ricker Than Fiction ignores all that baggage.
It feels like Season 1 or 2.
It’s just a high-concept sci-fi premise that goes off the rails immediately. There’s a specific sequence where the art style shifts to mimic different genres—noir, romance, high fantasy—and it’s not just a visual gimmick. Each shift changes how the characters behave. Morty becomes a brooding detective; Rick becomes a wizard who realizes his magic is just "bullsh*t physics." It’s clever without being smug about it.
The creative team behind the chaos
Zac Gorman’s return to the franchise is the big selling point here. He was the one who proved that Rick and Morty could actually work on the page. Joining him is artist Leonardo Ito, whose colors make the whole thing pop in a way that feels distinct from the TV show’s often flat palette.
The art in the series is dense.
I’m talking "you need to look at the background of every panel" dense. There are Easter eggs for hardcore fans, sure, but there’s also just a lot of visual storytelling that you can’t get in a 22-minute cartoon. Comics allow for a different kind of pacing. You can linger on a moment of Rick’s existential dread or a particularly gruesome alien death in a way that the show usually breezes past for the next joke.
Is it actually canon?
Does canon even matter in a multiverse? Probably not. But for those who care, these stories are generally considered "side-canon." They exist in the same multiverse but usually follow a different Rick and Morty (often from Dimension C-132 instead of the show's C-137).
This is actually a good thing.
It means the writers have the freedom to actually kill characters or change the world without worrying about the Season 8 premiere. In Rick and Morty: Ricker Than Fiction, this freedom allows for a much darker ending than you’d get on Adult Swim. It explores the idea that if you’re a character in a story, your suffering is literally someone else’s entertainment. That’s a heavy meta-commentary that the comic leans into hard.
What people get wrong about the series
Most people think these comics are just for kids or "superfans" who buy everything with a portal gun on it.
That’s a mistake.
Actually, the writing in Rick and Morty: Ricker Than Fiction is some of the most sophisticated satire the franchise has seen in years. It’s mocking the very idea of "franchise fatigue" while being part of a franchise. It’s a paradox, and Rick spends half the time complaining about it.
I’ve seen some reviews online saying the plot is "too confusing." Look, if you’re looking for a linear A-to-B story, don't read a comic about sentient narrative tropes. But if you like the "Total Rickall" or "Never Ricking Morty" episodes, this is exactly your brand of weird. It requires you to pay attention. You can't just skim it while you're on your phone.
How to read it without getting ripped off
If you’re looking to pick this up, don't go hunting for individual issues unless you're a collector. The single issues (1 through 4) were released between August and November of 2024. They’re getting harder to find at cover price because of the limited print runs.
Instead, wait for the trade paperback collection.
Oni Press usually bundles these miniseries into a single volume about six months after the final issue drops. It’s cheaper, the paper quality is usually better, and you get all the variant cover art in the back. Plus, reading it all at once helps the "meta" plot make way more sense.
Actionable steps for the Rick and Morty fan
If you're ready to dive in, here is how you should actually approach this series to get the most out of it:
- Track down the Zac Gorman era first: Before you hit Ricker Than Fiction, read the first 10-15 issues of the original Oni Press Rick and Morty run. It sets the tone for how Gorman writes these characters.
- Check your local comic shop (LCS): Support your local business. Many shops still have the variant covers for Ricker Than Fiction #1, which feature some incredible guest artists.
- Read it twice: Seriously. The first time is for the jokes. The second time is to see how the "Storyteller" character is actually manipulating the panels and speech bubbles. It’s a masterclass in comic book medium-awareness.
- Look for the hidden text: In many Rick and Morty comics, there are small notes in the margins or "legal disclaimers" that contain some of the funniest writing in the book.
Rick and Morty: Ricker Than Fiction isn't just another product on a shelf. It’s a weird, experimental, and occasionally heartfelt look at what it means to be a character in a world that refuses to let you stop having adventures. Whether you're a die-hard fan or someone who dropped off the show three years ago, it’s a reminder of why this property became a phenomenon in the first place. It’s smart, it’s cynical, and it’s a little bit broken—just like Rick.