Rick and Morty: The End #3 Review

 

Writer: Daniel Kibblesmith

Artist: Jarrett Williams

Colorist: Alessandro Santoro

Letterer: Crank!

Cover Artists: Dave Bardin, Troy Little, Phil Murphy, and Tom Fowler with Nick Filardi

Publisher: Oni Press

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 4, 2026

 

The Parmesan Universe wants to erase Morty Smith from existence in every universe. But even though Parmesan thinks he's worse than a million, billion Hitlers, she is willing to pardon Morty if he brings Rick Sanchez to stand trial before the Council of the Universes that Matter.

 

When Morty wondered how to find his grandfather, Parmesan suggested the teen think like Rick Sanchez. But Morty knows that thinking like Rick can turn you into someone who threatens to destroy all of existence because you’re mad at one person. Despite their differences, can Morty turn in his grandfather? Or will he go along with Rick’s latest scheme? Let’s leap into Rick and Morty: The End #3 and see!

 

Story

When Parmesan sent Morty after Rick, she also sent the Vindicators to ensure he followed through. After Planetina and her crew rescued Morty from the Ball Fondlers, Sleepy Gary transported them to a comfortable universe Rick created. In his Fan Fiction world, Rick basked in belonging, and his fake family didn’t include Morty. The Vindicators gave Morty the chance to apprehend his grandfather. But Rick Sanchez was never going to come quietly.

 

In Rick and Morty: The End #3, the Vindicators attack the teen and his grandfather again. This time, there’s no fictional family to get in the way. While Morty voices his confusion over where he belongs, Planetina reminds him of why he stopped dating her. Yet appearances are deceiving. As one character engages in soul searching, another acknowledges the wisdom of accepting things as they are.

 

As Daniel Kibblesmith explores the dilemma of dysfunctional relationships, he also ponders what makes life worth living. The Parmesan Universe tasks the Vindicators with one goal. But will killing Rick Sanchez bring them happiness? Old Man Meeseeks is laden with unfulfilled expectations. He has let everyone down by failing to fulfill his life's purpose. The Vindicator is supposed to die once he triumphs. But in Rick and Morty: The End #3, Old Man Meeseeks wonders if he could exceed his society's expectations and make a life for himself on his terms.  

 

Art

A splash page and 3-4 panels per page welcome readers to the fast and furious fight. Jarrett Williams introduces more panels to the layout as Old Man Meeseeks undergoes an inward battle. After the clash among the sundrenched hoodoos, disparate locales and situations reveal the variety of choices awaiting someone not focused on a singular purpose.

 

Alessandro Santoro enlivens the vivid settings, appealing characters, and the fighting with a loaded palette in Rick and Morty: The End #3. Among the bright and cheery hues, blue links Old Man Meeseeks with his team, his hunt for answers, and a circular control room. Green also forms a theme as it links Planetina with her monitors and her troubled partner's longing for greater meaning in life. Yet yellow and orange remind Morty why he severed his relationship with Planetina, as she transforms into a Phoenix and turns her criminals into compost.

 

Crank fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with uppercase dialogue that grows bold for intonation and enlarges for raised voices. Green block letters introduce the chapter. Sound effects enhance scenes of death and destruction, and warn of imminent future conflict. Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Morty loves Planetina, but he can’t be with her because she incinerates her foes. He loves his grandfather, but Rick racks up a higher body count than his ecowarrior ex-girlfriend. After creating a world without Morty and trying to get his grandson to see the similarities between them, Rick acknowledges Morty's concerns. But the two would rather play video games than discuss their relationship in Rick and Morty: The End #3.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For more cover options see my cover preview of Rick and Morty: The End #3. 

Rick and Morty: The End #2 Review

 

Writer: Daniel Kibblesmith

Artist: Jarrett Williams

Colorist: Alessandro Santoro

Letterer: Crank!

Cover Artists: Dave Bardin, Troy Little, Phil Murphy, and Tom Fowler with Nick Filardi

Publisher: Oni Press

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 7, 2026

 

Rick Sanchez has landed his grandson in a whole heap of trouble. When the young teen stands before the Council of the Universes that Matter, the Parmesan Universe gives him an ultimatum. Morty must bring his grandfather before the council to stand judgment, or Parmesan will erase him from every universe.

 

Perhaps some versions of himself deserve to die. But Morty believes that most of his alternate selves in the multiverse deserve to live. As Morty sets off in his spaceship, can he find his grandfather? And can Morty bring him back to the council, knowing they will erase Rick from existence? Let’s leap into Rick and Morty: The End #2 and see!

 

Story

Attempting to think like his grandfather, Morty travels to fringe space. On a planet that technically doesn't exist, Morty confronts the Ball Fondlers, a Bounty Hunter team featured on a show that Rick and his grandfather enjoy. But taking on a group of lethal Bounty Hunters, even fictional ones, has its hazards. Thankfully, the New Vindicators arrive. Sadly, the woman leading the superheroes is Planetina, Morty’s former girlfriend.

 

While showcasing Morty’s reunion with Planetina, Daniel Kibblesmith offers a glimpse into Rick's redoubt. After fighting with his grandson and failing to reboot a universe that hates him, Rick takes sanctuary in a fictional home. He knows his fantasy family doesn't exist. But they enjoy his company, and everyone gets along harmoniously, offering Rick a moment of peace. Rick and Morty: The End #2 serves up plenty of action, but even more drama, as Planetina still suffers the pain of their breakup, and Old Man Meeseeks lives in agony over not fulfilling his life’s purpose.

 

As the New Vindicators hunt for Rick, Morty struggles with the fact that no one trusts him. Morty is fourteen years old. He's a young teen who is trying to figure out who he wants to be. And a universal threat against all Morties everywhere doesn't help.

 

While he esteems his grandfather for his brilliance, Morty has tried to avoid becoming like him. Instead, like Rick, Morty has left a trail of destruction and resentment in his wake. And given his former girlfriend’s anger toward him, and Parmesan’s wrath at Rick, Morty seems trapped in a pattern of behavior from which he would like to break free in Rick and Morty: The End #2.

 

Art

After scenes showing each teammate preparing for their mission, Jarrett Williams uses a splash page to introduce the New Vindicators. Titanium D, an Alphabetrian enforcer, makes the biggest impression. But aside from the giant metal capital letter, their cool jackets make Morty yearn for a similar feeling of belonging. When her team finds him and the Ball Fondlers splattered in blood, Planetina’s expression clarifies that she is not surprised that Morty has betrayed more people he loved.

 

Alessandro Santoro paints Rick and Morty: The End #2 with a palette of bright colors. Like the team jackets Morty admires, blue often dominates backgrounds. Blue also links Rick’s light blue hair and shading with his fictional son-in-law. But green colors Planetina’s tale of how they tracked Rick down. Her green hair, symbolic of her ecowarrior mission, also links her with the green accents and furnishings in the home she associates with Morty.  

 

Crank fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with uppercase dialogue that grows bold for intonation and enlarges for raised voices. White block letters introduce each New Vindicator, while sound effects amplify the deaths of beloved, if fictional, people in Rick and Morty’s lives. Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

When his life hit the skids, Rick treated people he met with disdain because his later actions would fix things. But when things don't go his way, Rick settles for something that isn't real, knowing it cannot last, in Rick and Morty: The End #2.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For more cover options see my cover preview of Rick and Morty: The End #2. 

Rick and Morty vs the Universe #4 Review

 

Writer: Daniel Kibblesmith

Artist: Jarrett Williams

Colorist: Alessandro Santoro

Letterer: Crank!

Cover Artists: Dave Bardin, Troy Little, Flops, Tom Fowler with Bill Crabtree, Jarrett Williams with Alessandro Santoro & Phil Murphy

Publisher: Oni Press

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 22, 2025

 

To escape his exile, Rick led his Rixpendables in an all-out assault on Bloodryck. His grandson faced worse odds. On Margin World, every hand was against Marty. But they were all different versions of Marty. Now, Rick and Morty are back together. And they’ve got pouches! How will they use all the weapons inside them? Let’s leap into Rick and Morty vs the Universe #4 and see!

 

Story

After starting amid a firefight at a funeral, the clock rewinds to Rick and Morty regrouping in a dead universe. As Rick tests out his weapons, he finds one that shoots pure meta energy, allowing him to overcome Parmesan's block on his ability to summon portals. Then the two travel to Prime Universe's funeral, where the shootout occurs.

 

Rick and Morty Vs the Universe #4 is a madcap romp. Daniel Kibblesmith's story features action, drama, and ethical discussions. At least, young Morty is interested in ethics. Rick strives to ground his grandson in the facts as he sees them. Morty ponders how things ought to be. The discussion grows uncomfortable as Rick gets a little too honest with Morty. But it’s a reminder that growing up is difficult, and family dynamics doubly so.

 

The protagonists have suffered from their separate journeys. Rick had to harden himself to the death of his other selves to reach the spaceship and reunite with his grandson. All the carnage young Morty witnessed affects him more. So Morty hesitates to end everything, even if his grandfather insists that they'll all return in Rick and Morty Vs the Universe #4.

 

Art

Rick and Morty meet a group of gods adorned in blue, purple, orange, and yellow. Alessandro Santoro lavishes these colors on the funeral shootout, where Jarrett Williams shows starry silhouettes with blue lines to define their limbs. Crank fills the pages of Rick and Morty vs the Universe #4 with black uppercase letters in white balloons and white letters in black balloons. Sound effects enhance the action amid Deaths at a Funeral. Music notes arise from the universe singing and playing a small electronic keyboard. Thanks to Oni Press for providing a review copy.

 

Now, here are other cover options:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Torn between his instincts and loyalty to his grandfather, Morty must make decisions that will affect billions of people. Rick and Morty vs the Universe #4 reminds us that each of us must decide how we live. We can either follow our elders or make our own decisions. But as Rick points out, we can't have it both ways.

 

Rating 9/10