Been a long time coming and I apologize for that. Partly it was life things (three kids are more work than two, who knew?) and partly it was content.
The strip with Rick learning his mother had very nearly aborted him was tough. Really didn’t want to write that one, or draw that one, or read that one. Ellie was always one of my favorite characters to write. That strip took a lot out of me. Proud of it though. Think it came out the way I wanted it to.
To be honest? The whole strip came out the way I wanted it to and I’m very proud of the story and the work that went into it.
Thank you all for reading.
Over the next few days I’m going to be uploading some blog posts about the characters and if anyone has any specific questions I’m now free to answer them to the best of my recollection.
Actually, it would be nice to know whatever happens to Michael Bolton. And John Lennon. And Ellie!!! Did she get into heaven somehow, or is she Lucyfer’s biggest new headache?
What about Lucyfer? She must have something to say about all this. Don’t forget Tina, either. Rick has to run into her, and being Rick, probably suggest a three way with Jen.
How about an explanation of how all of this happened in the first place? Just how and why was it that Rick never stayed dead? That’s the big question.
Rick never stayed dead because he was the avatar of his generation who had not fulfilled his promise and the bet between St. Peter and Lucyfer couldn’t be called until he made a decision.
After he did fulfill his promise St. Peter refused to claim him because Rick annoyed him and got sent to Hell. Rick escaped rather than stayed dead. The next time he died St. Peter saw what had happened to Addy and had to send him back. Rick would actually have died 3 more times before he actually died finally but those 3 times would have seen him in Hell. The reason he found it so easy to escape from Hell is that he had no… stickiness to it. He clearly wasn’t supposed to be there.
Ellie would have tried to finagle her way into Hell but would have ended up for a short period in Oblivion before ascending to Heaven. The way she treated Rick was kind of appropriate for the talent he had and allowed him to blossom so there would have been no reason to punish her for that (she’s part of the plan for Rick’s talent in that he needed pain and struggle in order to reach his full talent). What she would have been punished for was converting to Judaism. That sounded bad. What I mean is she did it out of a desire to make business contacts when they moved to Dallas using generalizations and stereotypes to justify her decision. If she had been honest in her conversion it would have had no effect.
Rick’s Dad was showing signs of understanding where he’d gone wrong when last we saw him in the strip so he probably reached Heaven before Ellie reached Oblivion.
Michael Bolton lost his hotshot Lawyer (Artie) and was going to be punished until Rick came back from his Honeymoon with Jen and went and talked to him. They never became friends but Rick helped him get back on track. Rick did not apologize but with Robert Johnson’s help figured out how to get through to Bolton. The reason you didn’t see that? It’s got something to do with story but Artie had already been redeemed when he smiled at Rick laughing at him and I didn’t need to prove that a second time. Story wise it didn’t make sense to show it because I still needed some ambiguity in the ending (will he be rejected again, or will he get in) and someone who forgives and helps reform a man who succeeded in killing him a bunch of times is probably going through the gates.
John, and Elvis, are both still Guardian Angels and are happy in their jobs.
Rick and Tina meeting again would be funny and awkward but an aside, not really something that would tie in to the theme. Rick and Jen had seven kids together and Zach and Addy had a bunch of kids. Rick had 37 grandkids. Those grandkids had 89 kids. Those 89 kids had (by the time of his death) 161 kids. Tina is watching over all of them except for Zach and Addy. Very busy.
Lucyfer is one to cut her losses. Fighting a lost battle is a sure way to lose that next battle. She’s not a fighter, but a deceiver.
The ending is a nod to the original conception to the strip:
Rick was going to be put into Heaven’s holding area (Heaventown) and the world’s nastiest music critic was going to find it people almost exclusively with rock stars since Heaven wouldn’t know what to do with them. He’d scheme to get it but couldn’t resist mocking them and would fail. Constantly. I didn’t like the concept but I liked some of the jokes. Yes, I’m aware that sounds like the plot to The Good Place, but it’s because we both pretty clearly saw the Albert Brooks’ film Defending Your Life. Also why I would have cast Albert Brooks as St. Peter.
It would have been fun to spend a bit of time in Heaventown but the Rick that existed in the strip was different than the Rick that was conceived for the strip and would never scheme, or fight, or struggle to get into Heaven. He would assume his entry and walk through the gates no matter how many angels piled on to try to stop him.
The Final Strip
Been a long time coming and I apologize for that. Partly it was life things (three kids are more work than two, who knew?) and partly it was content.
The strip with Rick learning his mother had very nearly aborted him was tough. Really didn’t want to write that one, or draw that one, or read that one. Ellie was always one of my favorite characters to write. That strip took a lot out of me. Proud of it though. Think it came out the way I wanted it to.
To be honest? The whole strip came out the way I wanted it to and I’m very proud of the story and the work that went into it.
Thank you all for reading.
Over the next few days I’m going to be uploading some blog posts about the characters and if anyone has any specific questions I’m now free to answer them to the best of my recollection.
Yours,
Steve Swanson
Very nicely done.
Thank you.
I’m afraid I can’t think of any questions right now. You’ve answered the ones I would have had.
Perfect ending!
I’m still very sad to see it end, but at least it ended well.
Hey, crazy idea… any plans to back and colorize the older black and white pages?
How about a big anthology book?
Animated series??
Actually, it would be nice to know whatever happens to Michael Bolton. And John Lennon. And Ellie!!! Did she get into heaven somehow, or is she Lucyfer’s biggest new headache?
What about Lucyfer? She must have something to say about all this. Don’t forget Tina, either. Rick has to run into her, and being Rick, probably suggest a three way with Jen.
How about an explanation of how all of this happened in the first place? Just how and why was it that Rick never stayed dead? That’s the big question.
Rick never stayed dead because he was the avatar of his generation who had not fulfilled his promise and the bet between St. Peter and Lucyfer couldn’t be called until he made a decision.
After he did fulfill his promise St. Peter refused to claim him because Rick annoyed him and got sent to Hell. Rick escaped rather than stayed dead. The next time he died St. Peter saw what had happened to Addy and had to send him back. Rick would actually have died 3 more times before he actually died finally but those 3 times would have seen him in Hell. The reason he found it so easy to escape from Hell is that he had no… stickiness to it. He clearly wasn’t supposed to be there.
Ellie would have tried to finagle her way into Hell but would have ended up for a short period in Oblivion before ascending to Heaven. The way she treated Rick was kind of appropriate for the talent he had and allowed him to blossom so there would have been no reason to punish her for that (she’s part of the plan for Rick’s talent in that he needed pain and struggle in order to reach his full talent). What she would have been punished for was converting to Judaism. That sounded bad. What I mean is she did it out of a desire to make business contacts when they moved to Dallas using generalizations and stereotypes to justify her decision. If she had been honest in her conversion it would have had no effect.
Rick’s Dad was showing signs of understanding where he’d gone wrong when last we saw him in the strip so he probably reached Heaven before Ellie reached Oblivion.
Michael Bolton lost his hotshot Lawyer (Artie) and was going to be punished until Rick came back from his Honeymoon with Jen and went and talked to him. They never became friends but Rick helped him get back on track. Rick did not apologize but with Robert Johnson’s help figured out how to get through to Bolton. The reason you didn’t see that? It’s got something to do with story but Artie had already been redeemed when he smiled at Rick laughing at him and I didn’t need to prove that a second time. Story wise it didn’t make sense to show it because I still needed some ambiguity in the ending (will he be rejected again, or will he get in) and someone who forgives and helps reform a man who succeeded in killing him a bunch of times is probably going through the gates.
John, and Elvis, are both still Guardian Angels and are happy in their jobs.
Rick and Tina meeting again would be funny and awkward but an aside, not really something that would tie in to the theme. Rick and Jen had seven kids together and Zach and Addy had a bunch of kids. Rick had 37 grandkids. Those grandkids had 89 kids. Those 89 kids had (by the time of his death) 161 kids. Tina is watching over all of them except for Zach and Addy. Very busy.
Lucyfer is one to cut her losses. Fighting a lost battle is a sure way to lose that next battle. She’s not a fighter, but a deceiver.
The ending is a nod to the original conception to the strip:
Rick was going to be put into Heaven’s holding area (Heaventown) and the world’s nastiest music critic was going to find it people almost exclusively with rock stars since Heaven wouldn’t know what to do with them. He’d scheme to get it but couldn’t resist mocking them and would fail. Constantly. I didn’t like the concept but I liked some of the jokes. Yes, I’m aware that sounds like the plot to The Good Place, but it’s because we both pretty clearly saw the Albert Brooks’ film Defending Your Life. Also why I would have cast Albert Brooks as St. Peter.
It would have been fun to spend a bit of time in Heaventown but the Rick that existed in the strip was different than the Rick that was conceived for the strip and would never scheme, or fight, or struggle to get into Heaven. He would assume his entry and walk through the gates no matter how many angels piled on to try to stop him.
Steve
Okay, cool. Thanks!
Do you have any plans for a new stripped or some other project?