The Goodbye Family are a fictional family of undertakers created by fantasy Western author and illustrator Lorin Morgan-Richards.[1][2] The Goodbye Family comprises Pyridine Goodbye, matriarch and mortician, Otis, father and driver of the hearse, their child Orphie, who has the dual role of gravedigger and self-appointed town Sheriff, and their pets: Ouiji the cat, a tarantula named Dorian, and Midnight their horse.[3]
Since 2009, the Goodbyes have appeared in both single panel comic and literature as part of the Great Mountain book series by Richards that begin with Me’ma and the Great Mountain. The humor of the Goodbye Family is typically gothic or macabre,[4] and often satirizing industrialization and rules of authority. In 2021, The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series made its debut on YouTube, and subsequently followed with streaming services. New York Magazine listed it in the top ten of animated TV series in 2022.[5]
Characters and story
Beginning in 2009, Richards started to produce the Goodbye Family as one-off cards after an inspiring trip to France and Wales. Richards envisioned Orphie, the daughter, and primary character, on the roof of the Notre Dame Cathedral sitting with gargoyles, while her parents Otis tried to board a train with a shrunken head, and Pyridine publicly sewed a cadaver in Cardiff. Subsequent single panel comics and merchandise were made of each character but before delving further into their identities.[6] In 2012, A Raven Above Press released Richards first novel Me’ma and the Great Mountain,[7][8] about an indigenous girl that overcomes ghoulish spirits to save her people. Along with her journey, she meets Hollis Sorrow, a friendly character entombed in a casket made by Goodbye Family Funeral, marking the first mention in literature of the Goodbye Family. By 2015, Steamkat, an online comic distributor, weekly featured The Goodbye Family comic, and starting in the following year, Richards released subsequent book collections about the family and syndicated his series through social media and a short run on Tapas.The world of the Goodbyes has been further expressed in novels, comic collections, and a TV series.
The Goodbye family lives in a giant tree that has been made habitable by Otis' woodworking. Their original house was lost in a fire due to the war of the Tried and Boorish.
Family
Orphie: Daughter who loves mischief and has the strength of 20 men – which comes in handy when carrying caskets and as a gravedigger. She finds herself most often filling in as sheriff of the town and training her pet spider Dorian.
Otis: Driver of their funeral hearse with an uncanny ability to smell demise a mile away. He is in charge of all the wakes. He spends his free time walking his hat and feeding their horse Midnight various pickled things.
Pyridine: Matriarch and mortician of the family. She enjoys needling cadavers and social gatherings with the undead.
Ouiji: the family cat. Believed to be part Siamese due to her glowing red eyes.
Dorian: Orphie's pet tarantula (specifically a Needlepoint Tarantula) that loves to spin webbed accessories for the family.
Midnight: Most likely a Friesian horse, she is the Goodbye's main implement of travel for both single rider and carriage. She characteristically is fueled by pickled things.
Kepla: a mysterious sibling of Orphie that happens to be somehow older than her parents. Kepla is often found digging for crickets in the cemetery.[9]
Lassie: a deadly snake that was introduced in the 2019 comics that assists Orphie like a lasso in catching villains.
Cousin Kook: an odd cousin who has a penchant for hoarding and appearing at the wrong times.
Grandma Yeast: a cat lady who resides in Nothom, the story's Netherworld. She is known to wear her shoes backward.
Uncle Richard-Lael Lillard: medium who lives outside of town in a stone mansion.
Townsfolk
Rowe Barrow: concerned citizen and close friend of Orphie.
Lee Minor: hard working friend of Orphie.
Rusty Potts: drifting miner who has a donkey named Jenny.
Max Star: mail delivery and pony express rider.
Barry Dingle: wealthy land owner, controls the majority share of agriculture.
Ol' Man Pickenpinch: struggling farmer.
Madam Dusty: a powerfully rich madam who runs the local brothel.
Knockout Kate: works under Madam Dusty and has a violent temper.
Reverend Moustache: preacher for the troubled town of Nicklesworth.
Mayor Big Jo: mayor of Nicklesworth and board chair of the Big Wig Society.
Souq: a walking skeleton that enjoys flashing.
Teddy and Tammy Fae Helios: (pronounced Hello) are antagonists to the Goodbyes, opposite and revealed as sunlight eating vampires.[10]
Tumbleweed: a joking flying bushel of weeds.
In an interview, when asked about the characters influences Richards replied: "I suppose Pyridine Goodbye, the matriarch, is loosely based on my wife, Otis Goodbye is myself, and Orphie their child is Berlin (Richards daughter) and our friend's child Heidi (who came before our daughter). All though with a few other influences. Just like the Goodbye Family we do have a pet tarantula and Siamese cat."[11]
Humor
Richards clarifies the genre of The Goodbye Family: "I fall into the category of Weird West, but I think it may be more of a 'Down West' as I'd like to call it, for its sense of macabre western humor".[12]
The Goodbye Family and the Great Mountain
The Goodbye Family and the Great Mountain
The Goodbye Family and the Great Mountain is a gothic Western juvenile fiction novel by Lorin Morgan-Richards,[13][14] the second in his Great Mountain series, about undertakers Otis, Pyridine, and their daughter Orphie.[15] According to the book's summary Pyridine is a witch and mortician, Otis is a bumbling but brazen hearse driver, and Orphie has the strength of twenty men and helps with grave digging.[16][17]
Following the first novel Me’ma and the Great Mountain, Me’ma, an Indigenous child, has routed the mining tycoon Baron Von Nickle and headed west over the Great Mountain as the defeated and leaderless miners returned east to the town of Nicklesworth. Frank Thorne is the only soldier to stay intact and searches for the Baron's accomplice. The Goodbye family, undertakers in town, hear of the defeat when the Baron's rattail hair appear on their doorstep. The Goodbye's, suffering from poor business, look to monetize the situation and seek an heir, but find the townsfolk are turning into zombies. Otis finds the culprit in a new tonic that leads the family to Nothom, the underworld, where Thorne is following close behind. They find a production facility that is pumping oil to those above for consumption, dramatically altering the land of Nothom to the dissatisfaction of the Goodbyes. In turn, and without the Baron, the oil is causing the townspeople above, like Thorne, to become the living dead and fall under the control of the Baron's accomplice, a wicked warlock named Zenwick Aldrich.[18] The book is a blend of goth and humor and stylistically has been compared to author's like Roald Dahl.[19]
The story includes a foreword by medium Richard-Lael Lillard.[20]
A common theme in Richards stories is an underlying environmental message. Similarly, to his first novel, Me'ma and the Great Mountain, he also provides a solution. In The Goodbye Family and the Great Mountain, dependence on oil is the cause of conflict and the Goodbye family's disruption and disorder saves the day.[21]
Initially, Richards released his episodes of The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series in parts on YouTube.[27] On August 19, 2022, Amazon Prime Video picked up the series's first season,[28] as well as Tubi on October 28, 2022.[29] The series has also been added to streaming platforms Apple TV,[30] Xumo, to name a few. In December 2023, the series was renewed on Tubi for its second season.
Writers
Since inception, the series has been written by Lorin Morgan-Richards and editor Jessica Rose Felix.
Voice actors
The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series has several main cast members: Nick Gligor voices Rusty Potts, Lou Steed, Teddy Helios, Tumbleweed, Cousin Kook, as well as several minor characters. Berlin Richards voices Orphie Goodbye and other children. Nana Grace voices Lee Minor, Madeline Sage, and other female episodic characters. Lorin Morgan-Richards voices Otis Goodbye, Barry Dingle, Reverend Moustache, and other male episodic characters. Valerie Stoneking primarily voices Pyridine Goodbye and female townspeople. Elijah Shaffer voices Rowe Barrow and Mayor Big Jo.
Richards uses the animation software Toon Boom[31] and has been the sole animator for the series, and stylistically it has been described as a pen-scratched, gothic take on the Old West.[5]
The Goodbye family, who are the local undertakers, visit psychic Richard-Lael Lillard’s home to hold a seance and reach out to their grandmother Yeast regarding an urgent matter. Despite multiple attempts, things take an unexpected turn, leading to a series of comedic events.
While Orphie’s parents are busy selling their funeral goods, Orphie, who has taken on the role of sheriff, spots a prisoner who has escaped from jail. Her cat and deputy, Ouiji, was supposed to be guarding the inmate but is instead trailing Orphie in search of treats. At the same time, a peculiar character named Souq, who only ever says “Howdy,” is lurking around.
While the Goodbye Family is busy with their tasks at the undertaker shop, Orphie, feeling bored, discovers an intriguing toy made of horse’s snot. Fascinated by its stretchy texture, she becomes completely absorbed in playing with it. Meanwhile, the town descends into chaos due to her absence.
The Goodbye family is at home, setting up their annual Nothom tree, a root from the underworld that emerges through the floorboards each year. Orphie is unusually quiet, thanks to her Cousin Kook, as she secretly stashes a special gift for Otis and Pyridine for the holiday. The family notices her odd behavior and starts to worry.
During Nicklesworth’s annual pie contest, Rusty Potts abandons his mining claim to submit his Shoo-Fly pie, which features an old boot as its key ingredient. Unbeknownst to him, an exotic Fairy, freed during his last mining strike, is trailing behind, eager to grant him a wish.
While playing hide-and-shriek with his pickle, Otis accidentally hits his head after tumbling over a chair. The family hurries him to the doctor, not out of concern for his health, but to protect their furniture from further damage. At the doctor’s office, a chaotic group of characters awaits their turn, and the prescribed treatments might end up being more expensive than the supposed ailments.
The Nicklesworth Bigwig Society is planning to open a new corset factory and requires a workforce, just as disheartened newcomers arrive in town seeking opportunities. Orphie and her friends go to a theater show but face bullies. Meanwhile, settlers protest as an alien race seeks to settle in the area.
The Goodbyes reluctantly greet their new neighbors, the Helios (pronounced Hellos), and are immediately put off by their excessively cheerful attitude. The Helios show interest in a treasure offered within the Goodbye’s home but question whether the journey to obtain it is worthwhile.
When the Goodbyes discover their cemetery has been vandalized and turned into the town dump, suspicion falls on their spotless new neighbors, the Helios, and their homeowner’s association. Otis and Pyridine are accused and sent to jail by their daughter Orphie, who serves as the town sheriff.
While Pyridine is at the local Apothecary shopping for Yew leaves, Orphie discovers an unusual doll that Lee is eager to get rid of. She takes it home, only to realize it’s possessed by a troublesome spirit. The question is, can the doll survive a night with the Goodbye family?
The Goodbyes reveal that the Helios are actually Daytime Vampires who rely on sunlight to live. However, they soon face a bigger problem: the Department of Wagon Services. To retrieve their horse, Midnight, and their hearse, the Goodbyes must settle their dues.
Lee, Rowe, and Orphie hear screams coming from a portal inside their home and notice a piece of Kepla’s clothing caught on it. Shortly after, Otis and Pyridine realize the kids might have ventured inside to investigate. The time-traveling portal transports them to Ouiji’s Cat Club, where they stumble upon a goth scene reminiscent of their local saloon.
The Big Wig Society has chosen the Goodbyes to conduct a survey of the townspeople for a time capsule. However, this is actually a cunning plan to gather information on all the residents for purposes of manipulation and control. Fortunately, the Goodbye’s son Kepla is currently in his teething phase.
While Kepla has sprouted a new set of fangs, Otis continues to struggle with sleepless nights and unsettling nightmares. Otis learns about a new steam-powered Dream Machine that promises to cure insomnia. The Goodbyes turn to Dr. Sam for a solution.
While Pyridine is hosting a book club with her ghoul-friends, crows around town spread false news (referred to as twits) to the gullible, including Rusty Potts, Reverend Moustache, and others, causing chaos. Meanwhile, the notorious outlaw Frank Thorne arrives at the perfect moment to take advantage of the situation.
Otis discovers and charms the ideal pickle just as a clash between the cavalry and villagers inspires a new game. With no puck available, Orphie has to think quickly since the town is running low on tack-bread and buffalo chips. Will Orphie manage to save the day?
A wave of violence sweeps through Nicklesworth, resulting in more deceased clients and chaos. As the Goodbyes stay occupied, suspicion falls on the Apple Juice Kid due to his distinctive diaper and the apple cores he leaves behind. However, could it actually be the work of Frank Thorne?
The Goodbyes head to the local bank to deposit their earnings, but they are continually encouraged to take out a loan for their dream home. Cousin Kook, acting as their real estate agent, arrives to start their home-buying journey, presenting them with three enchanting properties, leaving the family uncertain.
Orville and Wilbur Wrong are attempting to create a flying transport called the Skedaddle to ferry people up to a steep cliff cave in the Arched Forest for guano mining. However, they need the support of the Bigwig Society and must conduct a successful test flight first. Will everything go according to plan?
Aunt Tick invites the Goodbyes to the annual comedy roast in Nothom (the Underworld) with Death as the guest of honor. Special guest Richard-Lael Lillard hosts the event. Although the evening is filled with laughter, not everything goes as planned, resulting in an overly emotional Death bursting into flames.
The Goodbyes need to attend the Funeral Director’s Convention, where Otis will take his annual exam. This means they need a bat-sitter. With Orphie and her friends away, can Sue Shave, the local doctor’s secretary who has witnessed her fair share of gore, manage to survive the night looking after Kepla?
Specials
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
"A Very Dreary Halloween with The Goodbye Family and Richard-Lael Lillard"
“A Very Dreary Halloween” is an animated holiday special featuring ghost-host Richard-Lael Lillard reading the Mini Monster Book by Lorin Morgan-Richards. The Goodbye Family and their friends attend the reading, where the monsters enchantingly come to life.
Awards
Year
Event
Award
Recipients
Result
2024
Hollywood Blood Horror Fest
Best Dark Comedy
The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series (Lorin Morgan-Richards)
Won
2024
Hollywood Blood Horror Fest
Best Sound Design
The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series (Nick Gligor, Lorin Morgan-Richards, Heathen Apostles)
Won
2024
TMFF - The Monthly Film Festival
Best Short Film
The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series (Nick Gligor, Lorin Morgan-Richards, Heathen Apostles)
Nominated
Audiobook
In August 2022, an audiobook was released for The Goodbye Family and the Great Mountain, narrated by Richard-Lael Lillard.[32] The following year, Richards released Me’ma and the Great Mountain narrated by Jessica Rose Felix, and with a foreword by Corine Fairbanks.
Soundtrack
In 2021, Ratchet Blade Records released The Goodbye Family EP, produced and mixed by Chopper Franklin, lyrics by Lorin Morgan-Richards, vocals by Mather Louth and music by the Heathen Apostles. Song list includes Sew it up, Get Outta Dodge, and Lake of Fire (instrumental).[33]
In the second season of The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series, Richards and Franklin collaborated again to create Gothic Western Haunt. A single, produced and mixed by Chopper Franklin, lyrics by Lorin Morgan-Richards, vocals by Mather Louth and music by Heathen Apostles (2023, Ratchet Blade Records).[34]
References
^"Public Profile". SCBWI. October 15, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
