The Goodbye Family are a fictional family of undertakers created by fantasy Western author and illustrator Lorin Morgan-Richards. 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.
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, 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.
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. In 2012, A Raven Above Press released Richards first novel Me’ma and the Great Mountain, 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 the Goodbye Family, 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 Tapas.
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.
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. 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. Tumbleweed: a joking flying bushel of weeds.
