The 4 Animals You Meet In Heaven | |
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I didn't think Keene would be the type to end up in heaven. Comic: "The Other Side Of The River" (click for full size) | |
Info | |
Number of Comics | 24 |
Dates Published | April 11th - June 3rd, 2016 |
Featured Character(s) | |
Keene, Breel, Cerberus, Mr. Milton | |
One-offs in Between | |
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Previous Arc Fort Pillow Following Arc
Puppy Power |
The 4 Animals You Meet In Heaven is the 100th arc in Housepets!.
Characters[]
- Keene
- Breel (debut)
- Denizens of Heaven
- Cerberus
- High-Powered Lawyer
- Chauffeur
- Keene's Mother
- Henry Milton (Ferret Form) (First Appearance)
Plot[]
Keene somehow finds himself without his collar in a crowd in heaven. He asks a hippo where he is; and the hippo replies he's in the "M33 Portal Junction," which doesn't help. Keene notices the skyline is shaped with buildings in Ziggaraut, and tells himself to do what he always does when lost: locate the embassy. However, he notices a "Weasel Massage Parlor" behind him and goes in there.
Once inside, Keene meets a weasel named Breel (whom he notices is collarless.) Keene introduces himself, saying he's never been inside an all mustelid place before. Breel gives Keene a brochure, but he mistakes "Heaven" as a vacation island. Keene asks Breel if he can use his phone (and blushing at his background photo,) but the phone doesn't accept calls to the outside. Breel tells him there's a process that can take up to four months.
Breel and the other masseuses give Keene a massage, despite the fact he claims he doesn't have time. After it though (which includes twisting him around and rolling over his back with a rolling pin,) he asks if he could live there. At an outdoor restaurant, Keene is entertaining the others when he asks if he's their only client. Breel says that they'd have to be gone a long time to bother anyone, but when Keene points out they've only been out an hour, Breel requests a dinner menu. However, Keene realizes it's getting late and writes down a check for the masseuses (on the back of a napkin) for their services. However, they realize he's talking about money and one states he must've missed orientation (while Keene hopes he didn't wander into another cult.)
Breel and the others lead Keene to the orientation, whereupon he finally realizes he's dead. He files a complaint with Cerberus; who has gotten a promotion. Keene argues that he can't be dead, but Cerberus counters that they don't make mistakes, he is mortal, and he can die for no reason. Keene explains he still has something important he needs to do.
Keene tells Cerberus that he can't remember how he got into heaven or what he was doing before then. Cerberus doesn't remember bringing him either, so she decides to take him to the Room of Recall. At the pool, Cerberus warns him it could be dangerous, and it'll help him recover his memories. Keene becomes woozy and falls into the pool, only to wake up exhausted in a courtroom, complaining that his people sleep twenty-two hours a day.
Keene discusses the situation with his lawyer, he's still trying to carry out his father's plan for animal liberation. He complains that he's opening his heart (and his wallet) for these people, but they still hesitate. The lawyer suggests it's because Keene doesn't wear pants. As he leads him into a limousine, the lawyer tells Keene it may take decades for the legal battle to resolve, but Keene doesn't want to spend his life fighting for his dad's world, he wants to live in it. He says he doesn't want to die with his work unfinished. Keene fades out as he slumps to the floor of the limo and is fished out of the pool by Cerberus. She asks him if he was satisfied, but Keene is despondent that heaven has everything he wanted and that he wasted his life trying to fix the world himself. Cerberus discusses among herself that she should check on his fate, only to discover that Keene has run off somewhere.
Keene makes his way over a grassy hill and comes across a small house. Opening the door, he finds his deceased mother sitting at a table, who is shocked to see him. Reverting to a young age (as one can alter appear in heaven), Keene joyfully runs into her arms. He tries to tell her everything that's happened to him, but his mother tells him they have time for the decompressed version. Keene tells her that, even though she's his mom, she's a lot more perfect than he knew her. Keene's mother explains he needs to see her this way. Keene figures that heaven is his tailor-made therapist, since he's having an existential crisis. Keene's mom produces a pie to cheer him up, even though Keene reminds her that as a pet store ferret she's never made pie before.
Later, as the two are watching Firefly, Cerberus lifts the roof of the house, and tells Keene she had found something important. Though Keene doesn't want to go, his mother encourages him (and embarrassing him at the same time.) Cerberus leads Keene on a train, but not before Breel returns to send Keene off, assuming he is returning to haunt the earth. A green dog also gives Keene a love letter to deliver to a slim, gray husky who recently joined the police force.
Arriving at their destination, Cerberus encourages Keene inside. There he finds his adoptive father, Henry Milton, who has altered his appearance to become a ferret. As the two embrace, Keene is still despondent over how everything in heaven is perfect when he couldn't change everyone's attitudes. Mr. Milton inquires Keene on why everything is perfect, and Keene replies its because everyone has time to become the person they want to be and all he wanted to do was make him proud. Keene has an epiphany; the reason he wanted to fix everyone else's lives is because he wanted to honor the way Mr. Milton made his life better. Having finally shown him the way, Mr. Milton invites the others to join them.
Breel and Keene say goodbye as Mr. Milton hits on Keene's mom (which Keene tells him to stop.) Keene's mom reminds them they'll be waiting for him as Keene prepares to return to Earth as a haunting. However, Cerberus mentions that after looking through the records, she discovers that Keene can return to Earth sooner, all he has to do is wake up...
Keene finally awakens in the limousine he had fallen asleep in half submerged in water. Noticing the driver is gone, he manages to swim out of the window as the car sinks. After he resurfaces, he worriedly clings to the pier as the rain pours from above...
Events[]
- Keene visits Heaven in the midst of a suspicious incident which had been an attempt made on his life via drowning.
- This arc introduced recurring character Breel.
- This arc introduced to Keene's biological mother, who had died prior to Keene's adoption by Mr. Milton.
- Henry Milton makes his first appearance (in the form of a ferret).
Trivia[]
- This arc's name is a reference to the book and movie The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
- Keene is the third member of the main cast to enter Heaven, behind King and Fox.
- Each of the four animals Keene meets in the arc are labeled by the comic's title they are introduced in.
- Breel was introduced in The First.
- Cerberus was introduced in The Second.
- Keene's Mother was introduced in The Third.
- Mr. Milton (as a ferret) was introduced in The Fourth.
- The alt-text in The Second is a quote from the bonus scene at the end of Dragon Ball Z Abridged: Episode 3.
- The alt-text in Too Good For This Sinful World references the highly popular game Undertale.
- The alt-text in Going Down references the classic adventure comedy film The Princess Bride .
- The events of this arc are followed up in Real Stories of the K9PD.
- The first platypus in the comic appears in the strip Food For Thought.