{Read} {PDF EPUB} ~download Man-Eating Cow & the Chainsaw Vigilante The Complete Works by Clay Griffith Tick (comics) The Tick is a fictional character created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986 as a newsletter mascot for the New England Comics chain of Boston area comic stores. He is an absurdist spoof of comic book superheroes. After its creation, the character spun off into an independent comic book series in 1988, and gained mainstream popularity through an animated TV series on Fox in 1994. A short-lived live-action TV series, video game, and various merchandise have also been based on the character. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time ranked The Tick as #57. Contents. History. In 1986, 18-year-old cartoonist Ben Edlund created The Tick as a mascot for a newsletter of the Norwood, Massachusetts store New England Comics, where he was a customer. Edlund expanded this into stories, beginning with the three-page tale "The Tick" in New England Comics Newsletter #14–15 (July/August – September/October 1986), in which the hero escapes from a mental institution. [1] The character became popular and the store financed a black-and-white comic book series, with the first issue released in June, 1988, and subsequently reprinted at least nine times through the next decade, including later editions with additional content. The Tick's sidekick, Arthur, was introduced in The Tick #4 (April 1989). Spin-offs followed featuring characters such as Paul the Samurai, Man-Eating Cow, and Chainsaw Vigilante. Edlund continued to write and illustrate these projects initially through his years as an undergraduate film student at the Massachusetts College of Art. The Chainsaw Vigilante spin-off, which was never completed, was written and illustrated by Zander Cannon. Other series, such as the second Paul the Samurai series and the Man-Eating Cow series, were written by North Carolina writer Clay Griffith. In 1994, the Fox network introduced The Tick as a Saturday morning cartoon series, which Edlund wrote and co-produced. Lasting three seasons, the animated series would provide The Tick's greatest mainstream fame. Townsend Coleman voiced the title character, and Micky Dolenz played his sidekick, Arthur, in season 1. Rob Paulsen took over the Arthur role during seasons 2 and 3. The series also featured Die Fledermaus as a shallow, self-absorbed Batman parody; Sewer Urchin, a Rain Man-like version of Aquaman; and American Maid, a more noble superheroine featuring aspects of Wonder Woman and Captain America. Reruns on Comedy Central helped make the series a cult hit with adults. The 1997 book The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! by Greg Hyland (creator of Lethargic Lad) was published as a tie-in with the animated series. In 2001, Fox introduced a live-action TV series (produced by Columbia-TriStar Television), written and executive produced by Edlund. The series starred Patrick Warburton as The Tick, David Burke as Arthur, Nestor Carbonell as Batmanuel (a Latino version of Die Fledermaus), and Liz Vassey as Captain Liberty (a shallow and self-absorbed version of American Maid). The series was short-lived, however, and it only lasted nine episodes. Nevertheless, it was well-praised and revered by cast and crew. A DVD release of the complete series (including several unaired episodes) was released on September 30, 2003. In June 2005, the Toon Disney network began airing The Tick animated series at midnight (Eastern Time). The series also occasionally aired on ABC Family as part of the Jetix cartoon block. The following year, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the first season of The Tick animated series on DVD. The second season was released on August 7, 2007; however, both collections were missing an episode for different reasons. Character biography. The Tick seems to have no memory of his life before being The Tick, and indeed not much memory of anything; more than likely due to frequent head injuries. In the live-action series, Batmanuel suggests that The Tick may be from space. In the original comic series, The Tick is apparently legally insane, having escaped from a mental institution located not too far from The City. In the animated series he has passed his official superhero initiation test before moving into the city. In the live-action series, however, he was tricked into moving to (and protecting) The City after irritating the employees of a remote bus station he had sworn to protect. A square-jawed, muscular, bright blue-costumed figure with antennae sticking up from his head, The Tick is a surreal parody of superheroes, in the vein of Dave Sim's character, The Cockroach. [2] [3] He is well-intentioned, friendly, childlike, good-natured, high-spirited, frequently obtuse, and prone to quipping odd, dim remarks and "inspirational" speeches filled with bizarre metaphors. The Tick is known for his nonsensical battle cry, "Spoooooon!", which he decided upon one day while eating breakfast (specifically, the cereal Drama Flakes). In an interview, actor Patrick Warburton described his perception of The Tick character, as Warburton played him: "His past is a mystery. So everything that he looks at or perceives can be brand new, and he can get really, really excited and intrigued by something that’s just a commonality for everybody else, that’s humorous. He’s like a child; everything’s new. So you just bring that attitude to him, a childlike attitude of discovering things." [4] Originally, The Tick's costume was meant to be brown in color, but it was decided that blue looked better in print. In The Tick vs. The Tick , wherein The Tick is confronted by Barry, an unstable pseudo-hero who also calls himself "The Tick", Barry wears a brown costume similar to The Tick's. The Tick is named after an arachnid, much like Spider-Man. The logo of the series also resembles that of the 1994 Spider-Man series. According to the live-action series, The Tick is 6 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 230 pounds (6 inches and 170 pounds less than his dimensions in the comic), and has blue hair and eyes. In the comic series, The Tick gets a job at the Weekly World Planet newspaper. He works in the same office as Clark Oppenheimer, who is also a superhero called the Caped Wonder. Oppenheimer has all the typical Superman powers, including X-ray vision ("see-through vision"), super strength, invulnerability, flight, heat-vision ("very hot vision"), and super hearing. Consequently, he looks down on The Tick as a lower form of superhero with limited powers. Like many superheroes, The Tick has a sidekick, a rather plump former accountant named Arthur. Arthur wears a white moth suit that allows him to fly; although he is often mistaken for a bunny due to the long ear-like antennae of his costume and the fact that his wings are often folded up. The Tick is impulsive, and Arthur serves as a sort of conscience; he also figures out the schemes of villains and formulates plans to stop them. Arthur's "battle cry" (such as it is) is "Not in the face! Not in the face!" In all of his incarnations, The Tick is surrounded by a cast of equally absurd heroes and villains, many of them parodies of popular comic book characters and character types. Few of the "superheroes" in the Tick mythos have powers that would measure up to those of DC Comics or Marvel Comics characters, but their foes are often equally silly and/or weak. The Tick lives in a city simply called "The City". In the animated series, The Tick was assigned to The City after his "Cabinet of Terror" (described by The Tick as the "deadliest engine of destruction 1974 had to offer") exploded, leaving him unharmed, during his city assignment selection trials at the National Super Institute Convention in Reno, Nevada. According to the series' companion book, The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! , at least one of the judges was amazed by this (perhaps by The Tick's survival), awarding The Tick a score of 10 out of 10. Powers and abilities. The Tick possesses superhuman strength and mass, which makes him capable of inflicting great damage on his surroundings if he is not careful. His full strength is never actually quantified, although he is at the very least capable of lifting whole cars with a single hand. The Tick is also "nigh- invulnerable", which means it is almost impossible to injure him in any serious way (although he is vulnerable to feelings of pain and his antennae are particularly sensitive). Because of this he can survive moments of extreme duress, and has demonstrated this ability on numerous occasions — once by falling 4000 feet, crashing through concrete into a subway tunnel, and subsequently being hit by an oncoming train — and surviving it all without injury ("Evil Sits Down for a Moment", November 4, 1995). Finally, The Tick possesses something referred to as "drama power", or basically a tendency for The Tick's powers to increase as the situation becomes more dramatic. He can also survive in space without a suit, and under water without oxygen for at least a long time. Despite his nigh- invulnerability, he is still susceptible to injuries. One of his few limitations is that he cannot keep his balance if his antennae are removed. Characters. A few characters have appeared throughout the three incarnations of The Tick. Apart from The Tick and Arthur, the only characters to appear in the comic book, the animated series, and the live-action show are The Terror, Arthur's sister Dot, and Fish Boy, the Lost Prince of Atlantis. Main characters. Blue ██ indicates an animated series character. Red ██ indicates a live-action series character. White ██ indicates a character that appeared in both, as well as the comic book series. Character Notable powers Notes Actor/Voice actor American Maid Skilled acrobat, can throw her tiara and stilettos with extreme accuracy. The World's Most Patriotic Domestic, a Wonder Woman/Captain America parody. Love/hate relationship with Die Fledermaus, though there are hints at a past romance. She is possibly the only competent superhero(ine) in the animated series apart from The Tick and Arthur, whom she occasionally teams up with. Kay Lenz Arthur Flight (with moth suit) The Tick's sidekick Micky Dolenz (animated, Season 1), Rob Paulsen (animated, Season 2-3), David Burke (live-action) Batmanuel None Spanish parody of Batman, loosely based on Die Fledermaus. Love/hate relationship with Captain Liberty. Nestor Carbonell Captain Liberty Enhanced strength and agility, skilled acrobat and fighter. Wonder Woman/Captain America parody and loosely based on American Maid, though more shallow and incompetent. Love/hate relationship with Batmanuel. Liz Vassey Die Fledermaus Roof swinging grappling line gun, utility belt and exoskeleton, articulated cape are among his crime fighting gear. Charisma and great chemistry with women Batman parody (also the name of an operetta by Johann Strauss II; die Fledermaus is German for the bat ). Love/hate relationship with American Maid, though there are hints at a past romance. He is usually the first superhero to run away from danger. Is also egotistical and obsessed with beautiful women. Cam Clarke Sewer Urchin Super stench Slime secreting spikes on suit enable him to stick on any surface. Equipped with lemon grenades, butter shooters, bars of soap and other various apparel to aid him in his underground endeavors. Oxygen tank and mask enable him to breath in the thickest of sewer sludge Rain Man/Aquaman parody. In the sewers he has a luxurious apartment largely furnished with salvage from the sewers; however, he has relatively few guests. The "Apotheosis of cool" in the sewer. Jess Harnell The Tick Nigh-invulnerability, superhuman strength, and mass, "drama power", and oxygen independence. The protagonist Townsend Coleman (animated), Patrick Warburton (live-action) Other characters. Merchandising. While The Tick comic book series included some extras, such as trading cards, the merchandising of The Tick increased dramatically with the launch of the animated series. Action figures, stickers, pogs, T-shirts, hats, party favors, costumes, and a board game were representative. In addition, many fast food restaurant chains, such as Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell offered Tick-related giveaways. In 1994, Fox Interactive also released a beat 'em up video game based on the animated series. The game, however, was not well received. Tick-inspired characters. The character of Sentinel Prime in the series Transformers Animated resembles the Tick, and is also voiced by Townsend Coleman. [5] However, Sentinel Prime is arrogant and rude, as opposed to The Tick's good-hearted, silly nature. Bibliography. Edlund, Ben (July 1996). The Tick: The Naked City . Marlowe & Company. ISBN 978-1-56924-828-7 . Edlund, Ben (2003). The Tick: Circus Maximus Collection . New England Comics Press. Edlund, Ben (October 29, 2008). The Tick: The Complete Edlund . New England Comics Press. Hyland, Greg (May 1, 1997). The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! . Berkley Books. ISBN 978-1-57297-250-6 . McCulloch, Chris (2009). The Tick: Karma Tornado, The Complete Works . New England Comics Press. Stone, Eli (2009). The Tick: Big Blue Tick, The Complete Works . New England Comics. Wang, Sean (2009). The Tick and Arthur, The Complete Works . New England Comics Press. Wang, Sean; Stone, Eli (2009). The Tick Specials, The Complete Works . New England Comics Press. Reception. The Tick has been well received as a comic book character. Wizard magazine rated him as the 187th greatest comic book character of all time. [6] Empire magazine also ranked him as the 28th greatest comic book character of all time stating that the Tick is a lovable lunk, given to overly dramatic declarations on behalf of justice. [7] IGN ranked him as the 57th greatest comic book hero of all time stating if you like your heroes on the bizarre side, you won't find anyone more surreal than The Tick.; IGN also stated that whatever his mental state, The Tick's adventures are thoroughly enjoyable, whether they unfold on the printed page or television. [8] Tick (comics) The Tick is a fictional character created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986 as a newsletter mascot for the New England Comics chain of Boston area comic stores. He is an absurdist spoof of comic book superheroes. After its creation, the character spun off into an independent comic book series in 1988, and gained mainstream popularity through an animated TV series on Fox in 1994. A short-lived live-action TV series, video game, and various merchandise have also been based on the character. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time ranked The Tick as #57. Contents. History. In 1986, 18-year-old cartoonist Ben Edlund created The Tick as a mascot for a newsletter of the Norwood, Massachusetts store New England Comics, where he was a customer. Edlund expanded this into stories, beginning with the three-page tale "The Tick" in New England Comics Newsletter #14-15 (July/August – September/October 1986), in which the hero escapes from a mental institution. [ 1 ] The character became popular and the store financed a black-and-white comic book series, with the first issue released in June, 1988, and subsequently reprinted at least nine times through the next decade, including later editions with additional content. The Tick's sidekick, Arthur, was introduced in The Tick #4 (April 1989). Spin-offs followed featuring characters such as Paul the Samurai, Man-Eating Cow, and Chainsaw Vigilante. Edlund continued to write and illustrate these projects initially through his years as an undergraduate film student at the Massachusetts College of Art. The Chainsaw Vigilante spin-off, which was never completed, was written and illustrated by Zander Cannon. Other series, such as the second Paul the Samurai series and the Man-Eating Cow series, were written by North Carolina writer Clay Griffith. In 1994, the FOX network introduced The Tick as a Saturday morning cartoon series, which Edlund wrote and co-produced. Lasting three seasons, the animated series would provide The Tick's greatest mainstream fame. Townsend Coleman voiced the title character, and Micky Dolenz played his sidekick, Arthur, in Season 1. Rob Paulsen took over the Arthur role during Seasons 2 and 3. The series also featured Die Fledermaus as a shallow, self-absorbed Batman parody; Sewer Urchin, a Rain Man-like version of Aquaman; and American Maid, a more noble superheroine featuring aspects of Wonder Woman and Captain America. Reruns on Comedy Central helped make the series a cult hit with adults. The 1997 book The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! by Greg Hyland (creator of Lethargic Lad) was published as a tie-in with the animated series. In 2001, FOX introduced a live-action TV series (produced by Columbia-TriStar Television), written and executive produced by Edlund. The series starred Patrick Warburton as The Tick, David Burke as Arthur, Nestor Carbonell as Batmanuel (a Latino version of Die Fledermaus), and Liz Vassey as Captain Liberty (a shallow and self-absorbed version of American Maid). The series was short-lived, however, and it only lasted nine episodes. Nevertheless, it was well-praised and revered by cast and crew. A DVD release of the complete series (including several unaired episodes) was released on September 30, 2003. In June, 2005, the Toon Disney network began airing The Tick animated series at midnight (Eastern Time). The series also occasionally aired on ABC Family as part of the Jetix cartoon block. The following year, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the first season of The Tick animated series on DVD. The second season was released on August 7, 2007; however, both collections were missing an episode for different reasons. Character biography. The Tick seems to have no memory of his life before being The Tick, and indeed not much memory of anything; more than likely due to frequent head injuries. In the live-action series, Batmanuel suggests that The Tick may be from space. In the original comic series, The Tick is apparently legally insane, having escaped from a mental institution located not too far from The City. In the animated series he has passed his official superhero initiation test before moving into the city. In the live-action series, however, he was tricked into moving to (and protecting) The City after irritating the employees of a remote bus station he had sworn to protect. A square-jawed, muscular, bright blue-costumed figure with antennae sticking up from his head, The Tick is a surreal parody of superheroes, in the vein of Dave Sim's character, The Cockroach. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] He is well-intentioned, friendly, child-like, good-natured, high-spirited, frequently obtuse, and prone to quipping odd, dim remarks and "inspirational" speeches filled with bizarre metaphors. The Tick is known for his nonsensical battle cry, "Spoooooon!", which he decided upon one day while eating breakfast (specifically, the cereal Drama Flakes). In an interview, actor Patrick Warburton described his perception of The Tick character, as Warburton played him: "His past is a mystery. So everything that he looks at or perceives can be brand new, and he can get really, really excited and intrigued by something that’s just a commonality for everybody else, that’s humorous. He’s like a child; everything’s new. So you just bring that attitude to him, a childlike attitude of discovering things." [ 4 ] Originally, The Tick's costume was meant to be brown in color, but it was decided that blue looked better in print. In The Tick vs. The Tick , wherein The Tick is confronted by Barry, an unstable pseudo-hero who also calls himself "The Tick," Barry wears a brown costume similar to The Tick's. The Tick is named after an arachnid, much like Spider-Man. The logo of the series also resembles that of the 1994 Spider-Man series. According to the live-action series, The Tick is 6 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 230 pounds (6 inches and 170 pounds less than his dimensions in the comic), and has blue hair and eyes. In the comic series, The Tick gets a job at the Weekly World Planet newspaper. He works in the same office as Clark Oppenheimer, who is also a superhero called the Caped Wonder. Oppenheimer has all the typical Superman powers, including X-ray vision ("see-through vision"), super strength, invulnerability, flight, heat-vision ("very hot vision"), and super hearing. Consequently, he looks down on The Tick as a lower form of superhero with limited powers. Like many superheroes, The Tick has a sidekick, a rather plump former accountant named Arthur. Arthur wears a white moth suit that allows him to fly; although he is often mistaken for a bunny due to the long ear-like antennae of his costume and the fact that his wings are often folded up. The Tick is impulsive, and Arthur serves as a sort of conscience; he also figures out the schemes of villains and formulates plans to stop them. Arthur's "battle cry" (such as it is) is "Not in the face! Not in the face!" In all of his incarnations, The Tick is surrounded by a cast of equally absurd heroes and villains, many of them parodies of popular comic book characters and character types. Few of the "superheroes" in the Tick mythos have powers that would measure up to those of DC Comics or Marvel Comics characters, but their foes are often equally silly and/or weak. The Tick lives in a city simply called "The City." In the animated series, The Tick was assigned to The City after his "Cabinet of Terror" (described by The Tick as the "deadliest engine of destruction 1974 had to offer") exploded, leaving him unharmed, during his city assignment selection trials at the National Super Institute Convention in Reno, Nevada. According to the series' companion book, The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! , at least one of the judges was amazed by this (perhaps by The Tick's survival), awarding The Tick a score of 10 out of 10. Powers and abilities. The Tick possesses superhuman strength and mass, which makes him capable of inflicting great damage on his surroundings if he is not careful. His full strength is never actually quantified, although he is at the very least capable of lifting whole cars with a single hand. Tick is also "nigh- invulnerable", which means it is almost impossible to injure him in any serious way. Because of this he can survive moments of extreme duress, and demonstrated this ability on numerous occasions; once by falling 4000 feet, crashing through the concrete into a subway tunnel and subsequently being hit by an oncoming train, surviving without incident ("Evil Sits Down for a Moment", November 4, 1995) . While he cannot be injured, he is not necessarily immune to pain or even temporary brain damage. Finally, Tick possesses something referred to as "drama power," or basically a tendency for The Tick's powers to increase as the situation becomes more dramatic. He can also survive in space without a suit, and under water without oxygen for a long time. Despite his nigh- invulnerability, he is still susceptible to injuries. One of his only weaknesses is that he cannot keep his balance if his antennae are removed. Characters. A few characters have appeared throughout the three incarnations of The Tick. Apart from The Tick and Arthur, the only characters to appear in the comic book, the animated series, and the live-action show are The Terror, Arthur's sister Dot, and Fish Boy, the Lost Prince of Atlantis. Main characters. Blue ██ indicates an animated series character. Red ██ indicates a live-action series character. White ██ indicates a character that appeared in both, as well as the comic book series. Character Notable powers Notes Actor/Voice actor American Maid Skilled acrobat, can throw her tiara and stilettos with extreme accuracy. The World's Most Patriotic Domestic, a Wonder Woman/Captain America parody. Love/hate relationship with Die Fledermaus, though there are hints at a past romance. She is possibly the only competent superhero(ine) in the animated series. She occasionally teams up with The Tick and Arthur. Kay Lenz Arthur Flight (with moth suit) The Tick's sidekick Micky Dolenz (animated, Season 1), Rob Paulsen (animated, Season 2-3), David Burke (live-action) Batmanuel None Latino parody of Batman, loosely based on Die Fledermaus. Love/hate relationship with Captain Liberty. Nestor Carbonell Captain Liberty Enhanced strength and agility, skilled acrobat and fighting ability. Wonder Woman/Captain America parody and loosely based on American Maid, though more shallow & incompetent. Love/hate relationship with Batmanuel. Liz Vassey Die Fledermaus None Batman parody (also the name of an operetta by Johann Strauss II; die Fledermaus is German for the bat ). Love/hate relationship with American Maid, though there are hints at a past romance. He is usually the first superhero to run away from danger. Cam Clarke Sewer Urchin Super stench Rain Man/Aquaman parody. In the sewers he has a luxurious apartment largely furnished with salvage from the sewers; however, he has relatively few guests. The "Apotheosis of cool" in the sewer. Jess Harnell The Tick Nigh-invulnerability, superhuman strength, super speed, "drama power" The protagonist Townsend Coleman (animated), Patrick Warburton (live-action) Other characters. Merchandising. While The Tick comic book series included some extras, such as trading cards, the merchandising of The Tick increased dramatically with the launch of the animated series. Action figures, stickers, pogs, T-shirts, hats, party favors, costumes, and a board game were representative. In addition, many fast food restaurant chains, such as Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell offered Tick-related giveaways. In 1994, Fox Interactive also released a beat 'em up video game based on the animated series. The game, however, was not well received. Tick-inspired characters. The character of Sentinel Prime in the Transformers Animated television series is not only voiced by the same actor as The Tick, but his physical form is highly inspired by The Tick, as well. [ 5 ] However, Sentinel Prime is arrogant and rude, as opposed to The Tick's good-hearted, silly nature. Also, the fictional superhero Crimson Chin from The Fairly OddParents animated series is based on the Tick. Captain Qwark from the video game series Ratchet and Clank is a similar case. Bibliography. Edlund, Ben (July 1996). The Tick: The Naked City . Marlowe & Company. ISBN 978-1-56924-828-7. Edlund, Ben (2003). The Tick: Circus Maximus Collection . New England Comics Press. Edlund, Ben (October 29, 2008). The Tick: The Complete Edlund . New England Comics Press. Hyland, Greg (May 1, 1997). The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! . Berkley Books. ISBN 978-1-57297-250-6. McCulloch, Chris (2009). The Tick: Karma Tornado, The Complete Works . New England Comics Press. Stone, Eli (2009). The Tick: Big Blue Destiny, The Complete Works . New England Comics. Wang, Sean (2009). The Tick and Arthur, The Complete Works . New England Comics Press. Wang, Sean; Stone, Eli (2009). The Tick Specials, The Complete Works . New England Comics Press. Reception. The Tick has been well received as a comic book character. Wizard magazine rated him as the 187th greatest comic book character of all time. [ 6 ] Empire magazine also ranked him as the 28th greatest comic book character of all time stating that the Tick is a lovable lunk, given to overly dramatic declarations on behalf of justice. [ 7 ] IGN ranked him as the 57th greatest comic book hero of all time stating if you like your heroes on the bizarre side, you won't find anyone more surreal than The Tick.; IGN also stated that whatever his mental state, The Tick's adventures are thoroughly enjoyable, whether they unfold on the printed page or television. [ 8 ] BURGEONING LADS OF SCIENCE. By request of @TheDooge on Twitter, here is a complete list of individual Tick comics, not in exact chronological order, but at least something like a suggested reading order. THE MAIN SERIES. 1. The Tick #1. 6 . The Tick #6. 12. The Tick #12 (easy enough so far; this is the entirety of the Edlund series, from 1988-1993) 13. The Tick Pseudo-#13 (this is not a real #13. It’s by Marc Silvia and Mychailo Kazybrid, and is not considered canon; from 2000) 14. The Tick Karma Tornado #1. 15. The Tick Karma Torndao #2. 16. The Tick Karma Tornado #3. 17. The Tick Karma Tornado #4. 18. The Tick Karma Tornado #5. 19. The Tick Karma Tornado #6. 20. The Tick Karma Tornado #7. 21. The Tick Karma Tornado #8. 22. The Tick Karma Tornado #9 (this series started as a showcase for Chris McCulloch [aka Jackson Publick of Venture Bros], but he left after three issues to work on the Tick cartoon, I believe. It became a sort of anthology series for the last three issues. Part of the main series, but pseudo-canonical at best. From 1993-1995.) 23. The Tick’s Back #0. 24. The Tick Big Blue Destiny #1. 25. The Tick Big Blue Destiny #2. 26. The Tick Big Blue Destiny #3. 27. The Tick Big Blue Destiny #4. 28. The Tick Big Blue Destiny #5. 29. The Tick Luny Bin #1. 30. The Tick Luny Bin #2. 31. The Tick Luny Bin #3 (These series–Tick’s Back through the Luny Bin trilogy–are the stories that pick up the canonical storyline of the series [though not directly addressing many of Edlund’s unfinished story threads. These are by Eli Stone [not the psychic lawyer]. From 1997-1998.) 32. The Tick’s Big Yule Log Special 1998 (pretty sure this actually came out Dec 97) 33. The Tick’s Big Romantic Adventure #1. 34. The Tick’s Big Summer Fun Special #1. 35. The Tick’s Big Back to School Special #1. 36. The Tick and Arthur #1. 37. The Tick and Arthur #2. 38. The Tick and Arthur #3. 39. The Tick and Arthur #4. 40. The Tick and Arthur #5. 41 The Tick and Arthur #6 (These issues more or less encompass Sean Wang’s main run on the series. The Specials ran concurrently with Eli Stone’s work, while Tick and Arthur #1 picks up right where the Luny Bin trilogy ends. From 1998-2000.) 42. The Tick Heroes of the City #1. 43. The Tick Heroes of the City #2. 44. The Tick Heroes of the City #3. 45. The Tick Heroes of the City #4. 46. The Tick Heroes of the City #5. 47. The Tick Heroes of the City #6 (This was an anthology series that ran concurrently, in alternating months, with The Tick and Arthur. From 1999-2000.) 48. The Tick’s Big Yule Log Special 1999 (Dec 1998) 49. The Tick’s Big Summer Annual #1 (1999) 50. The Tick’s Big Halloween Special 1999. 51. The Tick’s Big Yule Log Special 2000 (Dec 1999) 52. The Tick’s Big Year 2000 Spectacle. 53. The Tick’s Big Tax Time Terror. 54. The Tick’s Mother’s Day Special. 55. The Tick’s Massive Summer Double Spectacle #1. 56. The Tick’s Massive Summer Double Spectacle #2. 57. The Tick’s Big Cruise Ship Vacation Special. 58. The Tick’s Big Halloween Special 2000. 59. The Tick’s Big Yule Log Special 2001 (Dec 2000) (These holiday specials ran concurrently with the Sean Wang run on the series, more or less outlining their own continuing storyline with the Big Year 2000 Spectacle more or less picking up the main story thread from where Tick and Arthur Ended. The stories switched off between being written by Marc Silvia and Clay & Susan Griffith, with art by various artists.) 60. The Tick’s Incredible Internet Comic (A print version of a comic originally run online, the first full-color Tick comic. By Gabe Crate, from 2001.) 61. The Tick Color #1. 62. The Tick Color #2. 63. The Tick Color #3. 64. The Tick Color #4. 65. The Tick Color #5. 66. The Tick Color #6 (First full series in full color, of course. This series picks up the main story from the last Yule Log Special. Written by Marc Silvia with art by Marc Sandroni and Mychailo Kazybrid.) 67. The Tick’s Big Halloween Special 2001. 68. The Tick’s Big Red ‘n’ Green Christmas Spectacle (Dec 2001) 69. Introducing the Tick (From 2002, to coincide with the launch of the live action TV series.) 70. The Tick’s Golden Age Comic #1. 71. The Tick’s Golden Age Comic #2. 72. The Tick’s Golden Age Comic #3 (This is a non-continuity story spoofing Golden Age comics. By Marc Silvia and various artists, from 2002.) 73. The Tick’s Big Xmas Trilogy #1. 74. The Tick’s Big Xmas Trilogy #2. 75. The Tick’s Big Xmas Trilogy #3 (from 2002) 76. The Tick Days of Drama #1. 77. The Tick Days of Drama #2. 78. The Tick Days of Drama #3. 79. The Tick Days of Drama #4. 80. The Tick Days of Drama #5. 81. The Tick Days of Drama #6 (This picks up the main story thread. By Clay & Susan Griffith and Dave Garcia, from 2005-2006.) 82. The Tick Comic-Con Extravaganza (From 2007.) 83. The Tick’s 20th Anniversary Special (From 2008, an anthology by tons of creators [including me!].) 84. The Mangalicious Tick #1. 85. The Mangalicious Tick #2. 86. The Mangalicious Tick #3. 87. The Mangalicious Tick #4 (A non-continuity manga spoof by the Robbins Studio. From 2009.) 88. The Tick and Artie #1. 89. The Tick and Artie #2 (These are actually from 2002, but they are completely separate from the main continuity, about an actual tick and moth. By Bob Polio.) 90. The Tick New Series #1. 91. The Tick New Series #2. 93. The Tick New Series #3. 94. The Tick New Series #4. 95. The Tick New Series #5. 96. The Tick New Series #6. 97. The Tick New Series #7. 98. The Tick New Series #8. 99. The Tick Free Comic Book Day Special 2011. 100. The Tick #100. 101. The Tick #101 (These are all by Les McClaine and me, Benito. In the tabulation of 100 issues in the back of issue 100, they don’t count the FCBD issue, but a) they accidentally double counted one of the Halloween specials and b) I do count the FCBD special, which fits in between the New Series and the 100 series.) There’s also The Tick FCBD Special 2013, which is by Jeff McClelland and Duane Redhead. I would number it #102, but that’s where The Tick #102 goes whenever it comes out. CIRCUS MAXIMUS. These are handbooks, in the style of Who’s Who or the Marvel Official Handbooks. The Tick’s Giant Circus of the Mighty #1-3 (1992-1993) The Tick Circus Maximus #1-4. The Tick Circus Update 2001 and 2003. SPIN-OFFS. Man-Eating Cow #1-10. Chainsaw Vigilante #1-3. Paul the Samurai Mini-Series #1-3. Paul the Samurai Ongoing #1-10. And, not counting reprints or collections, I'm pretty sure that’s everything. Tick (comics) The Tick is a fictional character, an absurdist spoof of comic book superheroes. Created by cartoonist Ben Edlund, the character debuted as a newsletter mascot in 1986, was spun off into an independent comic-book series in 1988, and gained mainstream popularity through an animated TV series on Fox Broadcasting in 1994. A short-lived live-action TV series, video game and various merchandise have also been based on the character. The Tick was named the twenty-eighth greatest comic book character by Empire Magazine . [1] Contents. History [ edit | edit source ] In 1986, 18-year-old cartoonist Ben Edlund created The Tick as a mascot for a newsletter of the Brockton, Massachusetts store, New England Comics, where he was a customer. Edlund expanded this into stories, beginning with the three-page tale "The Tick" in New England Comics Newsletter #14-15 (July-Aug. to Sept.-Oct. 1986), in which the hero escapes from a mental institution. [2] The character became popular and the store financed a black-and-white comic book series, The Tick , beginning with a first issue cover-dated June 1988 and subsequently reprinted at least nine times through the next decade, including later editions with additional content. The Tick #4 (April 1989) introduced sidekick Arthur. Spin-offs followed featuring characters such as Paul the Samurai, Man-Eating Cow, and Chainsaw Vigilante. Edlund continued to write and illustrate these projects initially through his years as an undergraduate film student at Massachusetts College of Art. The Chainsaw Vigilante spin- off, which was never completed, was written and illustrated by Zander Cannon. Other series, such as the second Paul the Samurai series and the Man-Eating Cow series were written by North Carolina writer Clay Griffith. In 1994, the FOX network introduced The Tick as a Saturday morning cartoon series, which Edlund wrote and co-produced. Lasting three seasons, the animated series would provide The Tick's greatest mainstream fame. The Tick was voiced by Townsend Coleman, and his sidekick Arthur by Micky Dolenz in Season 1, with Rob Paulsen taking over the Arthur voice roles during Seasons 2 and 3. The series also featured Die Fledermaus as a shallow, self-absorbed Batman parody; Sewer Urchin, a Rain Man-like version of Aquaman; and American Maid, a more noble superheroine featuring aspects of Wonder Woman and Captain America. Reruns on Comedy Central helped make the series a cult hit with adults. The 1997 book The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! by Greg Hyland was published as a tie-in with the animated series. In 2001, FOX introduced a live-action TV series (produced by Columbia-TriStar Television), written and executive produced by Edlund. The series starred Patrick Warburton as The Tick, David Burke as Arthur, Nestor Carbonell as Batmanuel (a Spanish version of Die Fledermaus) and Liz Vassey as Captain Liberty (a version of American Maid). The series was short-lived, however, and it only lasted 9 episodes. In June 2005, the Toon Disney network began airing the Tick animated series. It currently airs on Midnight Eastern Time and occasionally airs on ABC Family as part of the Jetix cartoon block. The following year, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the first season of the Tick animated series on DVD. The second season was released on August 7, 2007; however, both collections were missing an episode for different reasons. Fictional character biography [ edit | edit source ] A square-jawed, muscular, bright blue-costumed figure with antennae sticking up from his head, The Tick is a surreal parody of superheroes. He is high-spirited, frequently obtuse, and prone to quipping odd, dim remarks and "inspirational" speeches filled with bizarre metaphors. His superpowers are nigh-invulnerability, which allows him to crash and bang about without injury (though not necessarily without pain); super strength (he can bend a steel girder with ease); and something referred to as "drama power," or basically a tendency for the Tick's powers to increase as the situation becomes more dramatic. He can also survive out in space without a suit and underwater without oxygen for a long time. Despite his nigh-invulnerability, in the animated series, the Tick is portrayed as being vulnerable to blows to the head, which often cause temporary brain damage. He is known for his nonsensical battle cry, "Spoooooon!," which he decided upon one day while eating breakfast (specifically, the cereal Drama Flakes). The Tick is named after an arachnid, much like Spider-Man. The logo of the series also resembles that of the 1994 Spider-Man series. Originally, the Tick's costume was meant to be brown, but it was decided that blue looked better in print. In The Tick vs. The Tick , wherein Tick is confronted by Barry, an unstable hero who also calls himself "The Tick," Barry wears a brown Tick costume. In the comic book, the Tick got a job at the Weekly World Planet newspaper. He works in the same office as Clark Oppenheimer who is also a superhero called the Caped Wonder. He has all the typical Superman powers including: X-ray vision, super strength, invulnerability, flight, heat- vision, and super hearing. Clark Oppenheimer looks down on the Tick as a lower form of super-hero with limited powers. The Tick battles ninjas in several of the comic books. Like many superheroes, The Tick has a sidekick: a rather plump former accountant named Arthur, who wears a white moth suit that allows him to fly, although he is often mistaken for a bunny due to the long ear-like antennae of his costume and the fact that his wings are often folded up. The Tick is impulsive, and Arthur serves as a sort of conscience; he also figures out the schemes of villains and formulates plans to stop them. Arthur's "battle cry" (so to speak) is "Not in the face! Not in the face!" The Tick and Arthur were made popular by an animated television series (1994-1996) and a live-action television series (2001-2002). Both series aired on the Fox Network. According to the live action series The Tick is 6 feet 6 inches and weighs 230 pounds (18 inches and 170 pounds less than his dimensions in the comic) and has black hair and blue eyes. In all of his incarnations, The Tick is surrounded by a cast of equally absurd heroes and villains, many of them parodies of popular comic book characters and character types. Few of the "superheroes" in the Tick mythos have powers that would measure up to those of DC or Marvel Comics characters, but their foes are often equally silly and/or weak. The Tick lives in a city called "The City". In the animated series, The Tick was assigned to The City after his "Cabinet of Terror" (described by the Tick as the "best destruction device 1974 had to offer") exploded, leaving him unharmed, during his city assignment selection trials at the National Super Institute Convention in Reno, Nevada. According to the series' companion book, The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! , at least one of the judges was amazed by this (perhaps by The Tick's survival), awarding The Tick a score of 10 out of 10. In the original comic books the Tick is apparently legally insane, having escaped from a mental institution located not too far from The City. In the live-action series, however, he was tricked into moving to (and protecting) The City after irritating the employees of a remote bus station he had sworn to protect. Characters [ edit | edit source ] A few characters have appeared throughout the three incarnations of The Tick. Apart from The Tick and Arthur, the only characters to appear in the comic book, the animated series, and the live-action show are The Terror, Arthur's girlfriend Dot, and Fish Boy, The Lost Prince of Atlantis. Main characters [ edit | edit source ] Blue ██ indicates an animated series character, Red ██ indicates a live-action series character, and White ██ indicates a character that appeared in both as well as the comic book series. Character Notable powers Notes Actor/Voice Actor American Maid Skilled acrobat, can throw her tiara and stilettos with extreme accuracy The World's Most Patriotic Domestic, a Wonder Woman/Captain America parody. Love/hate relationship with Die Fledermaus, though there are hints at a past romance Kay Lenz Arthur Flight (with moth suit) The Tick's sidekick Micky Dolenz (animated, 1st season), Rob Paulsen (animated, 2nd season), David Burke (live-action) Batmanuel None Latin parody of Batman loosely based on Die Fledermaus. Love/hate relationship with Captain Liberty Nestor Carbonell Captain Liberty None Wonder Woman/Captain America parody and loosely based on American Maid. Love/hate relationship with Batmanuel Liz Vassey Die Fledermaus None Batman parody (also the name of an operetta by Johann Strauss II; die Fledermaus is German for 'the bat'). Love/hate relationship with American Maid, and there are hints at a past romance Cam Clarke Sewer Urchin Super stench Rain Man/Aquaman parody. In the sewers he has a luxurious apartment largely furnished with salvage from the sewers; however, he has relatively few guests. Is the "Apotheosis of cool" in the sewer. Jess Harnell The Tick Nigh-invulnerability, Superhuman strength, "Drama power" The main protagonist Townsend Coleman (animated), Patrick Warburton (live-action) Other characters [ edit | edit source ] Merchandising [ edit | edit source ] While the Tick comic book series included some extras, such as trading cards, the merchandising of The Tick increased dramatically with the launch of the animated series. Action figures, stickers, pogs, T-shirts, hats, party favors, costumes, and a board game were representative. In addition, many fast food restaurant chains, such as Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell offered Tick-related giveaways. In 1994, Fox Interactive also released a beat 'em up video game based on the animated series. The game, however, was not well received. Tick (comics) The Tick is a fictional character|]] created by cartoonist Ben Edlund|]] in 1986 as a newsletter|]] Mascot for the New England Comics|]] chain of Boston|]] area comic stores. He is an Surreal humor|absurdist|]] Parody|spoof|]] of comic book|]] superhero|]]es. After its creation, the character spun off into an The Tick (comic book)|independent comic book series|]] in 1988, and gained mainstream popularity through an The Tick (1994 TV series)|animated TV series|]] on Fox in 1994 in American television|1994|]]. A short-lived The Tick (2001 TV series)|live-action TV series|]], The Tick (video game)|video game|]], and List of The Tick merchandise|various merchandise|]] have also been based on the character. IGN|]]'s list of the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time ranked The Tick as #57. Contents. History. In 1986, 18-year-old cartoonist Ben Edlund|]] created The Tick as a mascot for a newsletter of the Norwood, Massachusetts|]] store New England Comics, where he was a customer. Edlund expanded this into stories, beginning with the three-page tale "The Tick" in New England Comics Newsletter #14–15 (July/August – September/October 1986), in which the hero escapes from a mental institution|]]. [1] The character became popular and the store financed a black-and-white comic book series, with the first issue released in June, 1988, and subsequently reprinted at least nine times through the next decade, including later editions with additional content. The Tick's sidekick|]], Arthur (The Tick)|Arthur|]], was introduced in The Tick #4 (April 1989). Spin-off (media)|Spin-off|]]s followed featuring characters such as Paul the Samurai|]], Man-Eating Cow, and Chainsaw Vigilante|]]. Edlund continued to write and illustrate these projects initially through his years as an undergraduate film student at the Massachusetts College of Art|]]. The Chainsaw Vigilante spin-off, which was never completed, was written and illustrated by Zander Cannon|]]. Other series, such as the second Paul the Samurai series and the Man-Eating Cow series, were written by North Carolina|]] writer Clay Griffith. In 1994, the Fox network introduced The Tick as a Saturday morning cartoon|]] series, which Edlund wrote and co-produced. Lasting three seasons, the animated series would provide The Tick's greatest mainstream fame. Townsend Coleman|]] voiced the title character, and Micky Dolenz|]] played his sidekick, Arthur, in season 1. Rob Paulsen|]] took over the Arthur role during seasons 2 and 3. The series also featured Die Fledermaus (The Tick)|Die Fledermaus|]] as a shallow, self-absorbed Batman|]] parody; Sewer Urchin|]], a Rain Man|]]-like version of Aquaman|]]; and American Maid|]], a more noble superheroine featuring aspects of Wonder Woman|]] and Captain America|]]. Reruns on Comedy Central helped make the series a cult following|cult hit|]] with adults. The 1997 book The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! by Greg Hyland (creator of Lethargic Lad|]]) was published as a tie-in with the animated series. In 2001, Fox introduced a live-action TV series (produced by Sony Pictures Television|Columbia-TriStar Television|]]), written and executive produced by Edlund. The series starred Patrick Warburton|]] as The Tick, David Burke (American actor)|David Burke|]] as Arthur, Nestor Carbonell|]] as Batmanuel|]] (a Latino|]] version of Die Fledermaus), and Liz Vassey|]] as Captain Liberty|]] (a shallow and self-absorbed version of American Maid|]]). The series was short-lived, however, and it only lasted nine episodes. Nevertheless, it was well-praised and revered by cast and crew. A DVD release of the complete series (including several unaired episodes) was released on September 30, 2003. In June 2005, the Toon Disney|]] network began airing The Tick animated series at midnight (Eastern Time|]]). The series also occasionally aired on ABC Family as part of the Jetix cartoon block. The following year, Buena Vista Home Entertainment|]] released the first season of The Tick animated series on DVD. The second season was released on August 7, 2007; however, both collections were missing an episode for different reasons. Character biography. The Tick seems to have no memory of his life before being The Tick, and indeed not much memory of anything; more than likely due to frequent head injuries. In the live-action series, Batmanuel suggests that The Tick may be from space. In the original comic series, The Tick is apparently legally insane, having escaped from a mental institution located not too far from The City (The Tick)|The City|]]. In the animated series he has passed his official superhero initiation test before moving into the city. In the live-action series, however, he was tricked into moving to (and protecting) The City after irritating the employees of a remote bus station he had sworn to protect. A square-jawed, muscular, bright blue-costumed figure with antennae sticking up from his head, The Tick is a surreal parody of superheroes, in the vein of Dave Sim|]]'s character, The Cockroach|]]. [2] [3] He is well-intentioned, friendly, childlike, good-natured, high-spirited, frequently obtuse, and prone to quipping odd, dim remarks and "inspirational" speeches filled with bizarre metaphors. The Tick is known for his nonsensical battle cry|]], "inherently funny word|Spoooooon|]]!", which he decided upon one day while eating breakfast (specifically, the cereal Drama Flakes). In an interview, actor Patrick Warburton described his perception of The Tick character, as Warburton played him: "His past is a mystery. So everything that he looks at or perceives can be brand new, and he can get really, really excited and intrigued by something that’s just a commonality for everybody else, that’s humorous. He’s like a child; everything’s new. So you just bring that attitude to him, a childlike attitude of discovering things." [4] Originally, The Tick's costume was meant to be brown in color, but it was decided that blue looked better in print. In The Tick vs. The Tick , wherein The Tick is confronted by Barry, an unstable pseudo-hero who also calls himself "The Tick", Barry wears a brown costume similar to The Tick's. The Tick is named after an arachnid|]], much like Spider-Man|]]. The logo of the series also resembles that of the Spider-Man (1994 TV series)|1994 Spider-Man series|]]. According to the live-action series, The Tick is 6 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 230 pounds (6 inches and 170 pounds less than his dimensions in the comic), and has blue hair and eyes. In the comic series, The Tick gets a job at the Weekly World Planet newspaper. He works in the same office as Clark Oppenheimer|]], who is also a superhero called the Caped Wonder. Oppenheimer has all the typical Superman|]] powers, including X-ray vision ("see-through vision"), super strength, invulnerability, flight, heat-vision ("very hot vision"), and super hearing. Consequently, he looks down on The Tick as a lower form of superhero with limited powers. Like many superheroes, The Tick has a sidekick, a rather plump former accountant named Arthur. Arthur wears a white moth suit that allows him to fly; although he is often mistaken for a bunny due to the long ear-like antennae of his costume and the fact that his wings are often folded up. The Tick is impulsive, and Arthur serves as a sort of conscience; he also figures out the schemes of villains and formulates plans to stop them. Arthur's "battle cry" (such as it is) is "Not in the face! Not in the face!" In all of his incarnations, The Tick is surrounded by a cast of equally absurd heroes and villains, many of them parodies of popular comic book characters and character types. Few of the "superheroes" in the Tick mythos have powers that would measure up to those of DC Comics|]] or Marvel Comics|]] characters, but their foes are often equally silly and/or weak. The Tick lives in a city simply called "The City". In the animated series, The Tick was assigned to The City after his "Cabinet of Terror" (described by The Tick as the "deadliest engine of destruction 1974 had to offer") exploded, leaving him unharmed, during his city assignment selection trials at the National Super Institute Convention in Reno, Nevada|]]. According to the series' companion book, The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! , at least one of the judges was amazed by this (perhaps by The Tick's survival), awarding The Tick a score of 10 out of 10. Powers and abilities. The Tick possesses superhuman strength and mass, which makes him capable of inflicting great damage on his surroundings if he is not careful. His full strength is never actually quantified, although he is at the very least capable of lifting whole cars with a single hand. Tick is also "nigh- invulnerable", which means it is almost impossible to injure him in any serious way. Because of this he can survive moments of extreme duress, and demonstrated this ability on numerous occasions; once by falling 4000 feet, crashing through the concrete into a subway tunnel and subsequently being hit by an oncoming train—and surviving all this without incident ("Evil Sits Down for a Moment", November 4, 1995). While he cannot be injured, he is not necessarily immune to pain, or even temporary brain damage. Finally, Tick possesses something referred to as "Drama power", or basically a tendency for The Tick's powers to increase as the situation becomes more dramatic. He can also survive in space without a suit, and under water without oxygen for at least a long time. Despite his nigh- invulnerability, he is still susceptible to injuries. One of his only weaknesses is that he cannot keep his balance if his antennae are removed. Characters. A few characters have appeared throughout the three incarnations of The Tick. Apart from The Tick and Arthur, the only characters to appear in the comic book, the animated series, and the live-action show are Terror (New England Comics)|The Terror|]], Arthur's sister Dot, and Fish Boy, the Lost Prince of Atlantis. Main characters. Blue ██ indicates an animated series character. Red ██ indicates a live-action series character. White ██ indicates a character that appeared in both, as well as the comic book series. Character Notable powers Notes Actor/Voice actor ]] acrobat|]], can throw her tiara|]] and Stiletto heel|stiletto|]]s with extreme accuracy. The World's Most Patriotic Domestic, a Wonder Woman/Captain America parody. Love/hate relationship with Die Fledermaus, though there are hints at a past romance. She is possibly the only competent superhero(ine) in the animated series. She occasionally teams up with The Tick and Arthur. ]] Arthur|]] Flight (with moth suit) The Tick's sidekick ]] (animated, Season 1), Rob Paulsen|]] (animated, Season 2-3), David Burke (American actor)|David Burke|]] (live-action) ]] None Latino parody of Batman, loosely based on Die Fledermaus. Love/hate relationship with Captain Liberty. ]] ]] Enhanced strength and agility, skilled acrobat and fighting ability. Wonder Woman/Captain America parody and loosely based on American Maid, though more shallow and incompetent. Love/hate relationship with Batmanuel. ]] Die Fledermaus|]] None operetta|]] by Johann Strauss II|]]; die Fledermaus is Germany|German|]] for the bat ). Love/hate relationship with American Maid, though there are hints at a past romance. He is usually the first superhero to run away from danger. Is also egotistical and obsessed with beautiful women. ]] ]] Super stench ]] of cool" in the sewer. ]] The Tick Nigh-invulnerability, superhuman strength, super speed, "drama power" The protagonist ]] (animated), Patrick Warburton|]] (live-action) Other characters. Merchandising. While The Tick comic book series included some extras, such as Trading cards, the merchandising of The Tick increased dramatically with the launch of the animated series. Action figures|]], stickers, pogs|]], T-shirts, hats, party favors, costumes, and a board game|]] were representative. In addition, many fast food restaurant chains, such as Carl's Jr.|]] and Taco Bell|]] offered Tick-related giveaways. In 1994, Fox Interactive|]] also released a beat 'em up The Tick (video game)|video game|]] based on the animated series. The game, however, was not well received. Tick-inspired characters. The character of Sentinel Prime|]] in the Transformers Animated|]] television series is not only voiced by the same actor as The Tick, but his physical form is highly inspired by The Tick, as well. [5] However, Sentinel Prime is arrogant and rude, as opposed to The Tick's good-hearted, silly nature. Also, the fictional superhero Crimson Chin#Superheroes|Crimson Chin|]] from The Fairly OddParents|]] animated series is based on the Tick. Captain Qwark|]] from the video game series Ratchet and Clank|]] is a similar case. Bibliography. Edlund, Ben (July 1996). The Tick: The Naked City . Marlowe & Company. ISBN 978-1-56924-828-7. Edlund, Ben (2003). The Tick: Circus Maximus Collection . New England Comics Press. Edlund, Ben (October 29, 2008). The Tick: The Complete Edlund . New England Comics Press. Hyland, Greg (May 1, 1997). The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! . Berkley Books. ISBN 978-1-57297-250-6. McCulloch, Chris (2009). The Tick: Karma Tornado, The Complete Works . New England Comics Press. Stone, Eli (2009). The Tick: Big Blue Destiny, The Complete Works . New England Comics. Wang, Sean (2009). The Tick and Arthur, The Complete Works . New England Comics Press. Wang, Sean; Stone, Eli (2009). The Tick Specials, The Complete Works . New England Comics Press. Reception. The Tick has been well received as a comic book character. Wizard (magazine)|Wizard|]] magazine rated him as the 187th greatest comic book character of all time. [6] Empire magazine also ranked him as the 28th greatest comic book character of all time stating that the Tick is a lovable lunk, given to overly dramatic declarations on behalf of justice. [7] IGN|]] ranked him as the 57th greatest comic book hero of all time stating if you like your heroes on the bizarre side, you won't find anyone more surreal than The Tick.; IGN also stated that whatever his mental state, The Tick's adventures are thoroughly enjoyable, whether they unfold on the printed page or television. [8] The Tick Specials: The Complete Works. A collection of Tick specials is hardly an easy piece to review. For one thing, the whole book is like a collection of short stories by various artists and writers, like reviewing an edition of McSweeneys, and are destined to be a collection of good and bad. Unfortunately, that is just what The Tick Specials: The Complete Works is, some good, some bad, and some mediocre. There are gems and there are stories needing just a couple of more rewrites and there are some that are just plain bad, but overall the collection is worth it for those interested in the entire mythos of the Tick. But for the casual reader, this omnibus is not worth it over something like the omnibus of all the original comic books by Ben Edlund, or the recently released first volume of the complete colour issues. I will try to make some overarching opinions using specific examples, but this review is not going to cover every story in much detail, there just isn't the room! One particularly interesting point about this book is how certain creators more than stories stand out. By the time I was halfway through it didn’t take long to recognize Marc Silvia’s writing, especially in the longer story arc where his writing was in sharp contrast to the generally disappointing continuations by the team of Clay and Susan Griffith. Sean Wang’s stories (the first four plus the story about Hanukkah) really start the book out with a bang. The conspiracy of a rebel elf and the appearance of Santa in a sort of oppressive employer and worldwide conspirator is by no means original, but Wang focuses on the laughs the Tick can bring from such an offbeat but fairly normal idea. The story itself too, for all its absurdity, follows a fairly basic evil genius plot as well, complete with the creation of a sort of robot, or coal monster in this case, the hero needs to defeat. The Tick, of course, defeats the monster with his brute strength and Santa makes an off panel appearance for some discipline of his rogue elf. The story is charming and in keeping with what these tales generally represent, which is some lighthearted, one-shots to consume over the holidays. Similarly, the Tick’s retelling of the story of Hanukkah is equally hilarious in its craziness and light-heartedness. Wang keeps a similar tone throughout his stories. Moments of genius continue through Wang’s stories and I found myself laughing out loud when rereading the stories simply because of how his humour works. Wang’s humour is similar to original creator Ben Edlund’s in having both a heavy-handed and forward style as well as a more subtle form in more of the background or a little wordplay or witty comments. His school special has moments of smaller humour, like the Tick getting bullied in a very classic way or the ongoing subplot of Arthur forced to be the undercover janitor and clean up (literally instead of metaphorically) after the Tick’s attempts to complete his mission. Other times, the humour is quite straight forward and still funny, like the Tick throwing a food tray and screaming “Eat creamed justice, teen miscreants!” The best story of Wang’s has to be the summer camp story, which is packed full of terribly hilarious moments, too many to recount here. Wang’s stories are light but still well crafted stories which are perfect one-shot specials, just as Silvia’s stories which make up the next part of the omnibus. Marc Silvia’s one-shot stories are fairly enjoyable, looking at the expanded universe created by Edlund. Silvia’s first two stories focus more on the former Tick (Barry Hubris, his story is in the Complete Edlund Omnibus) and the Chainsaw Vigilante, even pitting the two against each other for one issue. The shifted focus works well even though the Tick himself is present throughout the issues. The Chainsaw Vigilante pitted against the Tick quickly reaches crazy proportions, involving a giant robot and ending in a Monty Python-esque sudden shut down by the authorities just before it gets really crazy. The Christmas special involving the alien supervillain Tuun-La being invited over is very funny if only a little repetitive. The repetition is played up in the story though, with certain gags recurring to emphasize parts of the story. Overall, these stories leading up to the giant special seven issue arc are more or less entertaining, literally. They work for the most part and these one-shots make up the bulk of the quality in this omnibus. Despite the inevitability for compilations of this to contain moments of brilliance and moments of simply awful, the one-shots really are quite entertaining and overall very strong works. The seven issue spanning story takes up over a third of the 450 page omnibus and is fairly annoying rather than enjoyable. Certainly the story has its moments, mostly in Marc Silva’s work over the issues written by Clay and Susan Griffith, like the initial American Idol-esque quest to find a new member for the super-hero team. Given what other writers can accomplish in seven regular sized issues over seven giant specials, the whole arc feels incredibly shallow and underdeveloped. The story moves very quickly, initially playing off a similar story found in the original Tick run by Edlund where a up and coming superhero hires a supervillain to increase his publicity and generate some positive PR. The ‘behind the scenes’ view works a little differently here, but still feels quite borrowed, as the story continues on a much more extrapolated version of the original. The inevitable happens and the whole arrangement is ruined by an unscheduled cruise ship hijacking. Like I said, some moments are gems, but they are largely off to the side in ways. For example, the ongoing joke of one character, Portuguese Man-O-War, drowning his sorrows at the bar with a very evil looking bartender. His later absolute dedication to finding Fishboy, even when he has a girl throwing herself at him is also hilarious if not mostly unrelated to the main plot. In all honesty, this story lacked much of the charm the original series had and replaced it with a story much too big and much too unfocused, unfortunate considering the amount of the omnibus this story takes up. As with all compilations taking many different works by many different creators, the quality is varied throughout. Despite this, The Tick Specials: The Complete Works does manage to entertain for much of the 440+ pages, which is a feat in itself. There are moments of sheer brilliance, like Arthur and The Tick’s conversation about office gerbils, and there are moments which do not work at all, like the art of the last Halloween special, and there are moments which straddle the well done line, like the seven-issue story arc. I would really only recommend this book to the most dedicated of Tick fans for whom first appearances (there are over 50 of those here) and completeness really matter. With these omnibuses, your money may be spent better elsewhere, like the Complete Color or Complete Man-Eating Cow (reviews coming soon!).