The Tick

The Tick, the cartoon adaptation of the comic book that didn't see nearly enough comic stores. From an Australian perspective, the Tick cartoon series was the first tier of the Tick empire (spanning comic books to live action TV shows) that we experienced, and I must say that the cartoon series 'made it' for me.

With the addition of animation, a comic series has a whole new layer added to it, and in the case of the Tick, the layer only improved what was a solid comic performance. The voices are perfectly cast and the animation (while repetitive or slow at times) captures the illogical (and often insane) nature of the Tick's world.

I would say (after reading the comics and seeing the live action attempts) that the cartoon series stands at the top of the heap, bringing motion of intercharacter relationships to the mix, while still remaining true to the original ideas of the author (without becoming too corny). There is nothing like hearing one of the Tick's rants going on and on and making little to no sense and just laughing it off at the end. This sort of comedy ran into trouble in the comic form, having page upon page of text without action and in the live action form by having static actors on screen who could just not sustain the melodrama needed for this kind of satire.

In all, if you want to see heroic satire through the Tick, then the cartoon is the best medium to obtain it.

The Tick ran on Saturday mornings for kids, but I knew of numerous adults that watched this show and loved it. The show is not for everyone, mind you. You will either understand the humor and love it, or not get it and quickly turn the channel. I was hooked on it from day one. The show had memorable characters, villains and very witty dialogue. It often left me thinking to myself that many kids were not going to get the humor because the show came off as more of a comic book satire than a kiddie show. The show did offer enough action and colorful characters to appeal to the Saturday morning crowd, though.

The writers of the show, which included Tick creator Ben Edlund, really hit a bull's-eye by creating such memorable heroes like Sewer Urchin (sounded very much like Dustin Hoffman in Rainman) and Die Fledermaus and great villains like The Terror and the unforgettable Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight. I also felt that Townsend Coleman did a wonderful job in bringing The Tick to life. He gave The Tick some real heart and soul. This show will always be one of my all-time favorites because of its satirical humor and memorable characters. I never get tired of it. I have as much fun watching The Tick now as I did when I first saw the show in the mid 1990's.

I thought it was impossible to find cartoons that parents can enjoy as much as (if not more than) the kids. The Tick proved me wrong. I laughed until I cried. Highly literate, The Tick is set in The City, a metropolis overrun with superheroes and villains. See Die Fledermaus, The Civic-Minded Five (yes, they drive a Civic), and American Maid as they battle evil with The Tick and his sidekick Arthur ("I'm not a bunny! I'm a moth!)

The Tick is really one of the most hilarious and original cartoons I've seen in a while. It's about a Stupid and clueless but good-hearted Superhero called the Tick (when asked if he could destroy the world he says "Egad, I hope not. That's where I keep all my stuff"). When he moves to The City he meets up with a meek accountant who becomes his sidekick. Based on the Comic book of the same name, the Tick has proven itself repetedly that superhero spoofs still work. Watch it when you can.

Justice comes in many forms, and in The Tick it comes in at about 400 pounds in blue tights and wrapped in mixed metaphors.

The Tick is that rare beast -- a cartoon the adults will enjoy as much as the kids. In the tradition of Bullwinkle and the Alf cartoons, The Tick is sophisticated if silly, intellectual if infantile, a one-liner of truth in the hyperinflated monologue of network television. It's... oh, never mind. Watch it and see.