By Jonathan Klotz | Published
Parodies are difficult to pull off; for each Space ballsthere is a Epic movie And Disaster moviebut in the late ’80s, teenager Ben Edlund created a big blue generic superhero named The Tick and accidentally launched one of the most successful superhero parodies. Despite lacking tick-tock-like powers, the big, blue, muscular hero quickly became a hit, going from local comic book store mascot to headlining his own series in just a few years . Although you can still find the first series in black and white, the ’90s Fox Kids cartoon that made The Tick a generation’s favorite is almost impossible to find today.
Bashing the grim and gritty 90s
The tick premiered in 1994, a time when superhero movies consisted of The Ghost And Meteor Manbut the comics industry was still going through a boom period. Thanks to speculators buying comics expected to rise in value, Image comics give creative writers an outlet for stories that DC and Marvel wouldn’t tell, and the rise of major events including The Death of Superman and the he imminent arrival of The Age. of Apocalypse, the comic book bubble was at its peak. This meant that a superhero who poked fun at the dark, brutal heroes of the time was a breath of fresh air for frustrated fans who were missing when superheroes were fun.
And there is no doubt about it: The tick it was fun. In episode 7, “The Tick vs. The Tick”, the big blue guy faces a much more literal Tick-themed hero at a superhero party, while the greatest villain of all time , The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight. , plans to blow them all up at midnight. Not only does it lampshade the fact that Tick’s name makes no sense, but it also features most of the supporting cast getting progressively drunk for a kids’ show, with the type of pettiness and nastiness that the classic. Justice League International the race of the 80s was known.
Pick any episode from the show’s three seasons, and there will be at least one brilliant comedic moment, even if the gags are often very stupid; that’s the point. Like the Swiss spies who use giant Swiss army knives on their missions, while in the background a large bipedal whale runs through town, and in context it makes sense. Sort of. But The Tick also demonstrated continuity in a time when most cartoons couldn’t even spell the word, thanks to the egocentric Chairface trying to write his name on the Moon. The villain made it as far as “Cha” before being arrested, leaving the letters visible in later episodes.
In danger of being lost forever
The tick was a success, even spreading to Comedy Central later in its run, but to date it is also the only successful version of the hero. Two live-action series, while critical successes, failed to catch on in 2001, despite the perfect casting of Patrick Warburton as the big blue hero, and in the Amazon series in 2016, starring Peter Serafinowicz as the titular hero and “Downtown” Griffin. Newman as his sidekick, Arthur. Both live shows were canceled prematurely, after one and two seasons.
Although it was a success, the 1994 series became increasingly difficult to find over the years and was in danger of becoming a lost piece of media. The tick The DVD collections, released mid-month, are incomplete, with one episode missing from season 1, “The Tick vs. The Mole Men”, and missing from season 2’s “Alone Together”. At one time, the series was also available for streaming, but has since been relegated to video on demand on YouTube. The anime series is under threat from DVDs getting harder to find every year and very limited streaming options.
It’s a shame, because today, decades after the last superhero movie boom, audiences are ready for a superhero parody that doesn’t take itself seriously, especially when D-list villains like Kraven are getting their own movies. The world needs The Tick, his bright blue suit and his iconic rallying cry: “Spoon!” »
