Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
Comics are hard work, and superhero comics are nearly impossible. DC's Damage Control didn't catch on, and the closest Marvel ever got to one was Ant-Man. It makes sense as there is one comic series that has nothing but banger entries for 40 years as it features everything about superheroes from names to written origin stories: The Tick. For the first time, both live-action versions of A tickthe 2001 Fox sitcom starring Patrick Warburton and the 2016 Amazon series starring Peter Serafinowicz are streaming on Netflix.
The tick has arrived on Netflix
It is easy and impossible to explain the Tick. It's easy, because he's a big, indestructible super-powered man in a green suit trying to protect the City. It's impossible because he has no origin, no background, and nothing, from the original comics to the Fox animated series of the 90s, to both live-action adaptations, has done anything to shed light on the past. There have been hints here and there, but he's just a Tick, and he'll save the day.
The Fox live-action series is more of a sitcom than anything else, putting its focus on the clash of a wacky ensemble cast as comic action figures. Patrick Warburton nailed the Tick in the first go, best illustrated by his inability to understand what death is in an episode about Immortal Death during sex. Without support from Fox, the creative, hysterical series was cut short after one season, but thankfully, Warburton met writer Christopher McCulloh on set, and was on McCulloh's next project, you may have heard of it: I Venture Bros.
In 2016, Amazon brought back The Tick, this time with a surprising twist to it. Just a little. Creator Ben Edlund was still involved in the series, this time starting with The Tick sidekick Arthur (Blank Check podcast host Griffin Newman) works to uncover a criminal conspiracy. While not as overtly comical as Tick's first series, 2016's is a great treat for anyone bored with Marvel and DC's grandiose epics.
Big Tick Enemy Low Ratings
The ongoing problem with The Tick is that it appeals primarily to hard-line comic nerds, and comic fans second, both competing for the title of “most flexible audience.” Throughout the human body, the Tick has had to contend with falling proportions as often as oddball villains. Every single series, both an animated 90s and a live-action one, was a hit, and every single one was canceled due to low ratings.
Now is your chance to stream both A tick (2001) and A tick (2016) on Netflix to learn what all the hype has been about for decades. Be warned, though, that each show will have you screaming “Spoon” from time to time, and the biggest villain in the animated series, the Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight, has been left out of both live-action adaptations.
A tick the 1994 animated series is available as Video On Demand via YouTube.
