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The Tick Comics
The Tick: The Naked City
Bulging muscles, immense jaw, and a battle cry of "Spoon!"--it's none other than The Tick, a strange and seemingly invulnerable force for good in the world. A thoroughly enjoyable parody of superhero comics, this book offers a complete re-telling of all The Tick's adventures in The City. Color illustrations throughout.
221 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
2 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Ben Edlund
187 books36 followersIn 1988, Ben Edlund launched the comic book that would make his name known to many comic and cartoon fans across the nation. It was the tale of a 300 lb., 7ft tall big blue insect named "The Tick". It was a character that Ben created a few years before in high school. The original series, drawn and written by Ben and published by New England Comics, only lasted 12 issues, but became quite popular in the underground comic world. The creation of a 13th issue is something Ben still hasn't decided against, but he has become a busy man since.
In 1994, Ben worked with Fox Kids Network to bring The Tick (and Arthur) to the small screen in an animated series. The show was a pretty faithful interpretation of the quirky heroic characters introduced in the comic book. It became an underground hit with a cult following. The show lasted for 3 seasons but eventually succumbed to being marketed as a kids show. The humor was often targeted to an older audience and trying to cater the show to children just stifled its creativity.
Fox wanted something to sell happy meals and figures. The Tick did just that, for a time, but shows would come along that Fox saw as better suited to a child audience.
Comedy Central picked up syndication rights to the show and aired it for a while. There it picked up some more fans and its popularity continued to grow.
In 2000, Ben began working on the Tick's 3rd incarnation, a live action television show. With the support of Barry Sonnenfeld (Director of Addam's Family, Men in Black), and the talent of Patrick Warburton (best known as Putty from Seinfeld) as the embodiment of big blue justice, the show had much promise. After a delay of almost a year after the acceptance of the pilot, The Tick finally aired. However, a difficult timeslot, (against NBC's Must See TV and CBS's Survivor), preemption by Baseball, as well as little promotion by the Fox Network, and other reasons I won't get into here (though I could!) would have the show end after only 8 episodes. It was the second time Fox had mismanaged one of Ben's creations.
In fall of 2002, Ben was working as a producer and writer on the Joss Whedon created show Firefly. He and Joss had worked together before on the screenplay for Titan A.E. Firefly was an innovative, character-driven space western. Unfortunately, Firefly was cancelled after only an 11 episode run, including the pilot. The only episode penned by Ben that aired was Jaynestown. And yes, Firefly was also on the Fox Network, but we've blamed them enough today. Currently Ben is writing and producing for Angel.
In 1994, Ben worked with Fox Kids Network to bring The Tick (and Arthur) to the small screen in an animated series. The show was a pretty faithful interpretation of the quirky heroic characters introduced in the comic book. It became an underground hit with a cult following. The show lasted for 3 seasons but eventually succumbed to being marketed as a kids show. The humor was often targeted to an older audience and trying to cater the show to children just stifled its creativity.
Fox wanted something to sell happy meals and figures. The Tick did just that, for a time, but shows would come along that Fox saw as better suited to a child audience.
Comedy Central picked up syndication rights to the show and aired it for a while. There it picked up some more fans and its popularity continued to grow.
In 2000, Ben began working on the Tick's 3rd incarnation, a live action television show. With the support of Barry Sonnenfeld (Director of Addam's Family, Men in Black), and the talent of Patrick Warburton (best known as Putty from Seinfeld) as the embodiment of big blue justice, the show had much promise. After a delay of almost a year after the acceptance of the pilot, The Tick finally aired. However, a difficult timeslot, (against NBC's Must See TV and CBS's Survivor), preemption by Baseball, as well as little promotion by the Fox Network, and other reasons I won't get into here (though I could!) would have the show end after only 8 episodes. It was the second time Fox had mismanaged one of Ben's creations.
In fall of 2002, Ben was working as a producer and writer on the Joss Whedon created show Firefly. He and Joss had worked together before on the screenplay for Titan A.E. Firefly was an innovative, character-driven space western. Unfortunately, Firefly was cancelled after only an 11 episode run, including the pilot. The only episode penned by Ben that aired was Jaynestown. And yes, Firefly was also on the Fox Network, but we've blamed them enough today. Currently Ben is writing and producing for Angel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 25, 2016
I've never been a big fan of superheroes, but I LOVE the bumbling, yet somehow indestructible nigh-invulnerable Tick.
My first introduction to this character was the animated TV series that aired from 1994 to 1996.
I also enjoyed the live-action, Patrick Warburton vehicle that ran for only nine episodes in 2001.
This was my first look at a Tick comic, and it was pure fun. Here, we are introduced to a strange character who is on the lam from an asylum. Armed with his trustyView-Master Secret Crime Viewfinder, the Tick almost ruins a certain caped superhero, defeats a horde of ninja, and gains a sidekick - the adorable Arthur.
Another reboot was announced just this week - http://www.cnet.com/news/spooon-peter...
I'm hoping it kicks off a wave of Tick-mania. You never know. Stranger things have happened.
My first introduction to this character was the animated TV series that aired from 1994 to 1996.
I also enjoyed the live-action, Patrick Warburton vehicle that ran for only nine episodes in 2001.
This was my first look at a Tick comic, and it was pure fun. Here, we are introduced to a strange character who is on the lam from an asylum. Armed with his trusty
Another reboot was announced just this week - http://www.cnet.com/news/spooon-peter...
I'm hoping it kicks off a wave of Tick-mania. You never know. Stranger things have happened.
June 25, 2014
Tale of a maladjusted superhero who is invincible to most things and serves as a comedic element at times to the other characters. One of the strengths of this novel is the humor, especially in the latter half of the story when he saved a girl named Oedipus from not so great ninjas. This is much more about the in jokes than the action. Tick even gets to irritate Superman to the point where he tries to kill Tick. An animated series was spun off of this back in the day.
ARTWORK: B; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B; STORY/PLOTTING: B minus to B; HUMOR/INSIDE JOKES: B to B plus; WHEN READ: January 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B.
ARTWORK: B; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B; STORY/PLOTTING: B minus to B; HUMOR/INSIDE JOKES: B to B plus; WHEN READ: January 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B.
May 2, 2013
Stuff I Read – The Tick Naked City Review
Most of my memories of The Tick come from the cartoon that ran in the Nineties, which I must say is considerably different than the comic. Not in a bad way, really, but in a way that makes the comics a bit more complicated and conflicting than the show, which is much more a sort of goofy thing that glorifies most of the ridiculous super hero clichés without actually criticizing them. Sure, Tick is a huge idiot in the show, but he’s a heroic idiot, always doing the right thing, fighting the good fight, against actual villains and people like that. The Tick in the comics is much different, is more a brute wanting to cause collateral damage and using the idea of the superhero as an excuse to do it. In that he comes to represent everything wrong with superheroes in general, and a rather effective satire.
That said, because of the show and because of the inconsistency with which the Tick is presented in these early issues, the effect is a little muted, tastes a little questionable, because while there is a lot that works as satire here, I had to continually tell myself that it’s supposed to be satire as I read it. Things like the way the comic treats female characters, and how the villains are motivated, and how the hero is always right; these things are used but in such a way that I could see how they would be read as simply a straight comedy and not as a critique, and that bothers me a little. Especially because the show completely dropped the critical elements as was just a comedy, reading these comics for the first time seems a little…conflicting.
And I have to assume that most people coming to these comics now will do so in large part because of the show, which was a fun show. But these comics are not that, and instead of goofy we have rather blatant attacks against comics, like with the Superman parody that gets used. It’s an interesting way of making a point about how superheroes act and how their histories and back stories and supporting casts all come off when you take away the shield of comic book logic. The Tick himself is an escaped mental patient, something that would be offensive except that it’s how comics treat everything, like mental illness equals this kind of violent crazy. Everything is over the top, like with the ninjas, the Manager, the samurai guy, Oedipus, all of it. This is a book that is, at its core, serious.
And that sounds strange to say, because the tone is not terribly consistent, but the comics are actually making a point that is serious, that comics are operating on this level that is ridiculous, that dresses people up and gives them powers and asks us to look up to them as heroes when in reality they are typically anything but. This is more a call to improve the genre, a finger pointed at the more and more idiotic and exploitative comic market that existed at the time (and to some extent all the way to today). And it does bring up some fine points. It just seems like it doesn’t know if it wants to be that biting or if it also wants to bite of a piece of that troublesome pie for itself.
And I guess, in the end, I just couldn’t separate myself from the cartoon enough to completely buy the message that the book is offering, which is that the whole comic book culture is rather ridiculous, riddles with misogyny and hyper-masculinity. Because, really, the book points me towards the show, has covers that are more reminiscent of the show than the comics, which have a harshness to them. This is something that is trying to get me to read it like I would watch the show, and as such if fails to live up to either my memories or its better message. And while it is not a bad read, while it is still entertaining and fun in places, overall it stumbles over itself too much, providing a lackluster experience that probably would have been much better without the lens of the show. And after all that, I give it a 6/10.
Most of my memories of The Tick come from the cartoon that ran in the Nineties, which I must say is considerably different than the comic. Not in a bad way, really, but in a way that makes the comics a bit more complicated and conflicting than the show, which is much more a sort of goofy thing that glorifies most of the ridiculous super hero clichés without actually criticizing them. Sure, Tick is a huge idiot in the show, but he’s a heroic idiot, always doing the right thing, fighting the good fight, against actual villains and people like that. The Tick in the comics is much different, is more a brute wanting to cause collateral damage and using the idea of the superhero as an excuse to do it. In that he comes to represent everything wrong with superheroes in general, and a rather effective satire.
That said, because of the show and because of the inconsistency with which the Tick is presented in these early issues, the effect is a little muted, tastes a little questionable, because while there is a lot that works as satire here, I had to continually tell myself that it’s supposed to be satire as I read it. Things like the way the comic treats female characters, and how the villains are motivated, and how the hero is always right; these things are used but in such a way that I could see how they would be read as simply a straight comedy and not as a critique, and that bothers me a little. Especially because the show completely dropped the critical elements as was just a comedy, reading these comics for the first time seems a little…conflicting.
And I have to assume that most people coming to these comics now will do so in large part because of the show, which was a fun show. But these comics are not that, and instead of goofy we have rather blatant attacks against comics, like with the Superman parody that gets used. It’s an interesting way of making a point about how superheroes act and how their histories and back stories and supporting casts all come off when you take away the shield of comic book logic. The Tick himself is an escaped mental patient, something that would be offensive except that it’s how comics treat everything, like mental illness equals this kind of violent crazy. Everything is over the top, like with the ninjas, the Manager, the samurai guy, Oedipus, all of it. This is a book that is, at its core, serious.
And that sounds strange to say, because the tone is not terribly consistent, but the comics are actually making a point that is serious, that comics are operating on this level that is ridiculous, that dresses people up and gives them powers and asks us to look up to them as heroes when in reality they are typically anything but. This is more a call to improve the genre, a finger pointed at the more and more idiotic and exploitative comic market that existed at the time (and to some extent all the way to today). And it does bring up some fine points. It just seems like it doesn’t know if it wants to be that biting or if it also wants to bite of a piece of that troublesome pie for itself.
And I guess, in the end, I just couldn’t separate myself from the cartoon enough to completely buy the message that the book is offering, which is that the whole comic book culture is rather ridiculous, riddles with misogyny and hyper-masculinity. Because, really, the book points me towards the show, has covers that are more reminiscent of the show than the comics, which have a harshness to them. This is something that is trying to get me to read it like I would watch the show, and as such if fails to live up to either my memories or its better message. And while it is not a bad read, while it is still entertaining and fun in places, overall it stumbles over itself too much, providing a lackluster experience that probably would have been much better without the lens of the show. And after all that, I give it a 6/10.
January 22, 2012
When I picked this up tonight, I hadn't read this for...12 years? More? From way back when I was discovering how much better Eudora was to PINE and still giggling at "fingering" people online (OK, that's still funny). Yeah. Long time.
It's still hilarious. Charmingly dated, insanely funny and full of 80s and 90s comics in-jokes. What's not to love?!
It's still hilarious. Charmingly dated, insanely funny and full of 80s and 90s comics in-jokes. What's not to love?!
January 18, 2015
I've read this book multiple times and I'm reminded each time how much darker the original Tick was in comparison to the cartoon. Regardless, it remains one of my favorite reads. I just wish I could get my hands on more of it, but alas that has repeatedly turned out to be a too expensive of a proposition for me.
July 22, 2017
This was my first experience with The Tick comics, I recently watched the live action show and that's what got me interested. It was awesome and full of humor, the Tick is really a clueless superhero. But he's still prepared to fight wrongdoers and super villains.
April 5, 2007
Avoid the countless, waterd-down spin-offs - the orginal tick is priceless, brilliant comic parody. Spoooooon! Not in the face, not in the face!
January 10, 2008
Back in my childhood, the Tick was a hero to me.
Mainly because he LOVES spoons. That's pretty much all I talked about.
I love the Tick.
My favorite super hero, next to Dracula.
Mainly because he LOVES spoons. That's pretty much all I talked about.
I love the Tick.
My favorite super hero, next to Dracula.
April 25, 2008
Pure and utter genius.
June 4, 2008
Not in the face, not in the face!
Really? Is there any better hero's catch phrase than that? I think not!
Really? Is there any better hero's catch phrase than that? I think not!
April 30, 2009
I give it 5 stars for being one of the most humorous graphic novels I've read. You almost expect to find Mel Brooks name as a contributor to the story.
June 24, 2009
"The City calls to me... It cries to me of it's need."
June 13, 2016
Goodness, what a delight. I'm hardly unbiased since I loved the 1990s cartoon so much, but The Tick is great and I will hear no arguments to the contrary.
August 18, 2015
Laughed myself silly, then loaned it to my roommate because not knowing what was so funny was driving her crazy. She read it in one night, and I could hear her giggling.
February 1, 2020
Ahhh yeeeahhh -insert cool-guy emoji with shades here- Ok, so this was my first ever Tick read (preposterous concept, I know) so I can't tell you how it measures up to any others. I just recently started watching the show (which was canceled already, goddamn it...) and loved it so needed more tales of the big blue oaf to feed this newfound hunger of mine. This delivered pretty much exactly what I needed, being a little on the overly-simplistic side, but goofy and fun enough for me to breathe in the Tick-scented air and sigh in adequate relief. I like the art and loved the supporting characters that Tick got tangled up with. Good times. Looking forward to more.
January 22, 2018
My brother has an incredible collection of comics and graphic novels, so he offered several options for completing the comic-related tasks for the 2018 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge. Even though comics/graphic novels aren't typically in my reading rotation, I've had a lot of fun with these tasks so far and am glad they were included. I selected this for "a comic written and illustrated by the same person." I was a fan of the cartoon and the original live-action tv show, which made this an even more enjoyable read. I laughed out loud over the campy storylines and found the artwork beautiful. If you are a fan of the Tick, you'll want to check this one out to see how it all started. Spoon!
October 21, 2019
4th or 5th iteration of this - started when B&W, and it still makes me laugh
February 14, 2020
Takes the rise out of superheroes and comic books in a nice way. More of a friendly poke in the ribs that tickles a bit rather than a kick up the arse.
February 5, 2018
The book is legitimately hilarious. I thought the cartoon was funny back in the day, so I gave the source material a try. I loved every second of it. It's incredibly silly and well-written from a comedic standpoint. Go read it and have some fun. I still haven't found anything else like it.
August 15, 2018
4.5 stars (not sure why i won't give it a full 5) because...
I love The Tick. I rarely laugh out loud when reading but Edlund's creation consistently opens me up.
If you think that The Tick is an attempt to undermine the positive aspects of the superhero mythos, then you're clearly too sensitive about the superhero mythos.
I understand why the cartoon did not make it explicit that The Tick is clinically insane, but that layer makes for a much richer experience.
I purchased The Naked City along with The Tick Omnibus 1 over the weekend without bothering to check how similar their content is. I assumed the vastly different © years and color vs. b&w were enough evidence of distinctness. Alas, they are essentially the same book except that the Omnibus contains some "bonus material." Much of the "bm" is fun and amusing, but i prefer Naked City's full-color illustrations.
They don't seem to've published any more collected "Chroma-Ticks." I believe that even The Complete Edlund is b&w.
Re-read this morning (8/15/2018) thanks to work-anxiety–induced insomnia. If you can't sleep on it, laugh thru it.
I love The Tick. I rarely laugh out loud when reading but Edlund's creation consistently opens me up.
If you think that The Tick is an attempt to undermine the positive aspects of the superhero mythos, then you're clearly too sensitive about the superhero mythos.
I understand why the cartoon did not make it explicit that The Tick is clinically insane, but that layer makes for a much richer experience.
I purchased The Naked City along with The Tick Omnibus 1 over the weekend without bothering to check how similar their content is. I assumed the vastly different © years and color vs. b&w were enough evidence of distinctness. Alas, they are essentially the same book except that the Omnibus contains some "bonus material." Much of the "bm" is fun and amusing, but i prefer Naked City's full-color illustrations.
They don't seem to've published any more collected "Chroma-Ticks." I believe that even The Complete Edlund is b&w.
Re-read this morning (8/15/2018) thanks to work-anxiety–induced insomnia. If you can't sleep on it, laugh thru it.
November 11, 2016
" People say that I'm out of touch with reality. That I'm insane. Sometimes I forget things. Who I am. Where I am. Unimportant things. But I'm not insane. I am a tick."
The Naked City collects the original half-dozen issues of the king of all superhero spoofs, and is well worth the read. We meet the bamboozled blue behemoth as he drives a very thinly-veiled (like one-ply-toilet-paper-good-thing-this-is-satire-or-there'd-be-lawyers-involved thin) Superman stand-in crazy, and careens from that right into yet another tissue paper masked send-up of Frank Miller's ninja-laden 1980s Daredevil run.
While deftly poking fun at pre-existing icons like Superman and Elektra, writer / artist Ben Edlund manages to make the work stand on its own almost from the first page, establishing an expanding universe with its own unique and bizarre sensibilities. This particular volume features the colorized 'Chroma-Tick' editions of the original black & white comics.
The Naked City collects the original half-dozen issues of the king of all superhero spoofs, and is well worth the read. We meet the bamboozled blue behemoth as he drives a very thinly-veiled (like one-ply-toilet-paper-good-thing-this-is-satire-or-there'd-be-lawyers-involved thin) Superman stand-in crazy, and careens from that right into yet another tissue paper masked send-up of Frank Miller's ninja-laden 1980s Daredevil run.
While deftly poking fun at pre-existing icons like Superman and Elektra, writer / artist Ben Edlund manages to make the work stand on its own almost from the first page, establishing an expanding universe with its own unique and bizarre sensibilities. This particular volume features the colorized 'Chroma-Tick' editions of the original black & white comics.
May 18, 2012
Somehow I missed the comic and animated series growing up. In college I saw a few episodes of the live-action Patrick Warburton series, which were quite funny. A trip to Half Price Books and I stumbled across this book, and, wow.
Back to the beginning: this book collects the very first six issues (as opposed to the other first six issues?) of The Tick, in all his madness. A great parody of superheroes, as well as late '80s/early '90s pop culture phenomena, such as fast food mascots, rampant commercialism, and -- of course -- ninjas! Meet the sidekick named Arthur! The adventures of Paul the Samurai! Ninja World! This is clever and quite funny.
Have a good read. In the words of the nigh-invulnerable Tick, it's "Keen!"
Back to the beginning: this book collects the very first six issues (as opposed to the other first six issues?) of The Tick, in all his madness. A great parody of superheroes, as well as late '80s/early '90s pop culture phenomena, such as fast food mascots, rampant commercialism, and -- of course -- ninjas! Meet the sidekick named Arthur! The adventures of Paul the Samurai! Ninja World! This is clever and quite funny.
Have a good read. In the words of the nigh-invulnerable Tick, it's "Keen!"
July 31, 2016
My favorite comic/graphic novel of all time. I watched The Tick on Fox anytime I was in front of a TV and it was an option. The show was a gigantic part of my childhood, straight up there with Batman: TAS. So it was a no-brainer that when I found this book when I was middle school age, I immediately had to have it. Darker in tone than the cartoon made from this source material, but so much so that it would be 'inappropriate' for most kids, like PG-13 vs PG. I've worn out 3 copies of this in various ways and am on my 4th. This one will always be in my collection.
August 27, 2015
This would be a five-star if it weren't for that awkward conversation where the Tick and Arthur make sure that the other isn't gay. I'm sure this was meant to be funny, but it just fell flat.
That said this is a great comic that definitely had to be sanitized for a kids' show, but no so much so that the spirit isn't the same.
That said this is a great comic that definitely had to be sanitized for a kids' show, but no so much so that the spirit isn't the same.
September 16, 2008
Pretty good beginning story that I never knew existed until I found it at a thrift shop. By the last section it was already transitioning into regular comic book form and already not quite as cool, but the whole introductory story shines.
February 19, 2009
I loved the TV series and the same over-the-top speechifying and satire about everything related to our favorite superheroes like secret identities, the fierceness (and chronic overuse of) ninjas, and great villain names and motivations. The Tick is sheer awesomeness!
May 6, 2013
SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON !!!!!
Crazy fun! And sometimes that's exactly what the body and soul needs!
...and then Edlund went and commercialized the whole damned thing.
(but honestly, even with the commercialization of it, it was still darned good fun)
Crazy fun! And sometimes that's exactly what the body and soul needs!
...and then Edlund went and commercialized the whole damned thing.
(but honestly, even with the commercialization of it, it was still darned good fun)
May 3, 2014
Love the Superman and Electra parodies and getting to see how Arthur and the Tick first met. Glad watching the live action tv show on Netflix inspired me to read this.
February 6, 2015
I watched it when I was little, but wanted to get into the comics now that I am older. I'm thinking about trying out another volume to give it another shot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews