Feels like the first time, like we’ve opened up the door.
So anyway, guess which cartoon I saw for the very first time ever this past week?
After revealing on the Twitter that I had never seen the Tick cartoon from the mid-’90s, pal Sean took it upon himself to rectify this particular oversight of mine and brought me his Tick series DVDs.
Now, I was a fan of the Tick nearly from the get-go. A college friend of mine extolled the virtues of the comic book series to me shortly after the original run (by creator Ben Edlund) had begun, and I ended up jumping on with the fourth or fifth issue, and picking up the back issues. However, after Edlund wrapped up his stint on the comics and passed them on to other hands, I lost interest in the series. Not that there was anything wrong with the comics, but whatever particular part of Edlund’s vision that appealed to me so much about those initial installments was no longer there, and the comics just didn’t do anything for me. I realize that’s a minority opinion, and I’m certainly not down on the work anyone’s doing for those comics, nor on the folks who still read and enjoy them. They just weren’t my cup of tea, is all.
And even though I missed the original run of the cartoon, I did not miss a single aired episode of the Tick live-action series, despite the Fox Network’s best efforts at hiding it from potential viewers. I thought it had a strong cast, funny writing, and, of course, Batmanuel. And it’s good to know that the actor who played Batmanuel, Nestor Carbonelle (better known today as Richard from Lost) still has fond memories of the role.
And now, thanks to pal Sean, I’ve seen one whole episode of the seemingly highly-regarded animated series. …Not bad, not bad. Understandably, they’ve left out the Tick’s escape from an insane asylum, which might have been a bit much for a kids’ cartoon, but so far very reflective of the Edlund run on the comic. Yes, because Edlund worked on the cartoon, too, I know. So it looks like I’ll be catching up on this series over the next few days, alternating with episodes of Breaking Bad Season 2 (another series I’m catching up on). That should make for an odd viewing experience.
The cartoon show is, in my humble opinion, the best iteration of the Tick. Granted, it swings the closest to being a typical superhero parody, but because they had two seasons to play around with they were able to get really deep into the unapologetic weirdness of superhero comics. By the time the Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight shows up, it’s become downright psychedelic.
OK, the usual caveats about having been 13 when the show originally aired apply, but I really think it holds up.
I’d say skip to the second season because that’s when it totally hits it stride. Except for “Tick vs Reno, NV” which is a giant a pile of crap, they’re all winners.
“I’m FULL OF TINIER MEN!”
I’m torn between “The Tick vs. The Uncommon Cold” and “The Tick vs. Arthur’s Bank Account” as my favorite episode of the series.
I’m not going to spoil why they’re my favorites, though.
I don’t think you’re in the “minority opinion” in thinking that most of the non Ben Endlund Tick comics have not captured the spark that Endlund’s had. The current series is the only one that even comes close to the originals in my opinion. There’ve been some good ones over the years, but not on any consistent basis.
I didn’t see the show until a few years after its initial run. Hilarious stuff.
“Hey cool! They’ve got a blimp!”
Then, in the third season, you get a character who wears an ape costume, and throws baby dolls, which if they do not hit his opponent return to him…
…and, of course, he is called Babyboomerangatang.
You haven’t lived until you have experienced the Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight. That show was a favorite in our house, until Fox decided to dumb down Saturday mornings again and gave it the axe.
“Ha! Weren’t expecting a clip-on, were you??”
“Achilles! Read a book!”
“I can taste everything… I can taste the floor…”
Okay, all my love for that show is flooding back over me. I think I’ve got to cover it on next week’s Underrated TV week at my blog.