The Tick: Local Comic Shop Day Edition #1

Local Comic Shop Day is an industry created holiday that many comic collectors and geeks look forward to. Though not as popular as it's sister festivity, the much more established Free Comic Book Day, Local Comic Shop Day seeks to encourage fans to support their nearest comic shop with some freebies and exclusives. FCBD takes place every May. LCSD is held 6 months later in November, with hopes that the proximity to the beginning of the holiday shopping season that a visit to your favorite comic book store will inspire shoppers and fill up wish lists.

This 2016 offering stars one of my all-time favorite characters, the Tick. Big Blue and his pudgy sidekick Arthur star in 2 stories. The first adventure sees the return of the original Tick villains, the Ninjas! Wanting to stop a resurgence before it gets out of hand, Tick and Arthur don ninja costumes to infiltrate the forthcoming interest meeting. Only, it turns out that this meeting was a sting operated by one of Tick's cronies. And then it comes to light that other attendees are also heroes in disguise hoping to stop the next generation of ninjas. Is anyone at this meeting an actual ninja?

Story #2 introduces a new villain to the Tick universe. Enter: The Lyme. Wearing a costume just like the Tick, only it's green, this guy is like the Anti-Tick! No, it's not Barry. This new player is genuinely rude, crude and unwilling to stomp out evil! Everything the Tick is not and hopefully, someone who will be making more appearances in the future!

A year later, New England Comics released a 4-issue all-color miniseries. Maybe this free comic was a glimpse into that title. There are ninjas on the cover of #1. But I've not read it yet as I just recently added issues 2-4 to my collection a short while ago. Maybe it's time to read it. 

This free comic was funny. It was a much needed read after a couple of tense, but not terrible, days at work. No matter who is writing or drawing this book, Tick stories are always good for some mindless entertainment and this book did not disappoint in the least.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Tick 20th Anniversary Special #1(2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

One bright shiny day at the Brockton, Massachusetts location of New England Comics, a lanky young man places a sketch on the store wall. At the request of one of the store managers, Ben Edlund submitted a portrait of an all-new costumed character called The Tick. Is he a hero? Is he a villain? Nobody knows because this was a character that Edlund came up with spur of the moment. 

A few weeks later, Edlund is asked to flesh out the character into a 3-page tale that would appeal the 14th and 15th volume of the New England Comics Newsletter (July-August & September-October 1986). The character was a hit with customers who quickly demanded more adventures. 

Seeing an opportunity in the burgeoning Indy comics craze of the mid-80s, NEC signed a deal with Edlund to create a new comic series based on the Tick. Originally, Tick was designed wearing a furry brown costume. But a fan vote updated the character into a sleek, navy blue uniform with animated antenna. Ben's dad helped to design the logo while the minuscule printing company Associated Printers (later Morgan Printing Inc.) jumped into the realm of comic book fabrication for the very first time. It took about 2 years, and with the Indy comic bubble having burst, about a dozen distributors, but the Tick #1 was shipped out to fans and nationwide comic sellers in 1988. Fingers were collectively crossed.

And the Tick was an immediate hit!

Jump forward to 2006 (or 2007 according to the publication date) and New England Comics was celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the creation of the Tick! A beloved animated series on Fox Kids, a cult-classic short lived live series on Fox, a secret fan club, and dozens of comic books and tons of merch later and the Tick still thrived. Naturally, it was time for a tribute one-shot. 

With The Tick 20th Anniversary Special, NEC culled from the numerous talented writers and artists who had previously worked on the character as well as other members of the Tick universe. The Man-Eating Cow, the Chainsaw Vigilante, and sidekick Arthur are among those who make appearances. (But where's Paul the Samurai?!) Creator Ben Edlund along with his dad, crafted a new 4-page center spread story that some consider the epilogue of the long-delayed Tick #13. And non-associated talent such as Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew) and Fred Hembeck (Dateline: @#$%) make contributions as well!

While the grab bag of work is a mix of brilliant tributes and sorely-lacking fantasy, the price of admission is the lengthy articles that dig into the early history of The Tick. I really learned a lot and since the print was ultra small, I felt like I read a coffee table book's worth of comic book history. And eye strain to boot!

While I wasn't a big fan of the tributes, I definitely want more Tick. I also want to complete my collection of Tick back issues. If this book was meant to be an smorgsabord of Tick bites, it definitely whet my appetite and a trip to NEC's online Tick store is in my future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #7 (Already in Your Collection) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Fox Kids Funhouse #2: The Tick: Raw, Uncooked Justice! And Other Stories

Featuring three hilarious comics based on Fox Kids cartoons from 1997. 

The first two stories are based on the shows Bobby's World and Life with Louie.

Bobby's World was based on the stand-up comedy of Howie Mandel. Life with Louie was based on the stand-up comedy of Louie Anderson. Both cartoons were really funny but if I had to choose between the two, I'm picking Bobby's World every time. The Howie Mandel cartoon was more imaginative as Bobby often got lost in his day dreams. Life with Louie was a tiny bit more sophisticated being based more on Anderson's life experiences. But Louie was also kinda of a jerk. 

But the reason I bought this very much beat up digest was for the cover story featuring my favorite lunatic, The Tick. It's a sequel to the classic Neil the Dinosaur episode.

It seems that Arthur's brother-in-law is growing in size once again. When the Tick and Arthur get eaten by Neil, the duo discover a community has formed in Neil's digestive tract of the people and buildings the fiend has been snacking on.

Featuring an all-star line-up of Dwayne McDuffie, Brandon Kruse, Mike DeCarlo and Michael Duggan! The Tick story was very, very funny and makes me wish that Boomerang or some other cable channel would show reruns of that amazing Tick cartoon show again! 

I loved this digest. But I feel bad for the kid in 1997 who bought this book. There's a page telling kids to subscribe to the Fox Kids Funhouse inside. But upon some extensive research, I've learned that this series was cancelled after only 2 issues. Some of that has to do with the comic book bubble bust. But some has to do with the publisher itself, Acclaim. 

Yes, who knew that the video game manufacturer made comic books? Well, it wasn't a very long experiment because Acclaim shuttered it's publishing house shortly as 1997 was right when the company started having major money issues before going defunct altogether in 2004. Regardless, based on how much trouble Acclaim had in paying it's debts, I wonder how many kids who subscribed to this broken promise never got a refund...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Tick: Heroes of the City, Volume 2

Bizarre adventures continue in this concluding volume to the first Tick anthology series, 'Heroes of the City.' 

Arthur's quest to become a superhero in his own right concludes as does Tick's adventure as a sidekick for hire. 

Meanwhile, more heroes (and a villain) experience some unusual episodes throughout the Tick Universe. 

Paul the Samurai takes on a new partner and investigates the sudden deforestation of a wooded area. It turns out Paul Bunyan is real and his girlfriend Babe, the Blue Ox, has left him for being too wild (don't worry, the relationship isn't as bizarre as you think). Bunyan has decided to finally settle down and it's up to our resident Samurai to bring Paul and Babe back together or the entire forest is going to be nothing but stumps!

Next, a news reporter is on the trail of the Man-Eating Cow. Starting to look like the Channel 6 fool, the anchor decides to set a trap for the hungry bovine. Will the newscaster get her cow? Or will she become 'Bessie's' next snack?

Adding a criminal element to this series, the mysterious Red Eye ventures down a lonely highway looking for his next victim. For a comedy anthology, this was pretty creepy. But I must say, I would love to see NEC craft a Red Eye horror series. I think it would be freakin' awesome!

Lastly, we've got a tale of the Crazy Blue Rocket. The story of this poor delusional superhero is rather tragic. While The Tick is pretty delusional, he's not such a tragic character. But I think it's because Tick is just nuts and always has. Crazy Blue Rocket has experienced a terrible trauma. He was once a respected hero of the city. For some reason, something caused him to lose his mind. In all, this story was just heartbreaking.

The Tick and Arthur storyline plus the Crazy Blue Rocket were all new-to-me. But I know that I have read those other hero stories before. But for the life of me, I can't recall where. I wanna say that I had read them in previous Free Comic Book Day comics. But those books were supposed to be of all-new material. Have I been lied too?

A good close to this 6-issue mini-series. However, I could have done without that very sad Crazy Blue Rocket tale. And really, where I have read those stories before hand???

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.  

The Tick: Heroes of City, Volume 1

A rift has formed between The Tick and Arthur. Feeling unappreciated as the Robin to Tick's Robin, Arthur takes off to become a hero in his own right. Meanwhile, Tick tries to learn what it's like to be a lowly sidekick.

'Heroes of the City' was NEC's attempt to broaden the scope of The Tick's universe. Before this series, you only had a handful of heroes other that Tick and Arthur such as Paul the Samurai, Man-eating Cow and the unhinged Barry. With this anthology series, that all begins to change and I'm really glad that the publisher decided to take that gamble!

Featuring the talents of Clay and Susan Griffith, Sean Wang, Tak Toyoshima and many more. This is not just a collection of new and hilarious heroes but also some of the best Tick talent ever!

There was one aspect that didn't exactly reflect The Tick at it's best- the butt-kicking cheerleader, Myndi. The idea was that her 3-part story was going to produce into a spin-off. However, Myndi's pompon-ladened exploits were considered too absurd, too low-brow, that the supposed series never saw the light of day. If not mistaken, I don't think we ever see Myndi ever again after Heroes of the City. 

I thought Myndi was funny. Maybe not as funny as Tick and Arthur's tale. But good for a laugh or two. I for one hated the ending that for many Tick fans was the equivalent of the death of Poochy on The Simpsons. I will have to say this: if NEC had really wanted to spawn a Myndi series, they really shouldn't have included that twist ending in issue #3.

While 'Heroes of the City' is considered a mix bag of delight for most Tick fans, I see it's importance. It sent The Tick into the 21st century. Those crazy superheroes we see in those Free Comic Book Day releases, despite not debuting here, do indeed get their start thanks in very large part to this anthology!

Much needed insanity for a rough week. Many thanks for the laughs!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Tick, FCBD 2019

The free comic I look forward to every first Saturday in May. I am just in awe of The Tick. He's funny. He's odd. He's insane. 

An annual dose of The Tick, Arthur and their friends as well as legions of enemies is just what I need to stay sane in a crazy world. 

In this issue, The Tick meets his biggest fan. Eager to show Tick and Arthur is collections of everything Big and Blue, this collector invites the heroes to his house to try 'the world's greatest meatloaf." But Tick and his little buddy should be careful or they'll end up the latest addition to this super fan's cache of treasures.

Then we get a very unusual tale about Tick's time in Borneo. (When was Tick ever in Borneo??) Injured while battling some dinosaurs, our hero awakes with the ability to speak like a coyote as well as the coyote desire to leisure in trees. So, of course,The Tick becomes a member of Borneo's coyote population. 

Both stories were great laughs. It's the kind of oddity I yearn for. There's also a couple of shorts starring Tick and Artie (The insect world's version of our heroes) and a slew of cameos of fan favorites who have appeared over the years in the pages of The Tick.

This is the 10th anniversary issue and I have every issue but one. However, thanks to a 'letter from the editor' at the beginning, I have discovered that NEC Press skipped a Free Comic Book Day for some reason. So my hunt for the missing issue is over as I now know it never existed.

Tons of fun this issue is. I hope you didn't miss out. If not, check out your LCS. They might still have a copy or two on hand!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Tick 2018 Free Comic Book Day Edition

Another annual romp with The Tick and Arthur and friends. This edition focuses on some little known versions of Mighty Blue Justice.

Years ago in an unknown land, there's a King Tick whose life or death or whatever will result in the fall of his kingdom. Or maybe it will usher in a glorious new age. Apparently, this was some idea of Ben Edlund's that was hinted at during his initial run on The Tick but never came to pass until now.

Then we go back to land of Tick and Artie. This is an actual tick and an actual moth who are the heroes of the insect world. I own the Tick and Artie series, I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. 

In between these alternate tales of The Tick, we've got a couple of regular universe stories. One involves Tick, a massive appetite for food AND justice and a hapless pizza guy. The other involves Tick being the best man at Rubber Duck's wedding to Bee. We get RD's origin story and some wedding rehearsal insanity. It is the classic type of Tick story I would expect from NEC.

AS I said, the wedding story was the best of all four. The first tale would have been better enjoyed if I understood the backstory a little more. The middle stories were okay. The pizza guy story had some funny moments but the art was amateurish for a NEC publication. The Tick and Artie story was amateurish but that's the point as the series is supposed to be thought up as a child would if they had to create adventures of a superhero dressed as a tick and a moth. Plus, it was a one-pager and not meant to be very thought provoking.

Based on the awesome cover, this issue was a little disappointing. Especially since this FCBD offering was supposed to build interest in the new Tick series that was debuting at about the same time as the annual comic lovers event. 

Yah- it's a free Tick comic book. Boo- it's not the best one ever offered by NEC. Not by far.

But as I feel about it like I feel with the band Queen, the worst song of theirs is better than no song at all. Just sub the word comic book in place of song.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Nick The Sidekick (Family Comic Friday)

Welcome to another round of Family Comic Friday. We’re all about superheroes and sidekicks this week. First we’ll be reviewing Dave Whamond’s Nick the Sidekick. Then we finish out our preview of the 2018 Free Comic Book Day offerings. Our final title this year stars one of my all-time favorite character: The Tick!

So let’s get started first with a look at the week’s review title, Nick the Sidekick.


Nick the Sidekick
Written and Illustrated by Dave Whamond
Published by Kids Can Press

Young Nick has superpowers. He can hear extremely well. The youngster is super intelligent and his detective skills are second to none. Unfortunately, the superhero he’s been paired with has no idea about any of this.

Instead, Nick’s partner, Super Fantastic Guy thinks that his sidekick can fly and do it very fast! Plus, Super Fantastic Guy thinks his sidekick is named Rick. Oh, and Super Fantastic Guy always steals the spotlight from his sidekick, too. Did we mention Nick hates to be referred to as a sidekick?

That is all about to change when Nick stumbles upon a plot to rob the local bank. Now, it’s his time to shine and maybe the diminutive hero with get a chance embarrass his aloof partner in the process…

Dave Whamond’s story of an under-appreciated sidekick is one that I think Robin, Tonto and Arthur would all relate to and enjoy. The Oddrey creator takes the stereotype of the comic book sidekick and makes it funny and refreshingly new. I did think a little of the humor got awfully silly but for the recommended reading age of readers in grades 1-4, I guess it’s to be expected. However, the first 40 pages of the 48-page story wasn’t full of toilet humor, so it just seemed out of place for it to occur when it did.

The artwork was very good. I liked the sketch work for Nick and Super Fantastic Guy. Being an easy reader graphic novel however, the panels were huge. For an older reader of graphic novels, it’s a format that takes some getting used to. It’s extremely appropriate for the book and the age group it’s aimed at. It’s just odd at first, like when you wear a new prescription of eyeglasses for the first time.

I’m not sure if this is it for Nick the Sidekick or if this is set to become a new series from Dave Whamond. I would be okay either way as the ending of this story was a fulfilling one but I too would be interested to see more adventures starring Nick. If there’s more to come, I just would hope to see the storytelling be a little more balanced. If the adventures of Nick are supposed to be more serious, then I don’t want to see a large segment of really silly things happen to Super Fantastic Guy at the end of every story. I can maybe forgive it this one time. But, I would quickly lose interest if the ending to every Nick the Sidekick adventure was to go the way of Captain Underpants.

A good young reader graphic novel that is appealing to its core audience but is in need of little self control at the end.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.

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The Tick 2018 Free Comic Book Day Edition

Writer: Jeff McClelland
Artist: Ian Nichols
Published by New England Comics Press
Release Date: 5/5/2018
Rating: All Ages

Foretold by Ben Edlund himself, in the now-legendary 1980's Tick trading cards set, comes a tale you never expected to read! Wandering into an ancient village on a one-eyed horse, The Tick must make a stand against dark magic, enemy hordes, incredible beasts and the unknown itself! His reward: ACTION! (And also a mysterious jewel the size of a truck.) From a lost Ben Edlund plot comes a story of swords, sorcery, and... spoons?!

The Tick 2015 Free Comic Book Day Edition

  In this 2015 Free Comic Book Day offering, the Tick is visited by the ghost of his long lost sidekick! From his days as a superhero in Canada!? Arthur can't decide what's more shocking- that the Tick had a long lost sidekick or that the Tick was once a superhero in Canada?! Or it's also just more psychosis from the demented mind of the Tick!
   Then the long-awaited question of just what happened to the Tick on that last panel of page 19 of the very first issue of the Tick is explored.
    Lastly, in hopes of impressing his girlfriend, Arthur, with Tick tagging along, heads to the art museum for some culture. But the line to get into the museum is a mile long. And they keep getting pushed to the back of the line every time the duo have to save the city from a terrible menace. (Hey, no cutsies!)
     This FCBD issue was much more enjoyable than this years. All three stories were quite funny and enjoyable. And memorable too! 
     I still love the Tick. But if you've got to choose a Free Comic Book Day Tick to read between 2015 and 2016- choose last year's edition. 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Tick 2016 Free Comic Book Day Edition

With all the bitterness of the election and ISIS and hurricanes and gas shortages and scary-ass clowns, you need something to take the edge off. For me, it’s humorous comic books and nothing gets any zanier than the Tick. So for a couple of days last week, I took advantage of my stash of Tick comics and let the stress of the world melt away a bit.

  First on my list was this year’s Free Comic Book Day offering. Here, the barriers between dimensions is wearing thin. So thin, that Ticks from other timelines and realities are coming over to our world. This is causes such a crisis that even the dreaded Thrakkorzog, the supposed one-day supreme emperor of the earth wants nothing to do with our universe and hightails it to places unknown.

   Then in a follow-up story, a Tick from a universe set in film noir, investigates the strange new world he has been thrust into. This yarn was funny, but it ended in such a way that I don’t think the multiple Ticks storyline is quite over. But, there’s nothing like a blurb saying to stay tune for a new Tick miniseries or anything like that.

   There was also a short story involving Tick and Arthur and it was okay but not memorable. No, really, I don’t remember anything about it only that it was there at the end of this comic. Period.

    I had some laughs in the first adventure but with the next two adventures, the quality of storytelling got less and less. Same with the art. It got so bad, that I actually forget how this book ended.

  Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

The Tick's Big Tax Time Terror

      

The Tick comes into a giant windfall due to a tax loophole. Meanwhile, Barry, the evil Tick, discovers that someone has been stealing his credit card. Donning the forbidden identity of the Louse, Barry seeks revenge on those who have stolen his identity. Back in the City, Tick's teammates have been making some big purchases on a certain online auction site which may account for Barry's lost funds.  It looks like some of Tick's allies are in for a massive beat down...

    Another very funny one-shot special. I laughed the most at this one as there were some very clever easter eggs and some very amusing banter. But I felt the most lost with this book as well. In this issue, there is a doppelganger Tick and Arthur team called Flea and Doyle that I've never run across. (Is there a third team with a sidekick named Conan? Sherlock fans should get the reference.) Also, the events from which the Tick received his tax check are an undiscovered country to me as well. So I am sure some inside jokes went right on pass me!

   The next book in the miniseries is the Father's Day Special. It is a book that I currently do not own. But like the books that cover all that unknown information I just griped about, I have a feeling I will not be without these issues for long.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Tick's Big Mother's Day Special

   

  The Tick and Arthur come face to face with the clones created by Chairface Chippendale. While Arthur seeks the help of his superhero pals for answers, the Tick has become the de facto Momma to the duplicates. Unfortunately, it's not going to be a happy little family for long as a comedy of errors begins to wipe out the dupli-ticks one-by-one.

   Another laugh a minute riot. I enjoyed this goofy Mother's Day special. It really lifted my spirits even if clones of the Tick were dropping like well ticks off the back of a wet hound dog... Okay, maybe that's not really a thing. 

   Regardless, another great one-shot from the gang at New England Comic Press

   Up Next: The Tick's Big Tax Time Terror!!! 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Tick: Big Year 2000 Spectacle

   

  When I'm feeling bummed out and super stressed, I need a laugh. The best way to get them is to read that Ben Edlund classic creation known as the Tick! Last night, with my arm surgery just a couple days away, that's exactly what I did and I ended up reading several!

    The first Tick I read was Tick: Big Year 2000 Spectacle. In this one-shot special, villain Chairface Chippendale is trying to make his mark in the art world. But his every move is blemished by the accidental heroics of the Tick and his faithful sidekick, Arthur. Tired of being bested by the big man at every turn, Chairface uses a de-evolving ray gun to regress the Tick into a less formidable foe. Only, the Tick's body is so super-strong, the rays bounce off of the hero and create a series of duplicates, each a little bit less bright than the previous copy. 

    This book marked the first in a series of one-shots published by New England Comics Press that would drop throughout the year 2000; thus why 2000 was considered a 'Big Year.' Each story had a continuing plot but would be framed in such a way that you could read them out of order and not really get lost. I've got several from this line and I decided to read at least 3 of them in a row.

   Chock full of zany fun, this was a great read. Once again, I found myself laughing so hard that it piqued my wife's interest as to what was just so gosh darn funny. You've got to read this and when you do. believe me, you'll never look at a jar of urine the same way ever again.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Tick: Big Halloween Special, 2000 Edition

 

 The Tick and Arthur go on their annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Just when Arthur is about to pick the perfect pumpkin, the squash turn ugly. Soon, the entire crop has morphed into evil jack o'lanterns and are  attacking the city. Assisted with a Punisher-type representative of the USDA, the Tick and Arthur must discover the hive mind behind the Attack of the Killer Pumpkins in order to save All Hallow's Eve.

    I saved this holiday special for Halloween night and it was worth the wait. Written by the dynamic duo of Clay and Susan Griffith, I laughed out loud several times. I shouldn't be surprised at the story quality, though. If Ben Edlund isn't around to write a Tick story, the Griffiths' are my next choice if I'm looking for a Tick-filled laugh. 

    This isn't an easy find. I had to go to the New England Comics Press website in order to finally locate a copy. But NEC has some amazing deals on their Tick stuff, mostly because you're buying direct and not through a middleman. I highly recommend their services as much as I deem this Halloween special...

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Tick's Massive Summer Double Spectacle #2

   After the city shaking battle with the supervillain allies of the Multi-millionaire,  the Tick, Arthur, and their superhero teammates take a much-needed vacation. Yet by sheer coincidence, the heroes wind up on the same cruise ship as their archenemies! Looking make the best of it, the two sides forge an uneasy truce.

  It appears that the worst thing that is going to happen on this cruise is some cheating at shuffleboard. But criminals will be criminals and before you know it- the bad guys have turned pirate and commandeered the ship!

  Part two was just as good as the first. But it lacked that zany factor of issue one.

  Another problem is that the story ends with a cliffhanger that can only be resolved by the purchasing of not issue #3 but another Tick special altogether! (The Tick's Big Cruise Ship Special.)
   
Now this sorta thing would so get my crawl. But thankfully, I was made aware of this before reading the Summer Spectacles. (Many thanks to theTick  Wiki  for the heads up.) And now you, dear readers have been warned as well.

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Tick's Massive Summer Double Spectacle #1

 

  When the Tick and his band of super-heroes lose their sole source of funds (dastardly Barry's credit card) and cannot repair their not-so-secret headquarters, the team does what any needy group of heroes does: they have a membership drive! Enter the Multi-Millionaire! He's a cross between Donald Trump and a political pundit who is obessessed with graphs and polls. But while this super-wealthy 'superhero' might have the desperately needed cash flow to fix their lair, his intentions might not be so pure. 

    While I've not read the story that preceeded this special, it didn't take very long to get caught up on what I missed. The Tick is an insane series but with the added craziness of a host of supervillains along with some of the weirdest B-list superheroes this side of the film 'Mystery Men' made this the craziest issue of the Tick- EVER! 
  
    I loved it! 

   Worth Consuming with tons of laugh out loud hijinx.

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Tick: Luny Bin Bonanza Edition

 Collecting all three issues in the series that examines the Big Blue Arachnid of Justice's time in the insane asylum.

   The evil doctor that treated the Tick is kidnapping his former patients in a last ditch effort to cure them. With the Tick captured and strapped to a chair that would make Alex from 'A Clockwork Orange' cringe, it's up to Arthur and members of the MOAV (Mystic Order of Arachnid Vigilance) to save the day.

   This was a fun storyline. While not all of the Tick's secrets are revealed, Luny Bin shines a little more light on the super hero's origins and his doomed first marriage.  But what really makes this an instant classic entry in the Edlundverse is Arthur. Surrounded by members of MOAV (who also happen to be former patients at the same mental hospital as the Tick) it's Arthur who gets to play the hero for once.

    Luny Bin marks Eli Stone's last time as writer and artist of the Tick. Taking over from the master himself, Edlund, Stone did a fantastic job expanding the world of the Tick and Arthur with miniseries such as this one and 'Karma Tornado'. If you only read the first Tick series out of fear that the books aren't as good without Ben Edlund, you must read the books of Eli's.

    Lastly, I cannot stress enough how much you should check out the massive Tick catalogue at New England Press. For the longest time, I couldn't find books starring the Tick and when I did, I'd have to pay an arm and a leg for them. But at NEC's website, you can own this bonanza edition for only $3.00. Original prints are still available too for only $1.50 each!

   If you love the Tick, you must check out this site. Your collection and wallet will thank me!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Tick: Karma Tornado #9

   The last issue of Karma Tornado ends with not just a bang, but a whimper, and a scratch of the head. 

   The Tick spends a quiet day at home in his and Arthur's apartment. But that quickly makes the Tick very bored and a restless Tick is a thing unto itself. Besides accidentally finding ways to keep his downstairs neighbor away, our hero learns he's out of milk!

    Horrors ensue!!!

   Add a spray painting vandal, some faulty carpentry, and that annoyed neighbor and you have one of the oddest Tick stories of all-time. Only, it wasn't my favorite story. The jokes were stale, the plot was ripped from an episode of Muppet Babies, and Arthur's only on like 2 pages! Plus, Tick seems to do better when he has a dastardly villain to vanquish or some fellow crimefighters to get chummy with. 

   Though the series is named The Tick, the main character isn't a great solo act. He needs an ensemble cast to really thrive. Two random 'everyday' joes just isn't the going to cut it for a great supporting cast to balance out the Tick's mighty ego and Quixotic view on life.

  Lastly, there's a serious plot nit. The Tick is back to living in his apartment with Arthur. But just a couple issues earlier, the duo were crashing in Barry Hubris' mansion. So, what changed? Why wasn't this move back covered in this series? I had said earlier that the Karma Tornado series operated outside of continuity from issues #12 and the long overdue issue #13. So, does this issue take place before Tick #11 when Tick is given the rights to Barry's property? Either way, the writers or maybe the editors dropped the ball in not informing the reader to this 'change in venue.'

   Sadly, this a poor finish to an otherwise really good series.

   Not Worth Consuming

   Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

The Tick: Karma Tornado #8

  The Tick's impressive physique gets him discovered as the latest star of a 24-hour superhero channel on cable. But finding his niche might not be so easy as the Tick is no Christopher Reeve. Our intrepidly insane hero is run through the gambit of cable fodder starring in a medical soap opera, a news commentary show, and an X-Files type series in hopes of scoring big ratings. But through a comedy of errors and poor acting chops the Tick and a slew of media researchers might find their heads on the chopping block before this zany adventure is through.

    Issue #8 was another Tick masterpiece. Sometimes the best issues don't have the heroes doing anything heroic but instead trying to live out their normal lives. This is one of those issues. A great parody of 90s cable TV, this was a very funny issue even though not every joke killed. 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Tick: Karma Tornado #7

   The Tick and Arthur receive a mysterious summons and wind up in Middle of Nowhere, Ohio. Okay, they also make have gotten lost somewhere on the New Jersey Turnpike...

    While at their destination, they discover the place abandoned and pretty eerie. That is until the hoards of rats show up. Then comes the vampire hunter who mistakes Tick for a bloodsucker (I mean he is called the Tick after all.) Finally, Tick and Arthur come face to face with the head vampire who seeks to make the Tick his field general in a rat infested army of the undead. There's only one way for the Tick to defeat this demon- break out the Monopoly set!

    The Tick returns to his level of zaniness hijinx in this very funny and somewhat creepy issue. The story would have made a great Halloween special. The art again was very good and I loved the character of the vampire hunter. But it's the odd humor and non-sequiturs that make this a classic Tick tale.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.