Before The New Tick Series premiers on Amazon Video ERod Takes the time to talk about the cartoon that introduced The Big Blue Bug to Mainstream Audiences.
The problem was that "The Tick" didn't appeal to children. It went over their heads. I was a teenager when the animated "The Tick" was on and I loved it. Unfortunately, I was at an age where I was beyond buying toys and action figures. It was marketed to the wrong audience. It should have been broadcast on Sunday nights around the same time as "The Simpsons."
@Matthew Raiche "The Tick didn't appeal to children?" But I was a kid when this cartoon came out, and I enjoyed it. Though to prove your point, there are elements I get now as an adult that I didn't get when I was a kid. For example, I saw the episode "The Tick Vs. The Brainchild." And in learning the origins of the Brainchild's robot dog "Skippy," I was like:"Wow, crap 90s cartoons had some dark moments..."
It was kind of pitched at a child's level with the toned-down violence and usually simple character situations. However, you are right, it didn't appeal to children and as such was a poor fit for a late Saturday morning timeslot. The live action series, however, was more adult in nature.
I was around 6 or 7 when this show was on fox and I LOVED IT!!!! I got all the taco bell toys and watched every weekend. I got toys from toys r us too. Its definitely for kids.
+Jo Te And you're an attention seeking Troll who'll say anything just to have his 30 seconds of fame. Well, sorry, but your kind are not welcome around here. Goodbye.
@@matthewrascoe8690 Well idk about the cartoon, but in the 2001 live action show he’s blatantly an idiot. Whenever someone says something like “if you know what I mean” he blankly smiles and says no. Then there’s a line where Arthur insults heroes and says “no offense” to the tick, the tick then responds “None comprehended”. He blankly smiles 90% of the time because he doesn’t understand what’s going on. That’s the show I remember most, so to me the Tick has always been an idiot who needed Arthur to be his brains.
The fact that the incomparably hilarious Freakazoid could take second place to ANYTHING in the category of Superhero Parody by itself speaks to how incredible the Tick was...and, God willing, is about to again be.
Vincent Franklin favorite line came after the episode where the Mentalist was hypnotizing everyone to think he was a baby. The dialogue at the end still sticks with me. "BABIES are the little bundles of you-ness that we HURL into the FUTURE! But you need to put a TIGHT SPIRAL on that baby, or else EVIL can make an INTERCEPTION!"
I agree! While his new version of ordinary reviews are fun, I always like it more when he does his analysis and goes into the history of shows/movies. It's just always so interesting to watch.
Speaking of Chairface and the moon, in the first issue of The Tick: New Series, you can see a drunk Chairface stumbling around in the snow; he looks up at the moon and says "If I can't write my name on the moon, then I'll write it... In the snow!", unzipping his pants and peeing his name into a snowdrift. I own the entire series and that has to be one of my favorite moments.
I always thought Ticks costume, as you called it, was actually his skin, ie really a part of his body, not something he could take off if he chose to. Keep in mind that, in Grandpa Wore Tights, when Terror wishes for Ticks antennae(and yes, that is how you pluralise antenna, its from Latin), Tick genuinely cant stand because those things helped him keep balanced, somehow. you could argue he is just crazy and him not being able to stand is a nocebo(the opposite of a placebo, google it), but nothing in his characterisation, at least to me, suggests that kind of mental disorder. Also, in Tick vs The Lava Man, when he gets his head caught in a vacuum cleaner, he actually feels pain in his antennae. given how unhuman(or rather superhuman) he generally is, I just find the idea that his skin is genuinely blue is more likely.
Just a note; The Tick cartoon started as a prime time series. iirc, It wasn't actually aired on Saturday mornings until all three seasons had already aired on prime time.
Townsend Coleman's performance makes me laugh with every line, just with the delivery, even now 20+ years after first seeing the show. I've rewatched it several times since then, and I never tire of it. My favourite episode is the Little Wooden Boy one. Tick is even more mentally unhinged than usual. The 2001 series deserves a rewatch. Patrick Warburton is always great, but Nestor Carbonell as Batmanuel steals every scene he's in.
My favorite Tick moment was when the Tick had a temper tantrum because Arthur decided to go out for a date on Hobby Night. I just love that as the series progressed, Arthur became the responsible older brother to the still rather mentally pre-adolescent Tick. I also love that just to keep the Tick busy when he isn't fighting evil, a special night was made for him. Hobby Night is like those special nights parents create for their kids to make them happy once a week. I'm particularly fond of the other Carmalita-centered episode, the one with the fake Aztecs who say "Itlan" in every sentence. The Itlan is very strong with you, Itlan.
Cephalopod51 My favorite moment is the one where the Mentalist hypnotized everyone to think he was a baby. The dialogue The Tick gave at the end of that episode still sticks with me. "BABIES are the little bundles of YOU-ness that we HURL into the FUTURE! But you need to put a TIGHT SPIRAL on that baby! Or else EVIL will make an INTERCEPTION!"
Actually, some time between Iron Man and the end of the Battle of New York, Tony Stark funded Damage Control, which is essentially a superhero cleanup crew.
Man, I loved this series when I was a kid. I once asked my mom for a Tick costume for Halloween but there was none to be sold here. Tick Loves Santa! is also my favorite episode, btw. Wish they had brought Multiple Santa back at least once.
One of your better reviews, I think, ERod. For my part, I loved the cartoon. Very much liked the comic. Watched 2 episodes of the live-action series and quit.
While still in college, Tick creator Ben Edlund was producing his independent comic book series The Tick based on the character. He was eventually approached by Kiscom, a small, New Jersey-based toy licensing and design company. Kiscom wanted to merchandise the Tick. Major TV networks and studios were reluctant to take on an animated series based on the absurd character. Kiscom stayed in touch with Edlund and finally Sunbow Entertainment, the same small, New York-based animation company that created The Transformers, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars, Conan the Adventurer, The Mask, and G.I. Joe Extreme paired him up with writer Richard Liebmann-Smith. Neither had any experience in animation or television, but for two months they worked vigorously on the first episode of The Tick. Neither man held high esteem for their final script, and their feelings were validated when FOX turned down the first pitch. They were given one more chance to refine it in five days. Over one weekend, they worked "instinctively" with little sleep and ended up satisfying FOX. Edlund later reflected, "We kind of defined in one weekend exactly where the show went for that first season, which was cool." While some darker characters and sexual innuendo seen in the comic series would be removed for its animated counterpart, Sunbow's Tick series would hold to its satirical roots. Writing duties were also given to Christopher McCulloch who had met Edlund prior to their television work and wrote several issues of the Tick comic book series. They would much later work together on McCulloch's Adult Swim series, The Venture Bros.. Edlund, a co-producer of The Tick, remained very hands-on during production, causing delays. According to Edlund: There was a period where I was extremely attentive to everything that had to be solved, and these efforts ultimately made the show a year late. I saw the storyboards that were being done and realized that if The Tick were animated off of those, it would fall apart. It would be a shadow of what it is now, which is something that isn't massively successful, but has this real staying power. So now instead of looking like bad '90s animation, it kind of looks like bad '70s superhero animation, which definitely has a unique style about it. The Tick finally premiered on September 10, 1994, and was a success. Edlund later expressed his view that, because the series did not reach the commercial heights of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, its merchandising success deteriorated by the end of its first season. However, he admitted "That's essentially good as far as I'm concerned; although, I would be much more wealthy at this point. That failure, to me, makes The Tick a much more sincere proposal." It had a merchandise, bringing with it all the action figures, pogs, toys, T-shirts, hats, party favors, costumes, and a board game, etc. In addition, many fast food restaurant chains such as Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell offered Tick-related give-aways. Fox Interactive also published a beat 'em up Tick-based video game and released it on the Super NES and Sega Genesis. The game was criticized for having very long stages with large amounts of enemies and a nonsensical ending. Rather than being an asylum escapee, as portrayed in the Tick comic book series, the animated version of the Tick crashes a superhero convention to win the "protectorship" of The City. With its emphasis on superhero parody, The Tick became a Saturday morning staple during the Fox Kids block. Its title character was voiced by Townsend Coleman and his sidekick, Arthur, by Micky Dolenz for Season 1. Rob Paulsen took over the latter role for Seasons 2 and 3. The series also features exclusive allies to the Tick like Die Fledermaus, a shallow, self-absorbed Batman parody; Sewer Urchin, a sea urchin-themed Aquaman parody who resembles Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man; and American Maid, a more noble superheroine featuring aspects of Wonder Woman and Captain America. The show's opening theme, written by Doug Katsaros, who also composed the scores for every episode, consists of big band music and campy scat singing. A typical episode plot would have the Tick battling a villain until Arthur devises a solution that saves the day. The Tick then declares an absurd moral regarding the previous conflict before the story comes to a close. Although the series was initially aimed primarily at children, it features an absurdist style that appeals to an older audience as well. After three seasons, The Tick's final episode aired November 24, 1996 and was rerun from April 19 until April 26, 1997, although the Christmas episode "The Tick Loves Santa!" was repeated on December 25, 1997. The following year, in 1997, FOX began talks with Sunbow Entertainment about producing a prime time Tick special, the possibility still exists that Fox Kids will renew the half-hour show for another season, and a sci-fi feature movie, but this never came to fruition. According to Englund: "When asked about "going Hollywood", Endlund laughs, "I have a certain amount of detachment in real life, and that same amount of detachment allows me to take very little of the entertainment world seriously." But it seems as though the industry is tkaing seriously, and that is giving Ben the chance to explore new creative ventures, including directing and writing a live-action remake of the classic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. He's wanted to do the project for years, but only recently has found himself in a position to make it happen." Comedy Central syndicated The Tick during this time from September 22, 1996 to December 27, 1999 on Sunday Evenings at 7:00pm and 11:00pm, Wednesday Nights at 9:00pm and 3:00am and Saturdays at 11:00pm, and subsequently helped make it a cult hit with adults. Fox continued to air the show in rerun form even while at the same time, Comedy Central was showing new episodes. It seems that Comedy Central will be showing the new episodes either the day after or the week after they appear on FOX. Besides showing them on Sundays at 7, the episodes will also appear Sundays at midnight, Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. Comedy Central did not create any new episodes and after about two years of reruns, they stopped running the show. In 1997, the year following the series' end, Greg Hyland's The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! was published as a tie-in with the series. In 2001, It was brought by Disney when Disney owned Fox Kids Worldwide. Toon Disney began airing The Tick in June 2005, along with other former FOX animated series like X-Men. It It would also occasionally air on ABC Family as part of the Jetix cartoon block. It lasted on the block on ABC Family until November 5, 2005. It lasted on the block on Toon Disney until March 31, 2008.
I'm glad you mentioned that difference in casting on Arthur. I went back and rewatched the series here recently, and thought the first season Arthur was superior to Rob Paulson's performance. Oh, he did a great job, but it's a shame that it didn't work out with the Monkee. He was the perfect timid soft spoken counterpoint to the Ticks boisterous outgoing adventurous nature. It was my first introduction to narrative story building with the moon, as a child. I love the subtle jokes going on in the background. Like the alien from Dimension X (or whatever Dimension he hailed from), with his snot clones, and the roommate who, "Is quiet, and always comes through with his half of the rent." Ten bucks says the roommate has/is the best weed connection in "The City"!
The missing episodes are both parodies of Fantastic Four villains. I've heard that Marvel demanded they be left out. Marvel presently holds the rights to the series. I'm going to guess the lack of new release has to do with their beef with FOX. i.e. Marvel will not promote anything FF related so long as FOX could benefit and hold on to the rights.
Fair point. Never heard that anywhere, but the most Disney said was that it wasn't Cindy Crawford. "Creative considerations" could very well meant just that.
Right - when those came out, Marvel demanded they cut FF parody episodes. Since then, Marvel bought the rights. So the question is, why don't they re-release with the missing episodes and the rest of the series?
Thanks for talking about this fantastic show! I just started a Wiki about it not long ago, and even though the fandom is small, it's wonderful to see someone talking about it.
These days, kids shows still go about with the selling toys angle. The one problem with it is the fact channels like Cartoon Network doesn't advertise these toys on television. You see plenty of MLP, Ninja Turtles, Superhero Girls and Pokemon toys being advertised; these days. But when's the last time TV advertised any merch for Steven Universe, Regular Show, Adventure Time even...(shudders) Teen Titans Go
I had a VHS tape that had so many episodes of the tick. Me and my sister always watched the Christmas episode. It's a shame when you shout "it's a yule tide' and nobody gets it .....
Awesome review as always! I loved this show growing up, me and my brothers still use phrases from the Tick even though im now 30 and their in their 20's lol 😜
Please do an honest review on Swat Kats, Barry Gordon as Razor is SO good in that show. Everyone in the comment section who what to see this honest review, like this comment.
Comic cross overs there is two tick comics where teams up with super heroes from a different company Also in that story he teams up with a world war 2 version of Arthur and the golden age tick comic the tick gets a real secret identity.
Y'know, I watched the whole thing about four years ago and never noticed. Might you be able to illuminate it for me (I don not want to watch it again)?
Guy Incognito During the climax of the first appearance of the Scorpion, Spider-Man figures that the manual shut-off for a nuclear reactor was on a certain console. Jameson asks how he knows about stuff like that, and he replies "who do I look like, the Tick?"
I bought The Tick Versus Season 1 at a used media store, and it does acknowledge the missing episode. I wonder why that is. I looked online to find the other 2 seasons, and I saw Season 3 was available... for about $200 out of Europe! Or was that season 2, and season 3 really was never produced? I can't check now but I can comment. Anyway, great show! Would love to own it all.
The concept TTGO wanted to sell done right, waaaay ahead of its time. No 3rd season DVD? Maybe they need a little of Shout and little of Factory and some punches on the face to be complete. Like TF: Animated did.
Besides, if it did, ut'd provide the basis for a whole episode, The Tick Vs Astrometric Gravitational Dynamics, in which he attempts to fix the Earth's gravitational imbalance and tides, but yelling nonsense and punching the ocean.
As “The Duke of Artz” Blockbuster Buster “The Tick” is a Triple great Great GREAT show. 😉👍👍👍! “The Tick vs Science”, “The Tick vs El Seed”, “The Tick vs The Breadmaster”, “The Tick vs Chairface Chippendale” & “The Tick vs Dot and Neil’s Wedding” are my personal favorite episodes from “The Tick” :)
I wish the complete animated series of the tick on DVD 📀 with all of the episodes in the USA with a very reasonable price tag 💰💰💰 with bonus features such as the commentary, various interviews, closed captions/subtitles, and more.
erod you are one of my favorite people on UA-cam to watch I love every single video you do including this and what people expect asked you this a thousand times about Transformers Prime even a wiring Sawyer video actually Transformers Prime was really supposed to have four seasons in the TV movie was supposed to kick it off but unfortunately just because Hasbro was doing My Little Pony stuff they decided to cut Transformers Prime just and just make up an excuse that the toys weren't selling well yeah yeah yeah there is a slim chance might come back hopefully cuz I can't stand robots in disguise I thought when I heard there was going to be a second part to it I was going to be I-5 is going to be arcce going the Earth and doing all the stuff when will be guys not Bumblebee were you really stole everything arcce was made for at the season finale even the TV movie
This review has really great depth and detail. I never saw the printed comics, but loved the animated series for the reasons you described. I was disappointed by the first live action TV show; I felt Patrick Warburton's delivery was too lethargic by comparison. Hoping the new show will be closer to the creator's intent.
I honestly think Jay Lenno would have been a good Tick voice wise I mean. He's perfect as the Crimson Chin, and I feel that the Chin is an extent of the Tick in some way. I guess in nature of their character's weird fascination with Justice, and their need to shout loud catchphrases.
Is Tick's costume a costume or his body atleast in both the cartoon and comic? Tick has stated that his costume is not costume, is never shown without his costume in some ways, he is shown to move and lose balance of his senses without his antennas as they seem to be an organic part of him.
Thats partly because Dredd only sleeps about ten minutes at a time before going back on patrol for another 10 hours... no, really, Dredd is basically on duty pretty much 24-7 and while he does own an appartment, he's never there.
You left out the oldest superhero parody ever, the first season of Underdog. Later seasons morphed him into just another superhero playing it straight, but in the first season, Underdog was a walking, flying disaster. It was very funny.
Can you please make an honest review of Alien Covenant or Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd? Both of those movies have some problems, but are GROSSLY UNDERRATED!!!
I have the DVD set but have only watched a few episodes. I should get back to it as I am not that familiar with the show. The problem is I have too many sets. Also, The Tick is a parody of the Blue Beetle.
I have heard Rob Paulsen reference the drama with Micky on Talkin Toons but Rob never mentioned who it was because Rob is very kind. Now I’m connecting the dots. Lol
The problem was that "The Tick" didn't appeal to children. It went over their heads. I was a teenager when the animated "The Tick" was on and I loved it. Unfortunately, I was at an age where I was beyond buying toys and action figures. It was marketed to the wrong audience. It should have been broadcast on Sunday nights around the same time as "The Simpsons."
@Matthew Raiche
"The Tick didn't appeal to children?" But I was a kid when this cartoon came out, and I enjoyed it.
Though to prove your point, there are elements I get now as an adult that I didn't get when I was a kid. For example, I saw the episode "The Tick Vs. The Brainchild." And in learning the origins of the Brainchild's robot dog "Skippy," I was like:"Wow, crap 90s cartoons had some dark moments..."
It was kind of pitched at a child's level with the toned-down violence and usually simple character situations. However, you are right, it didn't appeal to children and as such was a poor fit for a late Saturday morning timeslot.
The live action series, however, was more adult in nature.
I was around 6 or 7 when this show was on fox and I LOVED IT!!!! I got all the taco bell toys and watched every weekend. I got toys from toys r us too. Its definitely for kids.
@@rebd00mer93 Ben Edlund, the creator, did not intend for "The Tick" to be for kids.
"I am that jerk!" Best line ever.
I really don't consider the Tick "dumb", per say. Childish, yes, but not dumb.
+Jo Te And you're an attention seeking Troll who'll say anything just to have his 30 seconds of fame. Well, sorry, but your kind are not welcome around here. Goodbye.
Hewy Toonmore I've always thought that too
Hewy Toonmore Why do people always call him dumb, the Tick is actually a pretty wise and smart hero
@@matthewrascoe8690 Well idk about the cartoon, but in the 2001 live action show he’s blatantly an idiot. Whenever someone says something like “if you know what I mean” he blankly smiles and says no. Then there’s a line where Arthur insults heroes and says “no offense” to the tick, the tick then responds “None comprehended”. He blankly smiles 90% of the time because he doesn’t understand what’s going on. That’s the show I remember most, so to me the Tick has always been an idiot who needed Arthur to be his brains.
@Kolton Jaxson Dude, quit following me. We all know you're just one troll with two accounts spamming every video I commet on.
The fact that the incomparably hilarious Freakazoid could take second place to ANYTHING in the category of Superhero Parody by itself speaks to how incredible the Tick was...and, God willing, is about to again be.
Wait
AQUAman
RAINman
they're both WATERmen
"I know this! Mega...mega...mega..."
"Sounds BIG!"
"Oh, for...read a book!"
I wish that this great series was streaming on Netflix
Yeah you right about that.
There is a bluray box set
Same
You can find every episode on UA-cam
I loved this show! The Tick may be a bit slow, and a bit clumsy, but I think he is as heroic as Superman!
Plus, he's funny!
Vincent Franklin favorite line came after the episode where the Mentalist was hypnotizing everyone to think he was a baby. The dialogue at the end still sticks with me.
"BABIES are the little bundles of you-ness that we HURL into the FUTURE!
But you need to put a TIGHT SPIRAL on that baby, or else EVIL can make an INTERCEPTION!"
Landon Letterman Hysterical!
Honest Reviews and Legends of Fandom are definitely my favorite series you produce. Glad you're keeping them up and putting out quality content.
I agree! While his new version of ordinary reviews are fun, I always like it more when he does his analysis and goes into the history of shows/movies. It's just always so interesting to watch.
I just wish he would review his grammar before posting a video. "Comprised of" is wrong and "very unique" is wrong.
Speaking of Chairface and the moon, in the first issue of The Tick: New Series, you can see a drunk Chairface stumbling around in the snow; he looks up at the moon and says "If I can't write my name on the moon, then I'll write it... In the snow!", unzipping his pants and peeing his name into a snowdrift. I own the entire series and that has to be one of my favorite moments.
TheComicCrafter What's the new series like?
Wow now it all makes sense..
In the animated series you can see the moon through out the show with the letters CHA on it
I always thought Ticks costume, as you called it, was actually his skin, ie really a part of his body, not something he could take off if he chose to. Keep in mind that, in Grandpa Wore Tights, when Terror wishes for Ticks antennae(and yes, that is how you pluralise antenna, its from Latin), Tick genuinely cant stand because those things helped him keep balanced, somehow. you could argue he is just crazy and him not being able to stand is a nocebo(the opposite of a placebo, google it), but nothing in his characterisation, at least to me, suggests that kind of mental disorder. Also, in Tick vs The Lava Man, when he gets his head caught in a vacuum cleaner, he actually feels pain in his antennae. given how unhuman(or rather superhuman) he generally is, I just find the idea that his skin is genuinely blue is more likely.
Just a note; The Tick cartoon started as a prime time series. iirc, It wasn't actually aired on Saturday mornings until all three seasons had already aired on prime time.
Townsend Coleman's performance makes me laugh with every line, just with the delivery, even now 20+ years after first seeing the show. I've rewatched it several times since then, and I never tire of it.
My favourite episode is the Little Wooden Boy one. Tick is even more mentally unhinged than usual.
The 2001 series deserves a rewatch. Patrick Warburton is always great, but Nestor Carbonell as Batmanuel steals every scene he's in.
"Cha" on the moon. I still laugh thinking about that.
One of my favorite promos for a tv show of all time: "Call out the battlecry of flatware! The Tick is coming up next!"
and the tick at the time was awesome as hell.. but people forget and often ignore MTV THE MAXX! a truly philosophical debating adult animated cartoon!
I didn't know Plank was in the Tick before Ed, Edd, and Eddy.
The fact that the flash theme fit with that Tick intro fit uncomfortably well.
Using The Flash's theme, was inspired in the opening of this video. Yelling SPOON has never been so epic.
So Rob Paulsen basically played Arthur like playing Carl Wheezer with superpowers.
My favorite Tick moment was when the Tick had a temper tantrum because Arthur decided to go out for a date on Hobby Night. I just love that as the series progressed, Arthur became the responsible older brother to the still rather mentally pre-adolescent Tick. I also love that just to keep the Tick busy when he isn't fighting evil, a special night was made for him. Hobby Night is like those special nights parents create for their kids to make them happy once a week. I'm particularly fond of the other Carmalita-centered episode, the one with the fake Aztecs who say "Itlan" in every sentence. The Itlan is very strong with you, Itlan.
Cephalopod51
My favorite moment is the one where the Mentalist hypnotized everyone to think he was a baby. The dialogue The Tick gave at the end of that episode still sticks with me.
"BABIES are the little bundles of YOU-ness that we HURL into the FUTURE!
But you need to put a TIGHT SPIRAL on that baby! Or else EVIL will make an INTERCEPTION!"
Cephalopod51 I'm very fond of all of the Arthur & Carmelita episodes. The first episode of season 2 was my all-time favorite!
My favorite is "The Tick vs. Proto-Clown", for having the dirtiest joke I ever saw in a Saturday morning cartoon.
"You don't date much, do you?"
Spoon!!
Actually, some time between Iron Man and the end of the Battle of New York, Tony Stark funded Damage Control, which is essentially a superhero cleanup crew.
17:34 Plank from Ed, Edd and Eddy XD
So that's what Plank was doing before meeting Jonny.
Ah, that's the ORIGINAL: Little Wooden Boy. Pfft, normie.
Mark Guerrero Johnny became the Gourd, remember? Although he couldn't do much because the movie was over at that point.
SPOOOOOOOOOOOON!
The Tick is one of the silliest superheroes ever, and he has one of the silliest cartoons ever. And I love it!
One Punch Man is probably the closest show to reach the level of superhero parody The Tick had
yep
dunkanbulk14 Correct.
What about My Hero Academia, Is that bit of a Parody?
@@joe95883 Disney's Skyhigh
The Venture Brothers
I personally find it impossible to
name my favorite episode, since
there were so many classics. I
love this show.
p.s. "SPOON"!
Man, I loved this series when I was a kid. I once asked my mom for a Tick costume for Halloween but there was none to be sold here.
Tick Loves Santa! is also my favorite episode, btw. Wish they had brought Multiple Santa back at least once.
Love your honest reviews
The Tick is my all time favorite superhero!! Nothing from Marvel or DC will change that!
One of your better reviews, I think, ERod.
For my part, I loved the cartoon. Very much liked the comic. Watched 2 episodes of the live-action series and quit.
Tick's costume is his skin
It's been revealed in a later series that expands on his origin, Luny Bin
While still in college, Tick creator Ben Edlund was producing his independent comic book series The Tick based on the character. He was eventually approached by Kiscom, a small, New Jersey-based toy licensing and design company. Kiscom wanted to merchandise the Tick. Major TV networks and studios were reluctant to take on an animated series based on the absurd character. Kiscom stayed in touch with Edlund and finally Sunbow Entertainment, the same small, New York-based animation company that created The Transformers, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars, Conan the Adventurer, The Mask, and G.I. Joe Extreme paired him up with writer Richard Liebmann-Smith. Neither had any experience in animation or television, but for two months they worked vigorously on the first episode of The Tick. Neither man held high esteem for their final script, and their feelings were validated when FOX turned down the first pitch. They were given one more chance to refine it in five days. Over one weekend, they worked "instinctively" with little sleep and ended up satisfying FOX. Edlund later reflected, "We kind of defined in one weekend exactly where the show went for that first season, which was cool."
While some darker characters and sexual innuendo seen in the comic series would be removed for its animated counterpart, Sunbow's Tick series would hold to its satirical roots. Writing duties were also given to Christopher McCulloch who had met Edlund prior to their television work and wrote several issues of the Tick comic book series. They would much later work together on McCulloch's Adult Swim series, The Venture Bros.. Edlund, a co-producer of The Tick, remained very hands-on during production, causing delays. According to Edlund:
There was a period where I was extremely attentive to everything that had to be solved, and these efforts ultimately made the show a year late. I saw the storyboards that were being done and realized that if The Tick were animated off of those, it would fall apart. It would be a shadow of what it is now, which is something that isn't massively successful, but has this real staying power. So now instead of looking like bad '90s animation, it kind of looks like bad '70s superhero animation, which definitely has a unique style about it.
The Tick finally premiered on September 10, 1994, and was a success. Edlund later expressed his view that, because the series did not reach the commercial heights of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, its merchandising success deteriorated by the end of its first season. However, he admitted "That's essentially good as far as I'm concerned; although, I would be much more wealthy at this point. That failure, to me, makes The Tick a much more sincere proposal." It had a merchandise, bringing with it all the action figures, pogs, toys, T-shirts, hats, party favors, costumes, and a board game, etc. In addition, many fast food restaurant chains such as Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell offered Tick-related give-aways. Fox Interactive also published a beat 'em up Tick-based video game and released it on the Super NES and Sega Genesis. The game was criticized for having very long stages with large amounts of enemies and a nonsensical ending.
Rather than being an asylum escapee, as portrayed in the Tick comic book series, the animated version of the Tick crashes a superhero convention to win the "protectorship" of The City. With its emphasis on superhero parody, The Tick became a Saturday morning staple during the Fox Kids block. Its title character was voiced by Townsend Coleman and his sidekick, Arthur, by Micky Dolenz for Season 1. Rob Paulsen took over the latter role for Seasons 2 and 3. The series also features exclusive allies to the Tick like Die Fledermaus, a shallow, self-absorbed Batman parody; Sewer Urchin, a sea urchin-themed Aquaman parody who resembles Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man; and American Maid, a more noble superheroine featuring aspects of Wonder Woman and Captain America.
The show's opening theme, written by Doug Katsaros, who also composed the scores for every episode, consists of big band music and campy scat singing. A typical episode plot would have the Tick battling a villain until Arthur devises a solution that saves the day. The Tick then declares an absurd moral regarding the previous conflict before the story comes to a close. Although the series was initially aimed primarily at children, it features an absurdist style that appeals to an older audience as well.
After three seasons, The Tick's final episode aired November 24, 1996 and was rerun from April 19 until April 26, 1997, although the Christmas episode "The Tick Loves Santa!" was repeated on December 25, 1997. The following year, in 1997, FOX began talks with Sunbow Entertainment about producing a prime time Tick special, the possibility still exists that Fox Kids will renew the half-hour show for another season, and a sci-fi feature movie, but this never came to fruition. According to Englund:
"When asked about "going Hollywood", Endlund laughs, "I have a certain amount of detachment in real life, and that same amount of detachment allows me to take very little of the entertainment world seriously." But it seems as though the industry is tkaing seriously, and that is giving Ben the chance to explore new creative ventures, including directing and writing a live-action remake of the classic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. He's wanted to do the project for years, but only recently has found himself in a position to make it happen."
Comedy Central syndicated The Tick during this time from September 22, 1996 to December 27, 1999 on Sunday Evenings at 7:00pm and 11:00pm, Wednesday Nights at 9:00pm and 3:00am and Saturdays at 11:00pm, and subsequently helped make it a cult hit with adults. Fox continued to air the show in rerun form even while at the same time, Comedy Central was showing new episodes.
It seems that Comedy Central will be showing the new episodes either the day after or the week after they appear on FOX. Besides showing them on Sundays at 7, the episodes will also appear Sundays at midnight, Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. Comedy Central did not create any new episodes and after about two years of reruns, they stopped running the show.
In 1997, the year following the series' end, Greg Hyland's The Tick: Mighty Blue Justice! was published as a tie-in with the series.
In 2001, It was brought by Disney when Disney owned Fox Kids Worldwide. Toon Disney began airing The Tick in June 2005, along with other former FOX animated series like X-Men. It It would also occasionally air on ABC Family as part of the Jetix cartoon block. It lasted on the block on ABC Family until November 5, 2005. It lasted on the block on Toon Disney until March 31, 2008.
I'm glad you mentioned that difference in casting on Arthur. I went back and rewatched the series here recently, and thought the first season Arthur was superior to Rob Paulson's performance. Oh, he did a great job, but it's a shame that it didn't work out with the Monkee. He was the perfect timid soft spoken counterpoint to the Ticks boisterous outgoing adventurous nature.
It was my first introduction to narrative story building with the moon, as a child.
I love the subtle jokes going on in the background. Like the alien from Dimension X (or whatever Dimension he hailed from), with his snot clones, and the roommate who, "Is quiet, and always comes through with his half of the rent."
Ten bucks says the roommate has/is the best weed connection in "The City"!
The missing episodes are both parodies of Fantastic Four villains. I've heard that Marvel demanded they be left out.
Marvel presently holds the rights to the series. I'm going to guess the lack of new release has to do with their beef with FOX. i.e. Marvel will not promote anything FF related so long as FOX could benefit and hold on to the rights.
Fair point. Never heard that anywhere, but the most Disney said was that it wasn't Cindy Crawford. "Creative considerations" could very well meant just that.
The DVDs came out before Disney bought out Marvel and Marvel only partnered with Sunbow. Unless there's a new release I don't know about.
Right - when those came out, Marvel demanded they cut FF parody episodes.
Since then, Marvel bought the rights. So the question is, why don't they re-release with the missing episodes and the rest of the series?
Lynn Green hey if you can't beat them get bought out by them
Why does every show with good qulity and good ratings get cancelled, because of toy sales? That really pisses me off how that works. -_-
Welcome to the corporate world. If you can’t milk it in the merchandise the corporate wold kills it.
"Tick, and the Arthur, and the Warner sister Dot."
Thanks for talking about this fantastic show! I just started a Wiki about it not long ago, and even though the fandom is small, it's wonderful to see someone talking about it.
Loved the cartoon so much.
That intro was great. This is the greatest animated series ever. Anyone who disagrees, is just wrong.
Great review but you didn't mentioned some of the writers made The Venture Bros
Yeah and it's thanks to the live action Tick that Patrick Warburton got cast as Brock Samson.
Officially making VB and The Tick part of the same universe now. It makes complete sense more you think about it
These days, kids shows still go about with the selling toys angle. The one problem with it is the fact channels like Cartoon Network doesn't advertise these toys on television.
You see plenty of MLP, Ninja Turtles, Superhero Girls and Pokemon toys being advertised; these days. But when's the last time TV advertised any merch for Steven Universe, Regular Show, Adventure Time even...(shudders) Teen Titans Go
Please bring back DC Cember, and no more Patreon exclusive reviews. Not all of us can afford Patreon or have a bank account.
Loved The Tick growing up.
I love The Tick, both the animated show and the Amazon series, they're both great, They're silly and ridiculous
I had a VHS tape that had so many episodes of the tick. Me and my sister always watched the Christmas episode. It's a shame when you shout "it's a yule tide' and nobody gets it .....
"It's a Yule Tide!"
3:06 Superman's is actually a lot more complicated than most people realize.
Heck, even going back to the origins of the character, he only went out at night, and kept himself from being seen clearly or photographed.
Which I'm sure you know.
And he used to treat Lois Lane like a piece of shit.
Sean Ashmead golden age superman always treated people like shit.
Awesome review as always! I loved this show growing up, me and my brothers still use phrases from the Tick even though im now 30 and their in their 20's lol 😜
Please do an honest review on Swat Kats, Barry Gordon as Razor is SO good in that show. Everyone in the comment section who what to see this honest review, like this comment.
I really enjoyed your review but for what it's worth my favorite episode is that mustache feeling.
Will there be reviews for both live action shows?
Comic cross overs there is two tick comics where teams up with super heroes from a different company
Also in that story he teams up with a world war 2 version of Arthur and the golden age tick comic the tick gets a real secret identity.
Fun fact: Ben Edlund was a writer for the Venture Bros show and was a big supporter of continuity. Which is even seen his early work like The Tick.
The Tick is the Sh**!. The best episode is definitely Mustache feeling, I think that's the name. It's TAFT!..
Spoon!
I loved both of the shows! The cartoon and the live action one.
Aren't The Mystery Men from The Tick's comic book universe?
Not to mention 90's Spider-Man made a reference to the Tick.
Y'know, I watched the whole thing about four years ago and never noticed. Might you be able to illuminate it for me (I don not want to watch it again)?
Guy Incognito During the climax of the first appearance of the Scorpion, Spider-Man figures that the manual shut-off for a nuclear reactor was on a certain console. Jameson asks how he knows about stuff like that, and he replies "who do I look like, the Tick?"
People mistake me for a bunny too, and I'm a mouse.
Can you do a review of The Emoji MOVIE?
Great review and very informative. The cartoon series was/is the absolute best super hero parody ever.
I bought The Tick Versus Season 1 at a used media store, and it does acknowledge the missing episode. I wonder why that is. I looked online to find the other 2 seasons, and I saw Season 3 was available... for about $200 out of Europe! Or was that season 2, and season 3 really was never produced? I can't check now but I can comment. Anyway, great show! Would love to own it all.
SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON
The concept TTGO wanted to sell done right, waaaay ahead of its time.
No 3rd season DVD? Maybe they need a little of Shout and little of Factory and some punches on the face to be complete. Like TF: Animated did.
i season two of the live action searis has the bunny suit runing gag but how can you mistake that suit with a bunny suit
Good job on the review.
There's actually a complete bluray box set now.
I think Sewer Urchin was a reference to the animaniacs character Runt, a dog who hung out in smelly garbage.
You should Reveiw the two tick cross overs
Good review!!!
Wouldn't eating the moon cause problems with tides?
It's not like he ate the whole moon.
Besides, if it did, ut'd provide the basis for a whole episode, The Tick Vs Astrometric Gravitational Dynamics, in which he attempts to fix the Earth's gravitational imbalance and tides, but yelling nonsense and punching the ocean.
As “The Duke of Artz” Blockbuster Buster “The Tick” is a Triple great Great GREAT show. 😉👍👍👍!
“The Tick vs Science”, “The Tick vs El Seed”, “The Tick vs The Breadmaster”, “The Tick vs Chairface Chippendale” & “The Tick vs Dot and Neil’s Wedding” are my personal favorite episodes from “The Tick” :)
At least tick got a reales
There is still no DVD reales of ULTRAFroce and the knight man .
I wish the complete animated series of the tick on DVD 📀 with all of the episodes in the USA with a very reasonable price tag 💰💰💰 with bonus features such as the commentary, various interviews, closed captions/subtitles, and more.
Spooooooonnnnn!!!!
erod you are one of my favorite people on UA-cam to watch I love every single video you do including this and what people expect asked you this a thousand times about Transformers Prime even a wiring Sawyer video actually Transformers Prime was really supposed to have four seasons in the TV movie was supposed to kick it off but unfortunately just because Hasbro was doing My Little Pony stuff they decided to cut Transformers Prime just and just make up an excuse that the toys weren't selling well yeah yeah yeah there is a slim chance might come back hopefully cuz I can't stand robots in disguise I thought when I heard there was going to be a second part to it I was going to be I-5 is going to be arcce going the Earth and doing all the stuff when will be guys not Bumblebee were you really stole everything arcce was made for at the season finale even the TV movie
Excellent
This review has really great depth and detail. I never saw the printed comics, but loved the animated series for the reasons you described. I was disappointed by the first live action TV show; I felt Patrick Warburton's delivery was too lethargic by comparison. Hoping the new show will be closer to the creator's intent.
I honestly think Jay Lenno would have been a good Tick voice wise I mean. He's perfect as the Crimson Chin, and I feel that the Chin is an extent of the Tick in some way. I guess in nature of their character's weird fascination with Justice, and their need to shout loud catchphrases.
Is Tick's costume a costume or his body atleast in both the cartoon and comic?
Tick has stated that his costume is not costume, is never shown without his costume in some ways, he is shown to move and lose balance of his senses without his antennas as they seem to be an organic part of him.
Actually 4 seasons is the standard, and the third season was only 10 episodes, instead of thirteen. Still a great show. OH NO!!!
Never taking costume off is very Judge Dredd who never takes his helmet off. Not even when he showers and sleeps.
Thats partly because Dredd only sleeps about ten minutes at a time before going back on patrol for another 10 hours... no, really, Dredd is basically on duty pretty much 24-7 and while he does own an appartment, he's never there.
His hair must be really sweaty.
I loved The Tick as a kid! SPOOOOOOOONNNNN!!!
Thnudercats retrospective?
ERod can you bust Chicken Little and The Nut Job.
Captain Imagination Nut Job and Nut Job 2 deserve a busting
I don't know how he will approach animated films in his new skit-based style.
ERod should totally bust a Nut.
Those weren't Blockbuster movies.
Captain Imagination He only reviews sequels, remakes and adaptations. However, He probably can do chicken little...
Mother destiny calls to me, And she says hello by the way!
You left out the oldest superhero parody ever, the first season of Underdog. Later seasons morphed him into just another superhero playing it straight, but in the first season, Underdog was a walking, flying disaster. It was very funny.
I love this show!
As "The Duke of Artz" @Wally Gator, I love this show too :)
Can you please make an honest review of Alien Covenant or Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd? Both of those movies have some problems, but are GROSSLY UNDERRATED!!!
Man I miss these piss take series of the 90s
great video of the greatest superhero toon ever
SPOON!!!
How does The Tick and Author sleep......
They Spooooonnnnnn!
I have the DVD set but have only watched a few episodes. I should get back to it as I am not that familiar with the show. The problem is I have too many sets.
Also, The Tick is a parody of the Blue Beetle.
There was going to be a Season 4. Will Barry returning!
Yeah, greedy network bastards needed damn kids to buy their damn merchandise.
I love that show
I have heard Rob Paulsen reference the drama with Micky on Talkin Toons but Rob never mentioned who it was because Rob is very kind. Now I’m connecting the dots. Lol
The new tick show on Amazon is SPOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm just gonna say this. A Rick and Morrty /The Tick crossover would be amazing.
Lait1222 The self awareness would make it one helluva crossover, man.