As a child of the '90s, reading super hero comics and wasting away Saturday afternoons watching the X-Men animated series on Fox are cherished memories. But a lesser known hero who was created in 1986 became an instant classic with me after, "The Tick" started in the late '90s.
Here's the big blue guy in full glory:
He's super strong and nigh invulnerable (his words, not mine) with a classically positive outlook on life. The Tick ran around destroying personal property without hesitation in the pursuit of justice! What exactly he meant by justice is still up for debate given the amount of things he destroyed while fighting crime.
His side-kick Arthur was the brains behind the operation and assisted the Tick in finding clever ways to ensure justice throughout the series.
Here's Arthur exhibiting his usual demeanor by cowering in fear next to the Tick.
The villains were equally ridiculous and had fanciful names like, the Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight, Chairface Chippendale, the Idea Men, and the Chainsaw Vigilante.
Truly ridiculous...
Here's a more complete list of them courtesy of http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Category:The_Tick_Villains
But by far the best part of the Tick is his off the wall comments throughout the series.
Here are a few of my favorites:
"You're not going crazy. You're going sane in a crazy world!"
"And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit."
"Ah, savory cheese puffs, made inedible by time and fate."
The best quotes all feature the Tick invoking some kind of comment on his destiny. (Whatever that means exactly, only the Tick really knew in the end.)
"Destiny's powerful hand has made the bed of my future, and it's up to me to lie in it. I am destined to be a superhero. To right wrongs, and to pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evildoers everywhere. And you don't fight destiny. No sir. And, you don't eat crackers in the bed of your future, or you get all... scratchy."
But many of these are much better when you hear the Tick say them himself.
Onward to Youtube for a quick taste!
Despite the popularity of the Marvel and DC universe over the past 20 years, the Tick has always held a special place in my heart. His constant jabs at ridiculous evildoers still make me laugh to this day. And I'm very excited to finally get more of the Tick once Amazon releases it's new live-action version on August 25th! Check out the promo if you want more of the big blue guy below.
One final quote to keep you yearning for more of the Tick!
Sanity, you're a madman!
(CH)
p.s. who's your favorite super hero? Tell us in the comment section below.