The Tick

The Tick is a comedic superhero who has appeared in a comic book series, an animated cartoon show, and a live action television series. These were created and primarily written by Ben Edlund. In the animated series, the Tick was voiced by Townsend Coleman. In the live-action series, he was played by Patrick Warburton.

Despite his name, The Tick does not bear much resemblance to an actual tick. He appears to wear a bright blue bodysuit, and a pair of antennae stick out from his head and move to depict his emotional state. The Tick rarely, if ever, makes sense when he speaks; he tends to make odd, dim remarks and "inspirational" speeches filled with confusing, bizarre metaphors. His battle cry is "SPOON!"

Like many heroes depicted in popular culture, The Tick has a sidekick, an accountant named Arthur, whose superhero outfit is a moth. The Tick is often a very impulsive crimefighter, and Arthur serves as a sort of conscience.

The comic book and two TV series, The Tick commonly satirized traditional comic book and cartoon heroes. For instance, one of the main characters in the live-action series was named Batmanuel. In one episode, he had to drive his Manuelmobile (his car). Anyone who knows anything about comic book superheroes knows that Batmobile has already been taken.

The 2001 live-action TV series was released on DVD in 2003. Ben Edlund says on one of the DVD commentary tracks that he hopes the sales of the DVD might spur development of either a revived series or a movie. As of 2004, this has yet to happen.

Comic Book

Characters in the Comic Book

• Superheroes
  • The Ant
  • The Cape ("golden age" hero)
  • The Caped Wonder (aka Clark Oppenheimer) (Superman parody)
  • Captain Academia
  • The Civic Minded Five
    • Feral Boy
    • Fernslinger
    • Mr. Envelope
    • Oddman
    • Radio King (leader)
  • Crested Grebe
  • Crime Cannibal
  • Hand Grenade Man
  • Hollowpoint (Punisher parody)
  • The Man Eating Cow
  • Mighty Agrippa
  • The MITI Men (Japanese superhero team)
    • Dr. Bonsai
    • The Dubbed One
    • Salaryman
    • Zen Man
  • Oedipus
  • Paul the Samurai
  • The Running Guy (Flash parody)
  • The Sultan ("golden age" hero)
  • Ulysses Bang ("golden age" hero)
  • The Visible Man ("golden age" hero)

• Supervillains
  • The Chainsaw Vigilante
  • Chairface Chippendale
  • The District Manager
  • The Evileers
    • The Fuzzy Person
    • Mr. Tragedy
    • Multiple Santa
    • The Terror
    • Tuun-La
  • Gomorra (Godzilla parody)
  • King Crime ("golden age" villain)
  • Lord Byron
  • The Red Scare (Villain for hire from Villains, Inc.)
  • Sagin
  • Seven Hearts ("golden age" villain)
  • Thrakkerzog

Animated Series

Characters in the Animated Series

• Superheroes
  • Agrippa
  • American Maid (Wonder Woman parody)
  • Big Shot (Punisher parody)
  • Bi-Polar Bear
  • Blitzen (superheroine of Belgium, Éclair's sidekick)
  • The Civic-Minded Five
    • Captain Mucilage
    • The Carpeted Man
    • Feral Boy
    • Four-Legged Man
    • Jungle Janet
  • The Decency Squad ("golden age" team)
    • Captain Decency
    • Johnny Polite
    • The Living Doll
    • Sufferage Jet
    • The Visual Eye
  • Éclair (superheroine of Belgium)
  • Fishboy, Prince of Atlantis
  • Die Fledermaus (Batman parody)
  • Human Bullet
  • Jet Valkyrie
  • Sewer Urchin
  • Members of The Tick's superhero class:
    • Baby Boomerangutang
    • The Flying Squirrel
    • Gesundheit
    • Mr. Exciting
    • Sarcastro

• Supervillains
  • The Angry Red Herring
  • Baron Violent
  • Barry (aka "The Tick")
  • The Breadmaster
  • Charles (aka Brainchild)
  • Chairface Chippendale
  • The Deadly Bulb (aka Pigleg)
  • Dinosaur Neil
  • El Seed
  • The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight
  • The Fin (aka Mr. Smarty Pants)
  • The Human Ton (and Handy)
  • The Idea Men
  • The Indigestible Man
  • The Mad Nanny
  • The Man Eating Cow
  • Milo (sidekick of Venus)
  • Multiple Santa
  • Octo Paganini (from Belgium)
  • Omnipotus (Galactus parody)
  • Pineapple Pokopo
  • Professor Chromedome
  • Lou Salazar, the Sewer Czar
  • Stalingrad
  • The Terror
  • Thrackerzog
  • Uncle Creamy
  • Venus
  • Whirling Scottish Devil

List of Episodes in the Animated Series

Season 1

• 1 The Tick vs The Idea Men (originally aired: 09/10/1994)
• 2 The Tick vs Chairface Chippendale (originally aired: 09/17/1994)
• 3 The Tick vs Dinosaur Neil (originally aired: 09/24/1994)
• 4 The Tick vs Mr. Mental (originally aired: 10/01/1994)
• 5 The Tick vs The Breadmaster (originally aired: 10/08/1994)
• 6 The Tick vs El Seed (originally aired: 10/15/1994)
• 7 The Tick vs The Tick (originally aired: 10/22/1994)
• 8 The Tick vs The Uncommon Cold (originally aired: 10/29/1994)
• 9 The Tick vs Brainchild (originally aired: 11/05/1994)
• 10 The Tick vs Pineapple Pokopo (originally aired: 11/12/1994)
• 11 The Tick vs The Mole-Men (originally aired: 11/19/1994)
• 12 The Tick vs The Proto Clown (originally aired: 02/04/1995)
• 13 The Tick vs Arthur's Bank Account (originally aired: 02/11/1995)

Season 2

• 14 The Little Wooden Boy and the Belly of Love (originally aired: 09/09/1995)
• 15 Alone Together (originally aired: 09/16/1995)
• 16 Armless but Not Harmless (originally aired: 09/23/1995)
• 17 Leonardo da Vinci and His Fightin' Genius Time Commandos! (originally aired: 9/30/1995)
• 18 Coach Fussell's Lament (originally aired: 10/7/1995)
• 19 Bloomsday (originally aired: 10/21/1995)
• 20 Evil Sits Down for a Moment (originally aired: 11/4/1995)
• 21 Heroes (NOTE: This is a satire/takeoff on the TV show "Cops") (originally aired: 11/11/1995)
• 22 Ants in Pants! (originally aired: 11/18/1995)
• 23 The Tick Loves Santa! (originally aired: 11/25/1995)
• 24 The Tick vs The Big Nothing (originally aired: 02/03/1996)
• 25 The Tick vs Reno, Nevada (originally aired: 02/10/1996)
• 26 Grandpa Wore Tights (originally aired: 02/17/1996)

Season 3

• 27 That Mustache Feeling (originally aired: 09/14/1996)
• 28 The Tick vs Dot and Neil's Wedding (originally aired: 09/21/1996)
• 29 Sidekicks Don't Kiss (originally aired: 09/28/1996)
• 30 The Tick vs Arthur (originally aired: 10/06/1996)
• 31 Devil in Diapers (originally aired: 10/12/1996)
• 32 The Tick vs Filth (originally aired: 10/26/1996)
• 33 The Tick vs Europe (originally aired: 11/02/1996)
• 34 The Tick vs Science (originally aired: 11/09/1996)
• 35 The Tick vs Prehistory (originally aired: 11/16/1996)
• 36 The Tick vs Education (originally aired: 11/30/1996)

Live-Action Series

Characters in the Live-Action Series

• Superheroes
  • Batmanuel (Batman parody)
  • Captain Liberty (Wonder Woman parody)
  • The Champion (Superman parody)
  • Fiery Blaze
  • Friendly Fire (sidekick to Fiery Blaze)
  • The Immortal

• Supervillains
  • Apocalypse Cow
  • Destroyo (real name: Leonid Kasparov Destroyovitch)
  • The Red Scare (robot)
  • The Terror

List of Episodes in the Live-Action Series

Season 1

The episodes are listed here in their intended order (according to the DVD release). When they were originally aired on the FOX Network in the United States they were aired out of order.

• 1 Pilot (originally aired: 11/08/2001)
• 2 The Terror (unaired but included on the DVD)
• 3 Arthur, Interrupted (originally aired: 01/24/2001)
• 4 The License (originally aired: 12/06/2001)
• 5 Arthur Needs Space (originally aired: 12/13/2001)
• 6 Couples (originally aired: 12/05/2001)
• 7 The Funeral (originally aired: 11/15/2001)
• 8 The Tick Vs. Justice (originally aired: 01/17/2001)
• 9 The Big Leagues (originally aired: 12/21/2001)