Ben Edlund

I love Man-Eating Cow for the sheer lunacy of her character. She's a cow... that eats bad guys. Who but Ben Edlund and his cohorts could think of something so insane and actually make it work? I mean, this is the guy who suggested to Joss Whedon that the character of Bad Horse in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog be an ACTUAL horse.

But on to this book:

The biggest question in creating a series around a cow, not an anthropomorphic cow, mind, but a normal, non-speaking cow, is how do you propel a show more story without the main character speaking or at least thinking?

You create a world in which the other characters pick up the slack, and Man-Eating Cow does that brilliantly. We start with a gangster being devoured by M.E.C, which involves the police, so we get the perspective of the investigating officer. We also get a rodeo clown who's been trailing M.E.C. for a long time. This world, by the way, is full of clowns, poet gangsters, cannibalistic superheroes, and any other zany features the writers can think of, but in the world of the Tick, it all makes perfect sense. The first eight issues of M.E.C. are absolutely fantastic, my only complaint is that the last two issues were part of a company crossover and didn't include the other issues.

Also in this collection we have the three issues of the Chainsaw Vigilante series. C.V. was a character introduced in the Tick as an anti-hero whose only goal was to rid the world of superheroes because they were taking the work away from the police and causing more problems. The series continues this battle and even sees C.V. reach a level of success. Unfortunately, it ends right in the middle of a storyline and leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

Overall a good collection, just wish there had been more of it. show less

The Tick is mighty! Created by Ben Edlund (who has also worked on Venture Bros., Supernatural, and Firefly), The Tick is a bizarre amalgam of superhero stereotypes contained in a clueless yet oddly poetic and enigmatic character. The Tick is nigh invulnerable and strong enough to hurl buses about; however, he is also easily distracted by shiny objects. Fortunately, his sidekick Arthur, an accountant in a moth suit, helps to keep The Tick somewhat anchored in reality.

The Tick debuted as a show more comic book character, eventually leading to three seasons of cartoons. Although it originally aired in a Saturday morning time slot, the show really holds an appeal to a wide age range (a la The Simpsons).

Well, to give an idea of how it all goes down, I'll start with a sampling of Tick's nemeses: Mucus Tick, cloned from The Tick's -um- nose droppings, The Man-Eating Cow (self-explanatory), and The Human Ton, a massive behemoth who quotes Shakespeare and Homer using a sock-puppet.

OK, and some of my favorite Tick quotes: (After falling several stories and crashing into the pavement) "Gravity is a harsh mistress!" His eating utensil-inspired battle cry, "SPOOOON!!" And while watching some villains escape he observes, "Cool! They got a blimp!"

So The Tick and Arthur, at times assisted by generally inept superheroes, manage to bumble and punch their way through various situations until justice prevails. There's a lot of slapstick humor and cultural references, and it's all really held up well over the 17 years or so since the show originally aired. It's a lot of fun to watch and it's easy to understand how the The Tick's gained a sort of cult following.

The DVD itself is in 1.33:1 ratio, understandable considering its original TV format. The set is sparse- the Mole-Men episode is missing, it's not blu-ray, and it has no commentary. Actually, there's no extras.

But I don't need all that stuff here. It's an awesome show with a heapin' helpin' of visual tidbits and quirky jokes to catch. I generally only buy DVDs if I feel I can watch them repeatedly, and this set has passed that test over and over again. Recommended. show less

Stylishly dumb entertainment for kids. I guess it takes a real grown-up sophisticate to wonder why the female alien weapons master has such human-like breasts. Just an evolutionary convergence, I guess. Some of the large scale non-action scenes, as the ship flies through attractive artwork can be enjoyed, but that means that all the rest, the part with the characters, is a let down.

If you became a fan of The Tick from the comic books, the cartoon show, or the depressingly short-lived live action show, then I need say no more than this a collection of the comics that started it all. If, on the other hand, you have no knowledge of The Tick, then this is as good a place as any to start. (As would be viewing DVD’s of the cartoon or the sadly short-lived live action show.) And, if you haven’t discovered the strange world of The Tick, then I envy your first dive into show more this maniacal pool. Within this book are the first 12 issues of The Tick – and a world that is populated by the nigh-impervious Tick, his former-accountant-now-moth-costumed sidekick Arthur, the Man-Eating Cow, a super-villain with the face of a chair who almost succeeds in carving his name on the moon, a million zillion ninjas and Ninja World, a cross-country trip to New York in a 1981 Ford Mercury Bobcat Villager (yes, the one with the wood paneling), would-be superhero The Running Guy hiring the villain The Red Scare to help make his superhero name, The Civic-Minded Five, and the crime-fighting cry of “Spoon!”

Never mind. The Tick is what it is – a fantastic comic book. Just wade in. The water’s fine (if a little unusual.) show less