Ben Edlund's The Tick is one of the longest-running alternative comics of all time, reaching its 100th issue this month. First making his debut in 1988, the Tick is a hulking brute of a man in a form-fitting blue costume who roams the streets of The City with his hapless sidekick Arthur, fighting crime and generally being totally weird. The comic spawned a cartoon series as well as a short-lived live action show. One of the best parts about the series is the insane supporting cast. Here are The Tick's best characters!
The Tick's Best Characters
The Tick reaches its 100th issue this month! To celebrate this awesome milestone we decided to rediscover some of the best heroes and villains from the classic comic series. Here are The Tick's best characters!
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By K. Thor Jensen January 25, 2012 |
Credit: FOX
| 6 | Batmanuel |
One of the best supporting characters from the live-action Tick series, the hilarious Batmanuel wasn't necessarily the most productive crime-fighter on the block. The preening champion of justice cares more about maintaining his personal appearance and macking on the ladies than he does bringing justice to the streets, and he very rarely actually manages to stymie any evildoers. In fact, he gets mugged on the subway and beaten by car thieves. Oh, and he owes $8,000 in parking tickets.
Credit: New England Comics
| 5 | Chainsaw Vigilante |
One of the most persistent villains to ever bedevil the Tick and Arthur, the Chainsaw Vigilante was on a one-man crusade to show superheroes that they weren't as tough as they thought they were. How did he do that? By cutting them up with a chainsaw. Of course, he doesn't kill anybody with his power tool, realizing that just cutting somebody is usually enough to make them run away. He was stopped by the revelation that the Tick is actually as tough as he thinks he is. Tougher, actually.
Credit: FOX
| 4 | Bi-Polar Bear |
One of the many ridiculous heroes who hangs out at the Comet Club, the mighty Bi-Polar Bear has all of the strength and endurance of a mighty ursine mammal, but he's unfortunately hampered by his frequent mood swings, which often leave him unable to get out of bed in the morning. This doesn't get him kicked out of the gang, surprisingly. This is one character who should have made more appearances than he did, but the cartoon was cancelled far too soon.
Credit: FOX
| 3 | El Seed |
The vilest vegetable to ever enter the annals of villainy, El Seed was a Spanish flower who grew up thirsting for revenge against the unthinking mammals of the world for their abuse of the plant kingdom. He first faced off with the Tick when he invented a serum that would make other plants uproot from the soil and walk the Earth, but he was thwarted by our hero and Arthur. He returned to menace the human world several times, but never managed to kill us all.
Credit: FOX
| 2 | The Human Bullet |
The thing about being a superhero is that you kind of have to stay where the action is, which is why most of them live in the city. The Human Bullet, however, likes his life in the suburbs too much. So, when duty calls, he climbs into his giant cannon, has his son aim him in the general direction of crime, and goes flying through the sky. Of course, it's essentially impossible to accurately aim a cannon over that distance, so he usually ends up landing blocks away and not helping at all.
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