Obsessed Review: The Tick: The Naked City

The pre-"SPOON!" days

Plot: The Tick, a superstrong maniac in a blue bug suit, escapes from his confinement in an insane asylum to go off and have adventures. More obsessed with fighting crime than saving people, he goes around the city stumbling upon adventures and incompetent ninja clans. Joined by Paul the Samurai, Oedipus and eventually Arthur, The Wild Blue Yonder will have to face The Red Scare, save The City from the Thorn of Oblivion, and unintentionally drive Clark Oppenheimer insane!

Ah, The Tick. I love The Tick. Ever since I saw his cartoon series when I was a boy, I loved seeing this big blue looney tune in his mad, mad, mad world and even more mad, mad, mad adventures. Hell, both he and Arthur are inductees into the hallowed halls of My Heroes. So when I got the first six issues in trade form many a Christmas ago, I read it and memorized it as best I could. I lost it way back when, but I finally found it hidden among some miscellaneous stuff. And it holds up extremely well.

The stories featured are all funny. The visual and written humor of the book is probably some of the best in the industry. Every page can give us something endearing. For example:

• Incompetent ninja hedge!
• Katannas hidden in a loaf of french bread!
• Supervillains for hire!
• Danny DeVito lookalikes!
• Smart ass diner patrons!
• Giant pieces of candy corn!
• Super crime fighting Viewfinders!
• A giant blue man wearing a tie and purse for a disguise!
• Hallucinations of demonic high rise buildings!

It's all good, really. 

The art is mostly solid, with only "Early Morning Of A Million-Zillion Ninjas" faltering. (All the characters kind of look like their made of pudding in the chapter.) Everyone is distinctly designed. The characters all demonstrate some grand personality in their facial features and body language. You can't mistake one person for another. 

Hell, even the lettering is great!

So, this book is pretty amazing. Go buy it. NOW!