The Superhero Hidden Gem You Can Catch On Amazon
Thirty years before Taika Waititi took superhero comedies mainstream with "Thor: Ragnarok," comic book writer and future "Gotham" producer Ben Edlund created "The Tick," a giant blue force for justice. This nigh-invulnerable, super-strong yin to villainy's malevolent yang became a cult classic through his battles with foes like Chairface Chippendale, a guy named Barry, and a million-zillion ninja.
From humble beginnings, the "Tick" franchise branched out. The character's adventures were adapted into a Fox Kids cartoon in 1994, the success of the which made the Tick a household name. The first shot at a live-action reimagining stumbled out of the gate as part of Fox's "cancel everything and see what people miss the most" programming tactic in the early 2000s.
Then, in 2016, Amazon Studios breathed new life into the universe with a streaming series, this time with fancy, high-budget special effects, a fully realized universe, dramatic undertones, a Very Large Man, and, crucial to the success of any self-respecting nerd property, a role for Alan Tudyk. For two seasons released between 2016 and 2019, "The Tick" made its audience believe a man could fly, though generally not very well, since the instructions for his wingsuit were all in Urmanian.
Time to give The Tick another look, old chums
2016's "The Tick" features a rock-star cast of performers. The eponymous arachnid is played by English actor and impressionist Peter Serafinowicz, belting out baritone reminders about the importance of teamwork and firmly establishing that slaughtering your enemies mercilessly is "just not cool." His partner in crimefighting is Arthur, played to neurotic perfection by Griffin Newman of "The George Lucas Talk Show," a traumatized man obsessed with discovering the ultimate fate of a bygone supervillain. Arthur winds up having greatness thrust upon him in the form of an experimental and mysterious flying battle suit, complete with giant moth wings and, thankfully, bulletproof material. They're joined, not always enthusiastically, by gritty antihero Overkill (Scott Speiser) and Arthur's ever-increasingly badass sister Dot, played by Valorie Curry.
On the villainous end of the spectrum, there's Ms. Lint (Yara Martinez), an electrically powered ne'er-do-well whose powers, unfortunately, attract a lot of dust and stuff to her dark-hued ensemble. And then there's the Terror, a near-mythical supervillain introduced in a flashback during the pilot episode and played by Jackie Earle Haley, who has mastered the greatest variation on the coin-behind-your-ear trick in recorded history.
"The Tick" only lasted for two seasons before Amazon pulled the plug, but they were a good two seasons. Come for the epic tale rife with destiny and adventure, stay for the six-foot-tall bank-robbing lobster.