The Tick, the cartoon adaptation of the comic book that didn't see nearly enough comic stores. From an Australian perspective, the Tick cartoon series was the first tier of the Tick empire (spanning comic books to live action TV shows) that we experienced, and I must say that the cartoon series 'made it' for me.
With the addition of animation, a comic series has a whole new layer added to it, and in the case of the Tick, the layer only improved what was a solid comic performance. The voices are perfectly cast and the animation (while repetitive or slow at times) captures the illogical (and often insane) nature of the Tick's world.
I would say (after reading the comics and seeing the live action attempts) that the cartoon series stands at the top of the heap, bringing motion of intercharacter relationships to the mix, while still remaining true to the original ideas of the author (without becoming too corny). There is nothing like hearing one of the Tick's rants going on and on and making little to no sense and just laughing it off at the end. This sort of comedy ran into trouble in the comic form, having page upon page of text without action and in the live action form by having static actors on screen who could just not sustain the melodrama needed for this kind of satire.
In all, if you want to see heroic satire through the Tick, then the cartoon is the best medium to obtain it.
With the addition of animation, a comic series has a whole new layer added to it, and in the case of the Tick, the layer only improved what was a solid comic performance. The voices are perfectly cast and the animation (while repetitive or slow at times) captures the illogical (and often insane) nature of the Tick's world.
I would say (after reading the comics and seeing the live action attempts) that the cartoon series stands at the top of the heap, bringing motion of intercharacter relationships to the mix, while still remaining true to the original ideas of the author (without becoming too corny). There is nothing like hearing one of the Tick's rants going on and on and making little to no sense and just laughing it off at the end. This sort of comedy ran into trouble in the comic form, having page upon page of text without action and in the live action form by having static actors on screen who could just not sustain the melodrama needed for this kind of satire.
In all, if you want to see heroic satire through the Tick, then the cartoon is the best medium to obtain it.