The Tick is a little gem of the 90s, a fantastic parody of the whole super-hero genre. It's definitely a product of its time, as super-heroes today are already pretty self-aware. For its time, though, The Tick was ingenious, ahead of its time, a mockery of one of the most popular genres of the 90s. Add onto this the great wit, writing, charm, and voice acting, and you have one truly memorable show.
At the time of release of The Tick, kids also had Batman, Spider-man, X-men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the Incredible Hulk. Add onto that the comic book boom, where speculators and fans were eating up some of the worst comic book stories in the history of the industry (I'm looking at you, Clone Saga).
The Tick took everything good about the genre, made fun of it, while still staying true to it. It was exceptionally funny at times, both kid- and adult-friendly, and very self-aware. The characters, even the side characters, always got a laugh. If you like superheroes (or hate them, for that matter), I would highly recommend the Tick. I wouldn't recommend this to anybody who avoids the super-hero genre, or is tired of it, because, at the end of the day, no matter how much this show mocks super-heroes, it still plays by the rules.
The best parts about the show are definitely the writing and the delivery by the all-star voice cast, especially by the Tick himself. It is well-paced, has great action, and great jokes.
So, where does the show fall flat? Well, being a parody and a lampooning, the plot is never compelling, never emotionally gripping. It falls victim to 90s censorship, and is very tame. Also, I feel that parody can very rarely be a masterpiece, because it always relies on something better in order to get that emotional and comedic responses. I would definitely rate Batman ahead of The Tick, with X-men probably being about equal, and Spider-man being a bit below.
Despite these nitpicks, The Tick is still certainly a glorious cartoon show, and again, I would recommend it to most anyone.
At the time of release of The Tick, kids also had Batman, Spider-man, X-men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the Incredible Hulk. Add onto that the comic book boom, where speculators and fans were eating up some of the worst comic book stories in the history of the industry (I'm looking at you, Clone Saga).
The Tick took everything good about the genre, made fun of it, while still staying true to it. It was exceptionally funny at times, both kid- and adult-friendly, and very self-aware. The characters, even the side characters, always got a laugh. If you like superheroes (or hate them, for that matter), I would highly recommend the Tick. I wouldn't recommend this to anybody who avoids the super-hero genre, or is tired of it, because, at the end of the day, no matter how much this show mocks super-heroes, it still plays by the rules.
The best parts about the show are definitely the writing and the delivery by the all-star voice cast, especially by the Tick himself. It is well-paced, has great action, and great jokes.
So, where does the show fall flat? Well, being a parody and a lampooning, the plot is never compelling, never emotionally gripping. It falls victim to 90s censorship, and is very tame. Also, I feel that parody can very rarely be a masterpiece, because it always relies on something better in order to get that emotional and comedic responses. I would definitely rate Batman ahead of The Tick, with X-men probably being about equal, and Spider-man being a bit below.
Despite these nitpicks, The Tick is still certainly a glorious cartoon show, and again, I would recommend it to most anyone.