Amazon’s new Tick series is a surprising delight.  

The Tick Returns!

Devotees will recall that I have a passion for comic books. I won’t claim expertise on the original Tick comics, but they have crossed my path in my long sequential art career. On the small screen, Tick has enjoyed both animated and live-action versions. My point is that even though these television projects never panned out to rival the popularity of the comic, the Tick has cultivated a beloved cult following. This week, Amazon dropped their newest version, and this geek was not disappointed. 

Six episodes have dropped so far (more have been filmed that I am eagerly anticipating), forming an arc that gives the villains as much dimension as the heroes. Peter Serafinowicz is the title character, and he plays the part masterfully.  The show satirizes the obsession with super heroes in a world where super powered vigilantes are real. It skewers all the best tropes from sci-fi and fantasy stories: there is a murderous vigilante who wants to gain order by any means necessary, a humanoid alien who flies and possesses super strength, a crime lord who believes he is a reincarnated Egyptian Pharaoh.  Jackie Earle Haley plays big bad, The Terror. Tick comics are known for their humorously over the top antics, but he is genuinely, well, terrifying.  

The beloved cult status that I mentioned? Former Tick Patrick Warburton is an executive producer, and other former Tick Townsend Coleman appears in the finale. Folks just love the Tick once they’ve had a taste. 

As it’s an Amazon production, it is available on their streaming service, and free for Prime subscribers. Check it out! Or don’t, what do I care?