Don’t pop this Tick

Bob Grimm Within minutes of my first viewing of The Tick on Fox TV a couple of years back, I knew that its broadcast life would be short lived. Far too offbeat and funny to make it on TV, it got the ax after one season and now gets a nice treatment on DVD with a two disc set that contains all nine episodes of the series. Fans of the original comic book and highly entertaining animated series might be put off by some of the changes Barry Sonnenfeld made when he adapted the strange superhero to live action. The popular Die Fledermaus character was replaced by one called Batmanuel, and Patrick Warburton turned the big blue one into a dimwitted twit. Having been a fan of the animated series, I found the Warburton version even funnier, with Director Sonnenfeld’s pilot for the show being some of the funniest stuff on TV in the past 10 years this side of Mr. Show. I’d like to say “Long live the Tick!” but truth be told, he is probably dead forever, with this fine DVD being the last record of his once brilliant existence. My pick for favorite Tick villain: Apocalypse Cow, never seen, but surely heard bringing a fiery vengeance to the big city.

Special Features: The double-disc isn’t packed with many special features, and it doesn’t need them. Just getting the series in its entirety should be enough for most fans. Still, there are some fun commentaries by Barry Sonnenfeld, and one of the episodes contained in the package never aired on TV.

Series: A
Special Features: Doesn’t need any