Review: The Tick #2
I read the debut issue of this new The Tick book from New England Comics - a holiday-themed issue about a superhero Secret Santa party - and while I enjoyed it, and I thought some of the art was great and some of the zany creativity typical of The Tick was on display, to be honest I was kind of underwhelmed. It seemed to have all the right individual elements, yes, but I wasn't entirely convinced that the old magic still worked.
Two months passed, though, and when The Tick #2 landed in my bag I found myself surprised at my excitement to see it there. When I got around to cracking it open over brunch on Sunday, I laughed aloud at least four times. Issue #2 conjures up plenty of classic Tickery, full of puns, visual gags and allusions - including one joke that manages to be all three at once and which I simply refuse to spoil for you - and that's what The Tick is supposed to be. It also features a B story that suggests they are, in fact, building towards an overall narrative featuring a classic Tick villain, which would be pretty sweet.
The art in this book is also very strong. I think it's as good as if not better than the art for issue #1, much better than the art in "classic" Tick comics (and the show) and it's better than the art I've seen in some "serious" comics lately. I definitely appreciate the effort that's going into this new book, and I think it shows that the NEC folks are making full use of the extended time between issues.
When I said last week that I'd picked up X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back in hopes of something fluffy to cut the taste of metaplots, this is what I should have been reading instead. I really enjoyed this second issue and I can't wait to see what they produce in April. If you're a fan of comedy in general or The Tick in particular, pick it up.
Klarion
Posted to Review on 1 March 2010
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