The Tick (animated)

Cafe Society
1

As part of my ongoing VHS-DVD transfer project, I am now up to transferring The Tick cartoon from 1994. Thirty-six episodes of tasty justice!

In the past, whenever I transferred entire shows I had on tape to DVD, they got released on commercial DVD soon after (ex: American Gothic and Night Court (though only the first season, so far)).

I’m hoping that by doing this, Fox will release this great toon soon (preferably as a single box set).

So let’s talk about The Tick.

One of my favorite eps was “The Tick vs. The Uncommon Cold”. The Tick has to battle and extra-terrestial monster that ends up making a mucus-based clone of the Tick. The ep probably has the most jokes about snot in the shortest period of time than any other show. In the final battle, the Tick pisses off the monster by deliberately mispronouncing it’s name.

Tick: “I’ve had enough chasing. It’s your turn now, Thorasmog.”

Thrakkorzog: "Thrakkorzog! Thrakkorzog! With a “k’. Boy, are you ever rude.”

Tick: “No breaks today. We’re only serving humble pie, Whatchamazog.”

Thrakkorzog: “Listen buddy, for the last time it’s…”

Tick: “Thorax in a bog?”

Thrakkorzog: “Thrakkorzog!”

Tick: “Laxative log?”

Thrakkorzog: “No! No! No! No!..”

Tick: “Laplandazog?”

Thrakkorzog: “No! No!..”

Tick: "Four yaks and a dog?

Thrakkorzog: “THRAK…”

Tick: “Sap suck a frog?!”

Thrakkorzog: “NO, NO, NO!”

Tick: “Susan?”

Thrakkorzog: “Tsk, tsk, now you’re doing it on purpose. How juvenile.”

Favorite quote:

“Mucal Invader! Is there no end to your oozing?”

2

From your transfer equipment to God’s ear. This is one of the series that I pine for on DVD. The eight-episode live-action tank of a series was released but the moderately successful three season series hasn’t been? Friggin’ ridiculous.

3

Wonderful show. Best, favoritest episode ever: The Mustache.

*“A savvy kind of feeling. A suave kind of a feeling. Kind of a … kind of a mustache feelin’!”

“Rugged. Self-assured. Adult. These are the words that describe the man who wears a mustache. Yes, it says to the world I’m a man of action! But action tempered with maturity … like a fireman! Or somebody’s dad!”

“My mustache is touching my brain!”*

4

I believe the rights are currently owned by the ABC Family division of Disney.

5

The only episode I haven’t seen.

6

“How do you feel?”
“I feel… warm.”
“That’d be re-entry. Bye!”

7

[dennis hopper voice]

I AM THE EVIL MIDNIGHT BOMBER WHAT BOMBS AT MIDNIGHT!

[/dennis hopper voice]

8

I live next door.
right next door!
Neil’s my neighbor.
good neighbor!
He feeds my cat when I’m out of town.
feed that kitty!

Joseph Stalin, take hold of my armored muumuu and together we will leave this foul earth behind!

The Tick is busy sulking in his tent like Achilles! . . . Achillies! . . . The Odyssey???
READ A BOOK!

9

The Tick is great. My favourite quote is after he fell down from a tall building: “Gravity, you’re a harsh mistress!”

The only thing that the cartoon show was missing were the ninjas. The scene in the comic where they disguised in the hedge was priceless.

10

I remember that one so well, how the Tick disposes of his enemy at the end of the ep’ too :smiley:

11

It’s like eating kittens, just plain wrong and no one should do it ever!

The only line I remember. Funny how often it comes in handy.

12

Gah! The Evil Empire!

Fox, Disney, SOMEBODY needs to release this!

13

The broadcast rights definitely. One of the Disney cable outlets shows The Tick nightly at 11PM EDT. Whether they also have the DVD/video distribution rights I don’t know.

But dammit, even if I have to give money to Disney, I want the friggin’ DVDs, like, yesterday!

14

And I like how two of the four Google ads at the bottom of this thread are for illegal DVD copies of the series. Nice one Straight Dope, kinda puts a fork in all those “file sharing is wrong” thread closings, huh!

15

In The Tick vs. the Common Cold they make the mucous Tick from a tissue sample! I love it.

My favorite line from the series – The Tick is being interviewed:

Interviewer: So, how powerful are you? Could you …say… destroy the Earth?

Tick: Destroy the Earth? Egad, I hope not! That’s where I keep all my stuff!

16

[hijack]

Just a quick note that the fellow who was the voice of the Tick lived in my sleepy town until last year - relocated to LA for more voice work. Very nice guy - and NONE of the investment-banker types knew what he did. When we met and he told me he was a voice artist, of course I asked what he had done. He mentioned the Tick and of course I replied “SPOON!” and he said some lines for me. Very funny.

[/hijack]

17

“Evil comes in many forms, be it a man-eating cow or Joseph Stalin.”

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"Because Evil is bad. And Good… isn’t!"

While the Tick was on, I was hanging out with the same group of friends pretty nearly every weekend. Our Saturday evenings always began a little early, gathering around the tube to watch the Tick (recorded earlier), and then getting on with whatever we were doing.

Arthur! It’s A Yuletide!

My VHS tapes are just about worn out, and have been passed around to friends and co-workers at least a dozen times. Fortunately, I transfered them to .avi files a while ago, and can now watch them on my DivX compatible DVD player. Sweet!

Little Wooden Boy!

I really enjoyed the live-action series, and can’t think of a better choice than Patrick Warburton, but the cartoon will always be my favourite. I’ve read a whole stack of the comics, too, but I just keep hearing the cartoon voices in my head…

Yeah, I suck blood! I’ve got a straw right here!

Pray for DVDs!

thwartme

19

The two lines my wife and I always still say…

Bucket of fishes!

and

I CAN’T READ YOUR CRAZY MOON-LANGUAGE!

20

“I don’t want to do this. I really don’t want to do this.”

Priceless.

My brother’s adopting, and my sister, brother-in-law, and I have seriously been thinking about making a little wooden boy for him. You know, for practice. Until their baby gets here.