It's Finally Happened!

After many long years of waiting patiently, it's finally happened. The Tick animated series is finally being released on DVD. The DVD is entitled The Tick vs Season 1 and will be released on August 29. Yes, I will be getting it.

If you've never seen the show, it is a very funny and witty satire of the superhero genre. The Tick centers around a hero called, what else, The Tick. Clad in his blue tick suit, he's humongus, excedingly strong, and has a teensy little brain. With his only superpower of nigh-invulnerability, is sets out to save The City with his trusty sidekick, Arthur, a former accounant. The City is teeming with heros and villians alike. We meet heroes Die Fledermaus, American Maid, Sewer Urchin, The Human Bullet, and a host of others. There are also some recurring villians like Chairface Chippendale, The Breadmaster, and El Seed along with a host of single episode villians.

I've missed the show since it was cancelled in 1997 and have always hoped for a DVD release. I have all 36 episodes of VHS, taped off of comedy central when they re-aired the show briefly. The quality was never very good, and the tapes are beginning to show their age. It's gotten to the point where I'm a little scared to actually watch the darn things, knowing that they're wearing out and ther's no way to replace them. I was very bummed when the crappy live action version made it to DVD (bought by Sony), but not the much better animated series.

The rights to the animated series were purchased by Disney when they acquired the rights to the Fox Kids shows (I'm also hoping for an Eek the Cat DVD release). Unfortaunately, the DVD release will only contain 12 of the 13 episodes from season 1. It's missing episode 11, 'The Tick vs The Molemen'. There is some kind of problem with the rights to the episode. Disney is hoping to release the episode on future DVDs, possibly as a lost episode special feature. No word yet as to the release of seasons 2 and 3. What would be really spectacular would be to include the episodes that were completed for season 4 and were never aired due to the cancellation of the show. Rumors, rumors everywhere, and no official word. I'll wait and see.

You'll know where to find me the evening of August 29. I'll be sitting on my couch with a big bowl of popcorn watching The Tick on the insanely large television my brother purchased last Christmas. Come join me. It will be fun.