Saturday Splash Page #73

 

"It's May, Tick," in Tick New Series #1, by Benito Cereno (writer), Les McClaine (artist)

I hunted this down in back issues a couple of years ago, because I remembered it getting some positive reviews when it was running 15 years ago. Jeezus, 15 years ago?

It ran 8 issues, which seems to be pretty good for a Tick book, over 15 months. Most issues are done-in-ones, although it feels like Cereno and McClaine were building to something involving either Chairface getting out of prison, or a shadowy, mysterious figure with plans. For example, in the first issue, the shadowy figure butts in on Chairface and a bunch of other criminals sharing near-triumphs to explain he's left a bomb among the gifts the superheroes are exchanging at their Christmas party, and that's he's just visiting the prison.

That plotline never went anywhere. Oh well.

There was a two-parter where Tick and Golden Age Tick get time-swapped, which I mostly remember for Tick describing the 1940s as the "Age of Dinosaurs", while Golden Age Tick responds to a question from Arthur about who's President with, "the guy dressed like Mr. Peanut?" Is that a sick burn on FDR, or a compliment on his classy accoutrements? Also, there's a five-panel gag of Arthur, thinking Tick's been disintegrated, just brokenly moaning "OOOOOOOOOO" while the other characters continue talking in the background.

The done-in-ones are funny, though. In issue 4, Tick sneaks out during game night in a flood to get involved in a massive battle between all the sea-themed characters, who are desperate to seize this moment to be relevant for once. Issue 3 results in a trip to the sewers, where they face the myriad horrors lurking beneath The City. The last issue focuses on Tick taking a pet-sitting job for all the superheroes' pets, who of course also have superpowers, but need his help to defeat their greatest foe. I will leave it a mystery for you to seek out the comic and learn yourself.

There's a good mix to the humor. Sight gags, clever one-liners, general silliness. McClaine can capture the goofiness of the characters easy enough, their dopey expressions or reactions. But on those rare occasions something needs to look more heroic or epic (like the big sea battle), he can swing that too. You can figure out who most of the characters being homaged are, but these versions still get their own distinct look.