2016 Comic Challenge 197 The Tick #12

TITLE-The Tick #12
PUBLISHER-NEC

Another of my Tick first printing cheap bin finds. Like issue 11 I got this for a buck.Sure it isn't mint but it is in much much better shape than my last copy. And that one cost me at least 6 bucks.

So after beating Barry in the last issue,now Tick & Arthur were given possession of all of Barry's Tick gear. Plus his Tick Cave. Which just happens of course to be under Barry's mansion. Our heroic duo show up and Barry meets them at the front door fully nude. Then shows they the way down to the cave,while he is planning on  how to beat or kill The Tick.

At the same time a group of some of the most horrendus villains are planning a team up. Tick and Arthur learn about this meeting and speed off on their new Tick-cycle to fight the evil team of nar-do-wells.

And that is it for Edlund's run on the Tick. By this time it was coming out maybe 2 issues tops a year. Ben Edlund was busy working on the Tick cartoon. And that and other reasons are why we so far have never gotten or I doubt will ever get the true issue 13. Yes I know NEC published a #13. Based on Edlund's notes and with another artist doing all the art chores.

From when this issue came out in the early 90s until about 2 years ago I was kind of pissed that we hadn't gotten issue 13. Every time Ben Edlund would get interviewed issue 13 would get asked about. And he always said it was being worked on and would be out in the not too far future. Now I realize if Edlund wrote and drew issue 13 and it got published there is almost no way it would meet the expectations the fans have built up over 20+ year wait.

The Tick #12 gets a buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 195 The Tick #11

TITLE-The Tick #11
PUBLISHER-NEC

Yep the next to last issue of Tick creator Ben Edlund's run. Years ago I had an almost complete set of the original 12 issue Tick run. All of them first prints. Then lost them all in a fire. So been wanting to get another run,with them all being first prints. Sure I got the trade paperback that reprints all this stuff. But I want the actual issues.

It was about a month ago,same time I found the Miracleman #24. While digging in the buck bins found 3 issues of The Tick. All of them first prints and all issues I needed.

After a few issues with Tick and Arthur on the road,they finally make it to the city. Were they discover the City has so many superheroes there isn't enough crime for them to fight. After meeting the Mighty Agrippa they get invited to the Comet Club. A superheroes only night club. Arthur being a sidekick isn't allowed in and has to goto the rundown Sidekick's Lounge.

While there we learn of Barry,who is insane,and is a superhero named The Tick. So Barry Tick faces off against the big blue Tick. And after a long and pretty funny battle The Tick wins. Which means he gets the rights to the name The Tick. Plus all of Barry's Tick gear.

Pretty much if you have seen the Tick cartoon episode about the Comet Club this is what that was based on. A few things are changed up. But it is pretty much the same story.

2 more things I wanted to point out about this issue. First up is at least the first prints of the Edlund Tick series are oversized. As in they are closer in dimension to Golden Age comics than modern comics. So finding bags,boards and longboxes to hold these isn't that easy. And secondly is the back cover.

I am assuming Ben Edlund drew that. I do not remember the Tick every wearing any gear like that. But who knows it might have been an idea for a future issue. That never happened after Edlund abandoned the Tick franchise. Yeah I am one of those fans who is still waiting on issue 13 written and drawn by Ben Edlund. And yes I know it will never happen,and that years back NEC put out issue 13. But that issue is just based on Edlund ideas and has someone besides Ben drawing it.

The Tick #11 gets a buy.