Superheroes and the American Psyche

Okay, honestly, the title was just to sound pretentious and possibly make you want to read the post.

This is really just a space to give a little explanation about my profile "photo" for the hundreds of you reading this that might not know me personally. The image on my profile, as well as the image in this blog, is of a comic book superhero known as "The Tick". I personally believe he is one of the most clever creations I have ever had the gut-busting pleasure of reading/watching.

Originating as a comic, The Tick also made the transition to the small screen. First, as an animated series, then as a live action prime-time show. The cartoon is absolutely hilarious. I've never seen an episode (and I've seen most of them) that I didn't just love. The live action show on the other hand...not so much.

They injected a lot of sexual innuendo, blah blah blah, and really took away the naivety and simpleness of the character. Put it this way, Patrick Warburton played The Tick, who happens to be an actor that I love (go Kronk!), and I still didn't like it.

Not only do you have The Tick, who is nigh-invulnerable but not too bright, you have a series of pun/parody heroes/villains for him to fight along/battle. Some examples are:

• Arthur - his sidekick, who is a moth, but is constantly being mistaken for a bunny
• Die Fledermaus - a narcissistic version of Batman
• American Maid = Wonder Woman...and one of the few heroes that is actually competent
• Sewer Urchin - lives in the sewer, stinks, sounds like Rainman...need I say more?
• Venus & Milo - villains; she is a 'love goddess' that makes men fall in love with her, he is a wimpy scientist type whose main weapon makes people's arms fall off
• Chairface Chippendale - a parody of a number of Batman villains; and his head really looks like a chair
• The Human Ton and Handy - The Human Ton is kind of a parody of the Marvel villain known as the Blob, only not as bright; Handy is a hand puppet that the Human Ton wears that constantly spouts famous quotes and then yells "Read a book!!" when no one knows what he means
• Brainchild (aka Charles) - The Tick's arch-nemesis...at least according to Charles...according to the Tick, he's just a freaky kid with a glass head
• Omnipitus - Galactus rip-off...but one hilarious episode
  

Reading back over this list, the little bit that I wrote doesn't do justice to the actual show. I don't know that it is available on television at this time, but the first couple of seasons (of the cartoon) are available on DVD. If you go to the link I put above, there is a great trailer you can watch, along with some video clips and artwork.

Let me throw a couple of "Tickisms" at you to help sweeten the pot. The Tick is famous for standing up and declaring something like along these lines:

"Well, once again my friend, we find that science is a two-headed beast. One head is nice, it gives us aspirin and other modern conveniences,...but the other head of science is bad! Oh beware the other head of science, Arthur, it bites!"

"Destiny's powerful hand has made the bed of my future and it's up to me to lie in it. I am destined to be a superhero, to right wrongs and pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evil-doers everywhere. You don't fight destiny, no sir! And you don't eat crackers in the bed of your future or you get all...scratchy."

"You know Arthur, when you spend two months riding around on a really big man, you start to learn a few things about yourself. You learn that it is a really great thing to stay on Earth and live in a place that has no arms or legs of its own. And most importantly, Arthur, you learn how to close you eyes and tell yourself that this just isn't happening to me."

Hope you check it out sometime and have a laugh.