With years spent reading single issues here and there, juggling storylines of dozens of titles, I decided it was time to find a better way to read comics. So, it was off to the back issue bins armed with the longest want list you’ve ever seen! Putting together series after series and reading them in their complete goodness, I was reborn as the Retro-Reader!
Publisher: New England Comics
Number of Issues: 3 (and a preview)
First Issue: August 1998 ($3.50)
Last Issue: December 1998 ($3.50)
Writer: Eli Stone
Artist: Eli Stone
The Tick is mind-controlled by J.P. Lovecraft into returning to the Evanston Clinic (the place he’d just escaped from prior to his first appearance way back the Tick #1). Incarcerated there, Lovecraft forces the Tick to re-experience his past – involving scenes of him and his wife, Cloris, separating; life at the Clinic, etc
Back in the City, its most nefarious villains, led by Chairface Chippendale, have gone on a crime spree now that they know the Tick is safely locked away and unable to stop them. But, after striking an unholy alliance with Barry Hubris (the original Tick – who has now reclaimed the mantle), they quickly find he can’t be trusted or contained. Meanwhile, it’s up to Arthur and the Mystic Order of Archnid Vigilance to free the Tick from Evanston and thwart Lovecraft’s evil plan to return him to … normalcy?
The Bad: While this series certainly answers some of the questions surrounding the Tick’s past, it doesn’t even come close to satisfying all of them. But, to be fair, all solicitations for this series told us that flat out.
the Good: For starters, the final issue features a cover by the Tick’s creator, Ben Edlund (his first Tick work in years!). This series (which is really just the tail-end of the Tick: Big Blue Destiny) is one of the best Tick tales out there. Maybe even the best (aside from the original, naturally). It’s got some significance to it by revealing why the Tick was at Evanston, how he got there and what Lovecraft’s intentions were. It’s got lots of Tick-style fun and plenty of characters from the Tick-universe. Eli Stone is easily the best writer that has been put in charge of filling Ben Edlund’s Tick-sized shoes!
The Verdict: This is easily the most important and high-quality Tick story since the original series was published. It provides some insight into the Tick’s past and answers some questions while dancing around many others. The artwork is superb and certainly fitting for a Tick comic … and it progresses the Tick story along in ways that other series haven’t (I’m looking at you the Tick: Karma Tornado!) If you’ve read the first Tick series and are looking for more Tick-fun … then this should be your next step.
