The Tick (2017)

Anyone who thought the initial season of The Tick was good but mildly underwhelming will find quite a bit to like here. After years of people trying to tell this story and either failing entirely or succeeding when no one was looking (see the criminally overlooked 2001 series), this feels like the iteration of The Tick we’ve all been waiting for.

The latest version of The Tick is very enjoyable; it’s smart and visually imaginative.

Peter Serafinowicz summons just the right amounts of bravado, good cheer, and idiocy to be thoroughly endearing. Like the trademark antennae that dance on the Tick’s head, Serafinowicz has his character’s oddball rhythms down pat.

All of this is played for laughs, but the kind of laughs Edlund goes for may be challenging for some viewers. It's silly, of course, but mostly, the show is droll. There are few, if any, sidesplitting moments and you have to listen carefully to catch some of the deadpan moments. ... Any time you have Jackie Earle Haley playing a supervillain, you are in good, lethal hands.

Big, colorful and goofy, The Tick returns at a more hospitable place and time -- on a streaming service (Amazon) that doesn't mention ratings, at a moment when pop culture is already crawling with superheroes. That could make the third time the charm for Ben Edlund's comic-book spoof, which is fun, even if it doesn't quite get under your skin.

It has more back story, more exposition, more special effects, more (and more graphic) violence. It’s more knowing, more layered, more self-conscious. ... Is that an improvement? It’s a matter of taste.

So there are moments, lines and characters that work. But in the big picture, this Tick’s core problem is that cape-oriented meta-commentary and deconstructions of superhero tropes are now pretty common, and these six installments take too long to get where they’re going.

Instantly brought back childhood memories. Skeptical at first because cartoons don’t usually translate well into these kind of productions. Show is funny and I actually laugh out loud, and that is rare. Great show to watch, especially if you run out of things to watch or just waiting for the next season of your favorite show to come out.

"The Tick" offers a surprisingly satirical take on the superhero craze. I love it's humor and fun characters. These superheros are much preferred to many from the DC or MCU. And with just 10 episodes total (each under 30 minutes) the show is a small time investment. Sadly, "The Tick" has been canceled so odds are we must say goodbye to our loveable gang here. Watching "The Tick" has been a fun and unique experience. Spoon!