Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles
available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Tick is a
fictional character created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986 as a
newsletter mascot for the New England Comics chain of Boston area comic
stores. He is an absurdist spoof of comic book superheroes. After its
creation, the character spun off into an independent comic book series
in 1988, and gained mainstream popularity through an animated TV series
on Fox Broadcasting in 1994. A short-lived live-action TV series, video
game and various merchandise have also been based on the character. The
Tick was named the twenty-eighth greatest comic book character by Empire
Magazine. In 1986, 18-year-old cartoonist Ben Edlund created The Tick as
a mascot for a newsletter of the Brockton, Massachusetts store, New
England Comics, where he was a customer. Edlund expanded this into
stories, beginning with the three-page tale "The Tick" in New England
Comics Newsletter #14-15 (July-Aug. to Sept.-Oct. 1986), in which the
hero escapes from a mental institution.
