This is a bit of an odd post for me (the closest thing I've written is a movie recommendation) but I re-watched the pilot of the 2001 version of The Tick and I just had to tell you guys about it.

The plot centers around The Tick (played by Patrick Warburton - you may recognize his voice as that of Kronk, Yzma's lovable if somewhat... unintelligent sidekick from the classic Disney comedy The Emperor's New Groove), a lovable if somewhat... unintelligent superhero (sensing a theme here?) that makes his way from the bus stop he has been protecting into The City, a place of wonder and accountants and secret Soviets. While there, he meets Arthur (a.k.a. Moth man - played by David Burke), and convinces him to follow his dream of becoming a superhero. That's as far as I'll go - for the rest of the plot, watch the show.

This show is brilliant for a number of reasons, but mostly, it's really friggin' funny. On the surface, you have things like the absurdity of a Soviet plot involving using a robot from the 1970s in modern times, the hilarity of Batmanuel's character and The Tick's total lack of comprehension of his sexual references, and the total inappropriateness of Batmanuel's relationship with Captain Liberty.

But that's not to say The Tick's only humor is skin-deep. One of the most hilarious moments of the show for me came when I realized that the Soviets were plotting to use their robot to dismantle the USPS, arguably the most socialist enterprise the US federal government has ever sponsored. Talk about irony! In addition, parts of the show function as parodies of traditional superhero narratives. Soon after coming to the city, for example, the Tick walks across rooftops narrating his own arrival, all the while absolutely destroying the civilian infrastructure around him. At first glance this seems like physical comedy, the lowest form of humor, but it actually got me thinking about how so many classic superheroes cause such immense collateral damage (admittedly, a topic I've broached before, but The Tick brought it to the forefront of my mind). This raises all sorts of questions - what is the true cost of vigilantism? Is it ever worth it? How is our society affected by these narratives glorifying victory regardless of cost? (If any of you are interested, I'd be glad to discuss these questions in comments.)

I think the reason I love this show in particular so much is because a majority of the humor relies on absurdity. Really, the Tick is a postmodern superhero tale. It draws attention to the absurdities inherent in the narratives that came before it, but rather than criticizing them outright, it finds the humor in them.

In short - watch this show. It'll have you falling out of your seat laughing, and you don't have to feel guilty because some of the humor is kind of deep :)