The Tick #1 released by New England Comics on June 1, 1988.
A mysterious blue superhero comes to THE CITY to fight crime and to protect the weak and oppressed. Is he insect or is he man? Only his psychologist knows for sure.This issue marks the first comic book appearance of the Tick Ninjas Clark Oppenhiemer Shing and the incredible offbeat storytelling of Ben Edlund.
Synopsis
Accross the City’s rooftops bounds the mighty Tick. He pauses a moment to find crime through his Secret Crime Viewfinder. Just below him, an old man is beaten and interrogated by ninjas. Because of his weight, and the damage to the building he did by falling on it, the Tick falls through the roof and into the room. The Tick fails to see the danger to the old man and shrugs off some ninjas before jumping out the window.
The Tick lands on the sidewalk below and explains his persona to a hapless bum. Ninjas follow and try to attack but are again shrugged off. The Tick continues his clueless search for some crime to fight.
Frustrated, the Tick sits down at Hopper’s and again has to explain his persona to some diner patrons. To prove that he is a tick, the Tick picks up a straw and threatens to suck the blood of a naysaying man. He hyperventilates and passes out.
The Tick wakes up in the belly of a whale. Well, that is where he thinks he is. He is actually in a train tunnel and a train begins to bear down on him. The Caped Wonder is near, however, and attempts to save the Tick. The Tick fights back and the two superheroes are hit by the train. The men dust themselves off and realize that the other is an invulnerable man. The Caped Wonder tries to cover his tracks by explaining that he is merely a reporter and he quickly leaves. The Tick is left holding the reporter’s hat.
