Tick - Big Blue Destiny #1 - Arachnida

-Eli Stone

No, I'm not Ben Edlund. Neither are the other artists and writers currently working on Tick comic projects. We will never be Ben. No one will ever be Ben. Me?... Well, I'm just plain Eli Stone. And I'm okay with that. Are you?

Let's face it, Tick heads, Ben is a man of mystery with his fingers in a lot of little pies and only two pairs of pants. Who knows what he's up to? All we know for sure is that at this very moment he's not making comic books. But most great comic book epics have required the participation of a number of people in order to keep the home fires burning. It's simply a matter of choosing the right person or persons to pass the torch to. And as far as this series goes, Ben has passed that white-hot torch to me that I may set blazing fire to all your homes! (Metaphorically speaking, for the most part.) Yeah, I know, "big shoes to fill" and all that garbage. I'm not worried in the least. You know why? Because when I write, Ben Edlund laughs. And if it’s good enough for him, it damn well better be good enough for you! As for my art, it's getting better by the day.

Now, if you’ve sufficiently adjusted to that transition, I'll move on to head game number two; "Where are we?" Between the twelve original Edlund issues, the Karma Tornado adventures and the television series, I'm sure your heads are reeling with countless queries concerning continuity. I don't blame anyone who read The Tick's Back #0 and was confused as to exactly where and when that story took place. Let me do my best to clarify the universe in which I write...

Ben left The Tick and Arthur in New York with a freshly- usurped Tick Cave, lots of crimefighting accouterments and a confrontation with the infamous Terror and his Evileers in the offing Karma Tornado was sort of a continuity crazy guilt, taking place not only in New York AND The City but in outer space to boot. The TV show is a whole other deal. Tick fans, I know you’re not stupid. We all realize that certain concessions have to be made for television with regards to the age of the viewing audience, time constraints and the like. Also, due to a sticky licensing web that even I don't understand, the TV show and this comic book may not be able to share certain supporting characters. Hey, I love the show, too. But let's try to view this comic book and the TV show as companion pieces to each other and not trip over the details.

The comic book you are now sweating on, The Tick: Big Blue Destiny, takes place AFTER the events in both Ben Edlund's issues and the Karma Tornado series. We find our designless duo back in The City living in Arthur's small apartment, scraping to get by on whatever is left of Arthur's savings. So what happened to the mansion in New York and all that good evil-busting gear? I dunno. Ask Ben. As far as I'm concerned, The Tick doesn't need gadgets to make him mighty anyway. The villains of The City are scarce and must each have a purpose for their wicked ways and a twisted history to back it up. The moon still says "CHA" and I haven't forgotten about the fact that The Tick is, in truth, an escapee from an insane asylum. Really, I'm trying to get in touch with Ben Edlund's original Tick concept as much as I possibly can. I'm takin' it back to the streets, boys!

Now you know the score. This was all "very right brain stuff." In the next installment of Arachnida I promise I'll lighten up a little. I'm doing my very best to make you laugh and I'm constantly trying to strengthen my grip on both pencil and brush. We at New England Comics encourage you to write to us concerning this new series and I, personally, welcome your criticism as long as you have only positive things to say. I have to go pee now.

From "The Tick’s Back" Issue Zero, August 1997, by New England Comics.
Reprinted without permission...
More information on the Tick is available from New England Comics.

Back - Home - Next
Added February 1, 1998.