I was really impressed by the initial series of The Tick, but a little underwhelmed by the Paul the Samurai mini-series that followed, so I wasn't sure what to expect of the true Tick follow-up, Karma Tornado. As it turns out, this is much more like the original Tick series than Paul, tweaking the comic-book conventions in a hilarious fashion and containing plenty of strange humor. In the first two issues, the creative team takes on the notion of the cosmic hero crossover, examining what might happen if the leader of Earth's forces in such a conflict was not a stalwart and smart hero but instead the well-meaning but buffoonish Tick. As one might expect, hilarity ensues.
It seems that it's hard to miss with The Tick as your lead character, because his methods of speaking and strange worldview make for built-in humor. However, that doesn't mean it's impossible, and having read all nine issues of Karma Tornado, I don't have any problem proclaiming McCulloch one of the writers who really grasped the character best. The Tick's inability to comprehend the true nature of "Spiffy-Boy" the ice cream mascot is continually funny, and his excited and yet completely accepting reaction to being in space or assembling a team from throughout time equally amusing.
What is really great, though, is when McCulloch adds more characters to the cast. The Tick is a great narrator and central character, but he's got to have a straight man, and without Arthur in this story, that duty falls to... Eli Whitney, inventor of the Cotton Gin? Trust me, it makes sense in context. The criteria that the aliens use to determine the make-up of Earth's team makes for a delightfully weird mix, and their self-conscious assurance that they know what they're doing makes it even funnier. I particularly liked seeing Tick pick some of the worst-suited people for various tasks, usually with fun slapstick results. And the supporting characters each get an interesting personality, especially the George Reeves-esque Hank Devers, whose descent into madness and suicidal tendencies is portrayed in a disturbingly funny light.
Edlund was involved in the concept stages of this one, but the story largely belongs to these new collaborators. Just as McCulloch stepped up to the plate with a touch of the wacky and the same fun dialogue, Neville and Garcia make sure that the readers don't necessarily miss Edlund's artwork. The physical humor, whether it's a Tyrannosaurus devouring Imhotep, the dour expressions of Devers or the manic energy of The Tick, comes through clearly, and the detail in the setting is nicely done as well. I was particularly impressed with the party sequence, which is crowded but not to the detriment of clarity, or with the hilarious "Where Does Milk Come From?" sequence.
Karma Tornado strikes me as just the kind of thing The Tick should be about, and like the main Tick series, it has the flavor of the beloved animated series without being repetitive for those who have seen all of the episodes. In fact, this strikes me as a good reminder in these trade paperback times that there is still great material to be found in back issues, and those looking for good super-hero humor could do worse than to look up these back issues of The Tick.
