THE TICK
LONGBOX HEROES (FRESH MONKEY FICTION)
SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!
Yesterday, I took a look at a direct continuation of Kenner’s Super Powers, but today I’m returning to a more indirect continuation. Early last year, I looked at a few figures from Fresh Monkey Fiction’s Longbox Heroes, a line of independent comic book characters done in the Super Powers style. While a follow-up to that set is still forthcoming, I only ended up getting a few of the figures from the first one, so there are still plenty for me to potentially pick-up. There were three Tick figures in the first set, and I had two of them. The one I didn’t have was the basic Tick, so here he is!
THE FIGURE ITSELF
The Tick is figure 7 in the first series of Longbox Heroes. Like all of the non-Rocketeer figures, he was released in March of last year. There are two Ticks in the line-up; this one is more patterned on the character’s earlier appearances, and is a bit more basic in his approach. The figure stands just over 5 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation. Like the rest of the line, he’s got a sculpt courtesy of Jason “Toy Otter” Geyer. From the neck down, it’s the same as the other Tick, which is a solid, clean sculpt that captures both the Tick’s usual depictions and the Super Powers aesthetic. The head is unique, and sports an 
expression that’s a little more reserved than the big toothy grin from the other release. It still very much feels like the same character, though, and while it’s not my preferred take on the character, it still works well. In terms of coloring, this Tick is darker than the other version; it’s more comic than animation, and definitely works a bit better with the more resigned expression. Tick is on the lighter side, getting only a display stand as his accessory.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
I sure do love me some Super Powers and I sure do love me some Tick. I also sure did love me the figures I already got from this line. So, that’s a great recipe for me being invested in this figure. That said, when the preorder period was running for these, I opted to go with Disguised Tick, because I liked the general set-up of that one a little more. That said, I still kinda wanted one after the fact, so when a loose one landed in front of me a few weeks ago, I took that rare opportunity to own another Tick figure. I think I still prefer the Disguised overall, but more Tick is always a good thing.
Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review. If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.
The Figure In Question 
I’m a tad concerned that there haven’t been preorders yet for that next wave. I thought when they announced them they had said preorders would be up by the end of last year.
I know it’s unrelated, but Boss Fight was doing Zorro in their Power Stars line, and then I got an email from BBTS saying the license fell through and they wouldn’t be producing the figure, so I guess I’m worried these lines may not continue, and they are two of my favorite independent lines going right now.
Yeah, there’s definitely an up in the air feeling to LBH. I really hope wave 2 makes it to preorder, because I desperately want an Arthur to go with Tick.
On the Zorro front, I know some of these licenses have very strict timelines for use, so any potential production snags can cause the whole thing to unravel. I know the Rocketeer themed LBH figures had to be fast-tracked ahead of the others to make sure they were out before the license expired. It’s possible Boss Fight really just missed that window. I just picked up a handful of the Power Stars a few weeks ago, so I’d like to see them continue, too.
Yeah, I went all-in on both lines. They’re a tad pricey, but they’re very worth it. I even got characters I’m only tangentally aware of like Cassie Hack and The Goon just to support the line and hope it continues. Not much else to do.
Evildoers, you face THE TICK!