The Tick is the name of a blue-costumed muscular superhero who fights crime in a city simply called "The City". He is an absurdist spoof of the superhero genre, originally found in an independent comic book series started in 1988 by cartoonist Ben Edlund, subsequently gaining popularity through a 1994 animated television series on the Fox Network. A video game, a short-lived live-action television series, and even a board game have all been based on the character.