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TL;DR: A great comic, and perhaps one of the funniest I've read. Leaves out a section that many readers felt was racist.

This was the first comic book to make me laugh out loud. I picked up the first issue at my local comic shop back in the 90s and I laughed so hard at one of the sight gags that I literally had to set the comic down and walk away for a few minutes. Ben Edlund's offbeat sense of humor isn't for everyone, but if you "get him," you love him.

My only disappointment with this edition was the omission of a fairly large chunk of material concerning the mascot of a corporatized ninja clan. The mascot was a small, chubby ninja named "Li'l Nip," who spoke with stereotypical "engrish" pronunciation and grammar. (e.g. he pronounces his own name as "Ri'r Nip.")He appeared in the "million-zillion ninjas" storyline, mostly in fake ads for various ninja-themed products and Ninja World, a ninja theme park that Tick later destroys.

At the time it was published, the character created quite a bit of backlash against Edlund, with readers accusing him of overt racism. It was pretty clear that Edlund meant the character as satire of the way corporations like McDonald's & Disney were co-opting other cultures to produce "ethnic" products. (c.f. Disney's Pocahontas, McDonald's short-lived "Asian" menu.) I thought it was pretty clever, myself, and never felt that Edlund was trying to promote racist stereotypes. Nevertheless, Edlund apologized in a later issue, and it seems the publisher has chosen not to risk controversy again.

The Tick remains one of the funniest books I've read. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the short-lived TV series or cartoon, or anyone who enjoys parodies of superhero archetypes.