The City (The Tick)

The City is the principal location in the various iterations of the character known as "The Tick" from the eponymous comic book series, cartoon series, and short-lived live-action TV series.

"The City" is not unnamed, as is sometimes reported. Rather, its actual official name is simply "The City," though Circus of the Mighty maintains that it was originally named "Les Citrons," after early French explorers located a mass of large, round melons there and decided to build a trading outpost. This name was corrupted and anglicized over time into its present form. "The City" is located in an American state whose official, legal name is simply "The State." No explanation for the generic state name has ever been given.

In all its iterations in the various media versions of The Tick, The City is seen to be a fairly mundane, mid-sized city of uncertain location, though it is probably midwestern, as the comics make it very clear that The City is not located in the south. The City is not coastal, and was completely landlocked until an incident some years ago in which Mighty Agrippa, Roman God of the Aqueduct attempted to put out a large forest fire by materializing several billion gallons of water above it. This had the desired effect, but resulted in the formation of a very large inland sea, completely cut off from the oceans, as the forest was located in a rather large lowland area. The City is hence both landlocked and waterfront. Since that time, The City has attracted a fair deal of tourism, and several cruise lines run liners on the Mighty Agrippa Salt Lake (As it is now known). "The Queen of Utah" is a very popular luxury liner, and its reputation for five-star service remains unsullied by its recent hijacking. The formation of the Mighty Agrippa Salt Lake has attracted a number of water-themed superheroes and supervillains to the area as well.

The Deertown-Hobbleville Expressway runs directly from The City (Exit 1) through the Twin Cities of Deertown and Hobbleville (Junction 62, Situated on opposite sides of the Swahili river in Ambigual County in the eastern part of The State) and terminates in New York City, which is also a popular Superhero hangout. In recent years, due to the antihero activities of The Chainsaw Vigilante in the Bi-Cities area, many bushleague heroes have emigrated to The City and New York City.

The City has many recreational, eating, and entertainment facilities. Chief among them is the Feldspar Mall, which hosts the annual Christmas Eve Holiday Festival. It is also home to The City Tent-A-Torium, an arena/convention center constructed entirely of tents, ropes, and poles, and reputed to be "The largest free-standing tent in the world." The largest building in town is the Altitudinous Building, which is well over a mile tall, though its exact height is never said. Mass transit in The City is handled by Bingo Transit, the largest and most efficient clown-themed subway system in the world. It was founded by, and run by Clowns. Their motto: "Service With A Smile, And A Pie In The Face." Passengers should beware, however, as there has been a lot of organized criminal activity by The Clown Underground, a gang that may or may not have ties to Bingo Transit.

One of the more popular local fast food eateries is "Crab King," which is virtually unknown outside of The State. It serves fifteen different crab-related dishes "Including the Antennae!" They also have a special menu for Ninjas. A national fast food chain that has its headquarters in the City is "Dairy Pope," famous for its comfortable blend of fast food and medieval Catholicism. The Vatican II Burger with the Jean d'Arc fries are the most popular meal, though the Inquisition Platter is increasing in popularity ("Tell a friend!"), and of course their "Indulgence Sundaes" are world famous. The Management assures everyone that the death of a Dairy Pope employee (He was eaten by the Man Eating Cow) was an isolated incident, and does not reflect the company as a whole. The City is also home to the world-famous Doctor Food, though he is not a restaurant, but rather a world-famous scientist with a rather bad name.

The City used to be the home of Ninja World, a large Ninja-themed amusement park. As a result there were large numbers of Ninjas in The City at all times, until Ninja World was ultimately destroyed by The Tick. The city has since been plagued by out-of-work, poorly-trained, generally homeless Ninjas. Under new management, Ninja World re-opened as "Dervish World," but this has not proven as popular.

The Evanston Estate was a world-famous mental hospital located a short distance outside The City, but was heavily damaged when the Tick, then an inmate, escaped. Some years later, he returned to the semi-abandoned facility, which was being used by a supervillain, and completely leveled it. Since then, the grounds have been patrolled by an unsupervised group of lunatics calling themselves "The Mystic Order of Arachnid Vigilance."