[Jeffrey]

I guess I'll go ahead with the next one. This is a match-up that I think requires an extensive knowledge of both characters. But this isn't a throwaway gag.

(the following is courtesy of the "Unofficial DC Who's Who Project", with the italics mine)

Superman is the last son of the dead planet Krypton, rocketed away as an infant by his father who believed that the planet was about to explode. Arriving on earth, the child was taken in by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who raised him as their own child. As he grew up, he discovered that due to this solar system's yellow sun, he had fantastic powers, of flight, speed, strength, endurance and enhanced senses. He decided to us these powers for good, ultimately becoming a hero, given his name by reporter Lois Lane, with whom he would come to work at the Daily Planet in his civilian identity and to whom he would eventually become married. Superman carries the most respect from the Western world that any super-hero has ever known and is proud to represent both America and the world. He serves on the JLA, debateably as the team's leader.

Superman is the hero that symbolizes the shared values of humanity, and is respected and known throughout the galaxy and beyond. While not as analytical as contemporaries like Bruce Wayne or Ray Palmer, Kal-El/Clark is still a quick and decisive thinker. He is selfless and driven by his deeply held convictions. He is a defender and a leader. His powers are matched by few in his universe.

He occasionally allows his zeal to blind him from deeper issues or his own mistakes. He has been accused of pandering to authorities, avoiding unpleasant social issues, and acting too quickyl. However, even his most vocal critics (from the Batman to Lobo) all have demonstrated deep respect for Clark.

(the following is taken from "The Tick's Giant Circus of the Mighty Omnibus," with the italics mine)

Little is known about the Tick's past and even less about his origins. He claims to suffer from amnesia; his memory begins with his escape from the Evanston Clinic, a state mental instituion two hundred miles north of the City. The Tick does in fact claim that he is a large specimen of blood-sucking arachnid. He has made threats that suggest he believes he does suck blood. No documentation on this parasitic propensity exists, however.

The Tick could very well be insane. It is highly unlikely that he is an actual tick. He's too big. He's blue. He occasionally forms completed sentences. He has a face, and he has pockets. None of thsoe traits are particularly tick-like. But the fact remains that he is in possession of some highly unusual abilities and physiological "quirks."

The sum total of thses abilities and quicks are referred to clinically as "super-hero-ness." The Tick has this in spades. He is extremely powerful; no known limit has been established for his physical strenth. He has lifted cars, toppled giant ninja effigies, destroyed theme parks, hurled monoliths way up into the air (wrestled a dinosaur) - all very impressive! In addition, he appears to possess a condition known as "nigh-invulnerability." We don't exactly know what the term means, but it sounds right. He has proven himself very resistant to convential harms. He seems impervious to bullets, mortar shells, hammers, farm equipment, tomahawks, clever insults, erosion, explosive decompression and most of the kicks and stings of the material world (he fell from a tall building, high enough to upon landing leave a crater and snap off a flagpole on the way down - yet survive unscathed. Additionally, he can survive in the vacuum of space with no harm).

The Tick is basically a big kid, with the innocence, the naivete, and the flat candor of a child.

The Tick seems like a joke, but to the ninjas who sliced his friend Oedipus, he proved to be nothing but a joke. He beat them into submission, then wrecked the entire theme park owned by their employer. He was chosen by aliens to lead a team of Earth's greatest champions in an intergalatic Olympics. He survived the rigors of free-floating in deep space. He bluffed a ninja warlord. He defeated a leading crime syndicate that sought to deface the moon. He's survived explosions, swords, pitfalls, alien superpowers akin to Clark's, train collisions, etc. Additionally, the Tick is altruistic and dedicated to justice. He is dim-witted at times but indefatigueable. He takes pride in his role as a hero and seeks to be the best he can. He works well in team situations, has shown himself a capable leader, and never questions what he has to do. He is, however, scatter-brained and occasionally distracted. His eager and bizarre personality can be a liability. His ability to frustrate has aided him as much as his ability to take a cannon to the face.

So, Superman vs. The Tick

Note: My bio was culled from the comics version of the Tick. I assume we are using the post-Crisis Superman, but if we want to entertain the Timm version alongside the mainstream DCU version so those only familiar with the Tick cartoon can weigh in, feel free.

[Jeffrey]

The Superman. The Tick.

[Danny]

Hahaha! The Tick!! Jeff, you are a genius. I didn't even know The Tick was a comic character at one point.

*goes to read introduction*

[Danny]

Okay...hmm. I don't have a whole lot of extensive knowledge of either character, but I think I'm going to have to vote Clark here, because of his wit.

And, to my knowledge, Tick cannot fly.

[Jeffrey]

Originally Posted by Danny

Okay...hmm. I don't have a whole lot of extensive knowledge of either character, but I think I'm going to have to vote Clark here, because of his wit.

I think the wit here is not the deciding factor as much as the candor and dedication. The Tick would simply not give up. He would beat, explode, and crash his way out of whatever traps or situations Clark with use his wit to create.

And, to my knowledge, Tick cannot fly.

Not really important. The Batman cannot fly, and he could defeat Superman. Granted, if the Batman and the Superman were stripped down to their skivvies and locked in a concrete room together, Supes would win. But give Batman even a minor headstart and access to the materials and inventions he has crafted for his trade, and Supes is gone.

Likewise, the Tick's inability to fly doesn't matter. He would climb into a cannon and fire himself at Clark, if need be. He'd leap off a skyscraper. He would not give up. He's relentless, due to his simplistic wit and altruistic nature.

[slap_j]

Couldn't Superman just pick the Tick up, fly him into outer space, and hold him there until he runs out of air?

[Jeffrey]

Originally Posted by slap_j

Couldn't Superman just pick the Tick up, fly him into outer space, and hold him there until he runs out of air?

No, as I pointed out he can withstand the rigors of space. In The Tick Karma Tornado #3 he was accidentally left adrift in space. He eventually entered a state of suspended animation, but revived immediately when external stimulus was given.

[slap_j]

Originally Posted by Starboard Wake

No, as I pointed out he can withstand the rigors of space. In The Tick Karma Tornado #3 he was accidentally left adrift in space. He eventually entered a state of suspended animation, but revived immediately when external stimulus was given.

Oh, I'm sorry, I totally missed that post.

What about Supes just tossing him into the sun?

[Jeffrey]

Originally Posted by slap_j

What about Supes just tossing him into the sun?

Keep in mind that the Tick possesses super strength and a large body mass. Superman couldn't simply lift him and toss him into the sun. It would be a struggle.

[Dr. Doom]

Originally Posted by Starboard Wake

No, as I pointed out he can withstand the rigors of space. In The Tick Karma Tornado #3 he was accidentally left adrift in space. He eventually entered a state of suspended animation, but revived immediately when external stimulus was given.

seems to me that would result in Superman winning the fight. If the Tick is in suspended animation, fight's over. Yes, years later the Tick could get down to earth again and start another fight, but that first one would be chalked up to Superman.


also, just because the tick is so strong in his world doesn't mean that Superman still isn't a butt-load stronger than the Tick. even if they are of equal strength, i believe some of you are underestimating the importance of flight. if superman stays in the air, the Tick simply couldn't get a hand on him. If the tick takes a huge leap to tackle him out of the air, supes merely needs to fly a couple feet to the side and the tick will plummet back to earth. There's no way the Tick would win.

[Dr. Doom]

Originally Posted by Starboard Wake

Keep in mind that the Tick possesses super strength and a large body mass. Superman couldn't simply lift him and toss him into the sun. It would be a struggle.

Superman can move so fast that the Tick would hardly feel the struggle before he had left the atmosphere.

[slap_j]

Originally Posted by Starboard Wake

Keep in mind that the Tick possesses super strength and a large body mass. Superman couldn't simply lift him and toss him into the sun. It would be a struggle.

Hmm...what about Superman lifting a mountain into outer space, targeting the Tick with his superhuman vision, and then tossing the mountain at him. Upon entering the atmosphere the mountain begins to burn. Superman has basically created a makeshift meteor. Those things strike with a force comparable to multiple nuclear warheads.

[Jeffrey]

Originally Posted by Dr. Doom

seems to me that would result in Superman winning the fight. If the Tick is in suspended animation, fight's over. Yes, years later the Tick could get down to earth again and start another fight, but that first one would be chalked up to Superman.

Ah, I knew one would bring this up...this is faulty, because if the Tick is fighting Clark in space, he's actively moving and thus wouldn't enter suspended animation.

Additionally, what if they were fighting in a point of space where there was no yellow sun? Superman would get weaker. He could regain his strength with a yellow sun, but the first match would be chalked up to the Tick.

also, just because the tick is so strong in his world doesn't mean that Superman still isn't a butt-load stronger than the Tick. even if they are of equal strength, i believe some of you are underestimating the importance of flight. if superman stays in the air, the Tick simply couldn't get a hand on him. If the tick takes a huge leap to tackle him out of the air, supes merely needs to fly a couple feet to the side and the tick will plummet back to earth. There's no way the Tick would win.

So, wait...we're declaring the victor as the one who runs from the battle? Staying in the air so you can't be touched doesn't mean you win unless you manage to defeat your opponent from that height.

And since the Tick's skull can't be opened by an industrial saw, I think he's safe from Supes tossing spitwads from mid-air.

[Jeffrey]

Originally Posted by slap_j

Hmm...what about Superman lifting a mountain into outer space, targeting the Tick with his superhuman vision, and then tossing the mountain at him. Upon entering the atmosphere the mountain begins to burn. Superman has basically created a makeshift meteor. Those things strike with a force comparable to multiple nuclear warheads.

We're constructing plausible situations here. Would Supes endanger a whole planet just to defeat the Tick?

If he would, sure. But what you're describing seems out of character for Clark. Unless it's from an issue I don't recall.

[Jeffrey]

Originally Posted by Dr. Doom

Superman can move so fast that the Tick would hardly feel the struggle before he had left the atmosphere.

This is silly. Reference our last battle, Monel vs. J'onn. How come no one said "Monel could use his powers to toss the Martian Manhunter into outer space?