The Tick vs. Arthur's Bank Account

*Get out of my apartment! No, no... Get out of my LIFE!*
— **Arthur**

**"The Tick vs. Arthur's Bank Account"** is an episode of the animated television series *The Tick.* It is the final episode of Season 1.

## Synopsis

After Tick blows up Arthur's living room, Arthur kicks him out. But his timing couldn't be worse, because a team of deadly villains try to take over The City.

## Plot

The episode open with a father and son fishing on a lake in the morning, as the Terror's mobile home emerges from under them, and scuttles away. Sally Vacuum is delivering a news story on the Terror's history. Documenting his friendship with Joseph Stalin, and rivalry with Theodore Rosevelt, and his historic punch in Rosevelt's face, which continued years after Rosevelt's death, when the Terror briefly emerged to punch his face on Mount Rushmore. Tick, excited by the idea of the Terror coming to The City, decides that he must purchase some superhero gear.

Meanwhile, a team of villains are voting on who will be their leader: the Human Ton and Handy are a morbidly obese moron, and his seemingly-sentient, know-it-all sock puppet. Tunn-La, an insidious alien with aspirations of destroying the earth. Stalingrad, a Stalin enthusiast. The Man-Eating Cow, who, apparently, eats men. And the Terror. Handy ultimately wins with three votes (Himself, Human Ton and the Man-Eating Cow). Tick is driving Arthur crazy with his new gear: A Tick Signal that he gives to Mayor Blank, a grappling hook, a secret message cannon, a "Crime Tower", and lastly a chemistry set, which he blows up the living room of Arthur's apartment with, after he informs him that he's maxed-out Arthur's credit cards.

In a rage, Arthur kicks him out, and he goes to live in his Crime Tower. At Ben's Diner, Dot tries to convince Arthur to let Tick come back, but Arthur won't budge. The other superheroes in the diner overhear, and worry because Tick may be not be in good enough shape to fight the Terror. Stalingrad is also there, and reports to his teammates. Their revelry eventually results in Handy using his catchphrase, "read a book!". Tick is indeed worse for wear, as he sings a sad song in the rain. Dot tries to motivate Tick, but ends up bickering with him. American Maid shows up to try and help, telling him that the Terror has hijacked City City Hall. The villains are telling the mayor to call off the cops outside, but American Maid and Arthur arrive, and Arthur distracts them while American Maid turns on the Tick Signal.

Tick sees the image in the sky, And knows he has to leap into action. He grapples into the office, and Tunn-La escapes with Stalingrad. Tick battles the Human Ton, Arthur the Man-Eating Cow, and American Maid goes after the Terror. The Man-Eating Cow turns out to be friendly, and American Maid easily defeats the decrepit Terror. Tick is having trouble with the Human Ton, but Arthur grabs handy from him and stomps him into the dust, causing Human Ton to faint. Tick gives a televised speech, leaving everyone with some of Tick's usual motivational words, and Handy telling the kids watching to "read a book!"

## Characters

### Main Characters

* Tick
* Arthur

### Supporting Characters

* Dot
* Mayor Blank
* American Maid

### Antagonists

* The Terror's evil team
	+ The Terror (first appearance)
	+ Human Ton (first appearance)
	+ Handy (first appearance)
	+ Tunn-La (only appearance)
	+ Stalingrad (only appearance)
	+ Man-Eating Cow (only appearance)

### Other Characters

* Die Fledermaus
* Sewer Urchin
* Crusading Chameleon
* Sally Vacuum
* Joseph Stalin (first appearance, pictured)

## Locations

* The City
	+ Arthur's apartment building
		- Arthur's apartment
	+ Tick's Crime Tower (only appearance)
	+ City City Hall
	+ News 17 studio
* The Terror's mobile home

## Notes

* **Ending Line**: "You know, evil comes in many forms. Be it a man-eating cow or Joseph Stalin. You can't let the package hide the pudding. Evil is just plain bad! You can't cotton to it! You gotta smack it in the nose with the rolled-up newspaper of justice! Bad dog! Bad dog! And you don't do it for money, no-ho-ho, you do it for love. You know, I've learned something this past week: on justice, and on friendship, there is no price, but there are established credit limits."
* A similar team of villains appears in the comics, comprised of five members, the leader being the Terror, and another, Tunn-La. It also features a villain that appears later on in the animated series, Multiple Santa.
* This episode was mysteriously pulled from Hulu in 2022.

## Gallery

* See The Tick vs. Arthur's Bank Account/Gallery.