Confessions of a Comic Book Guy is a weekly column by Steve Bennett of Super-Fly Comics and Games in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  This week, Bennett looks at two comic adaptations: Atomic Blonde, and the new Tick series on Amazon.

As I often indicate, I don’t get out to the movies very often anymore, for the most part due to a combination of indifference and inertia. However, I actually went to the theater last weekend and saw Atomic Blonde, but not because it was based on Antony Johnston and Sam Hart’s 2012 graphic novel from Oni Press, The Coldest City. 

Frankly, I had even forgotten that it was based on a graphic novel (though, to be fair, this fact isn't exactly being promoted by its products).  For those interested, it’s still in print, both under its original title and in a new edition, which uses the movie’s title and features a movie-poster style cover.

No, I went because a female friend wanted to see it, and her desire to do so was based almost entirely on its soundtrack.  It's not a musical, it's a Cold War spy movie set around the fall of the Berlin Wall.  So it's understandable that it sets much of its mood and tone through 80's music, specifically the songs of David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Blue Monday, The Clash, etc.  Which just so happened to be the soundtrack of her youth. So off we went.

When I said “Atomic Blonde is a spy story” I meant espionage, not super-spy stuff; so there’s no gadgets, and the setting is relentlessly gritty.  This “realism” goes only so far; for one thing, top operative Charlize Theron wears stylish outre outfits exclusively in black and white while she’s theoretically undercover. Also, while the violence is more bloody and brutal than in a Bond film, there certainly is a lot of it.   Theron leaves a deluge of corpses in her wake, which is the kind of thing that would quickly compromise an actual spy. But it all works in context and its shakier plot points are shored up by a top-notch cast that includes James McAvoy, John Goodman, Toby Jones and Sofia Boutella.

I've been a big fan of The Tick in every medium it's been in, from the animated series (which came as close as a hug to the Ben Edlund comics) to the flawed Seinfeld-esque sitcom (which rose and set solely on the glory of Patrick Warburton’s portrayal of the title character).  So there was zero chance I was going to pass on trying the new Amazon series, in spite of all the press for it which kept informing me just how “serious,“ “grounded,” and “dark” this one was going to be.

Make no mistake, it’s all those things, but then, that’s what people seem to want in a contemporary comedy these days. The series seems to have used Louie and Girls as a template. Like those shows, this Tick is sad, bleak and weird, an examination of empty, damaged people and all the collateral damage swirling around them.  Which is why meek accountant Arthur isn’t just some random guy playing with the notion of being a superhero.  Here’s he’s a troubled loner dealing with the childhood trauma of his father's death by trying to prove that the supposedly dead supervillain who killed him is still alive.  To do this he uses what’s known as a “Crazy String Board*,” which in television is usually a good indicator your lead character's obsession is inching them ever closer to the edge.

Arthur is also prone to seeing things, so for roughly an episode and a half there's an unnecessary plot digression where it's strongly suggested that Arthur is merely imagining The Tick.  Even after it’s established others can see him, thanks to an ominous childhood flashback, just how “real” he is remains up for debate.  And while happily the series doesn’t try to give The Tick a backstory, it also doesn’t just take his existence for granted the way previous versions did.  It raises admittedly obvious questions like, who is he, where does he come from, etc.

The Tick remains simply...The Tick.  While considerably less beefy than Warburton, Peter Serafinowicz, the British actor who has had roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (though by me, he’ll always be best known for his memorable stint as Lord Edgar Covington, Baron of Hertfordshire on Parks and Recreation) quite ably fills the blue bodysuit.  Equally important, Serafinowicz has the acting chops to convey The Tick's innate innocence, as well as the resonant voice to make his dialogue sound convincing.  In the six episodes streamed so far, he hasn’t had the opportunity to bellow the character's beloved battle cry, “Spooooon!”.  But I hope he will, because I’m convinced that he can.

*Also known as a “Murder Board,” Crazy String Board is listed on The TV Tropes site under “String Theory.”  It’s when someone uses the mind mapping technique of creating a diagram to visually organize information on a corkboard or wall with pushpins, using string to indicate how each item is connected.  The string is almost always red, which is either a nod to the Chinese legend people destined to meet are bound by an invisible red cord, or just because red shows up better on screen.  Most recently Webbigail "Webby" Vanderquack had one in the DuckTales movie "Woo-oo!"

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.