This was one of my favorite lines from the cartoon, I don't know if I remembered it from here.

Also, I'm not sure I saw this on the GCD, at least in this format: from 2010, the Tick: the Edlund Epic #4, reprinting in color 1989's the Tick #4, "A Big Fight" Story and art by Ben Edlund, inks by Max Banks.

I feel like I have a reprint of this somewhere...maybe? But if I did, I should remember how the ninja storyline ended. This was early in the run, and the Tick's usual sidekick Arthur had only been seen in asides, but he was starting to make himself known here. Instead, the Tick is hanging out with Oedipus, who was a riff on Elektra: was the Tick inspired by Daredevil like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were? The ninja plotline feels like it as well, and this was nearing the end of it: Oedipus is hurt, when the ninjas come for the mysterious Thorn, and the Tick has what was described as a "crisis of sanity." Things were getting too real, so of course he then has a hallucination of the City itself yelling at him, before he finds his stuff where he left it after an earlier ninja fight, and decides to level the Ninja World theme park. Seems reasonable enough to me!

Oedipus's "old guy mentor" Shing tells the Tick that was futile, but wants the Thorn destroyed: Arthur had kept the ninjas from getting it earlier and gives it to the Tick, explaining that the ninjas believed if it was destroyed, all ninjas would be as well. Shing seems up for that, but the Tick worries that Oedipus was a ninja as well. Meanwhile, Paul the Samurai was coming ever closer, with his trusty samurai sword still inside of a loaf of French bread that was intended to disguise it for airport security.

I don't know if Oedipus would be around after the end of this storyline; and aside from Arthur, the Tick has issues with his supporting cast/guest heroes between the comics and various TV adaptations: with assorted rights problems, some of them weren't available between formats. (Others, like Paul and the Chainsaw Vigilante, weren't considered appropriate for a kids' show.) Anyway, "the world isn't what I want it to be anymore" would be used in episode 13, "The Tick vs. Arthur's Bank Account," which we mentioned the other day for its Achilles reference.  

"I'm Arthur, and this is my diversion." Man-Eating Cow! The Human Ton and Handy! Read a book! A great episode of a great show.