Batmanuel
Encyclopedia
Batmanuel is a fictional character
from The Tick
live action series.
An obvious parody
of Batman
, the character was similar to Die Fledermaus
of the animated series.
Played by Nestor Carbonell
, Batmanuel has no obvious superpowers or extraordinary physical abilities. He does, however, have a very high opinion of himself. Batmanuel's main focus is lechery (though self-aggrandizing comes in at close second). He considers himself to be one of The City's top superheroes.
Batmanuel's costume consists of brown pants, a tan shirt with a very broad collar, a short brown cape, a mask with bat
ears, and a shiny golden codpiece that doubles as his wallet. Unlike the ears on Batman's costume which are essentially two points that sit on top of his head, the ears on Batmanuel's mask cover his actual ears and are shaped like the ears of a bat. These do not appear to serve any particular purpose. Batmanuel also wears fingerless gloves. He drives the Manuel Mobile, a gold Buick
with a customized front plate that reads "BATLOVE."
Due to budgetary constraints, there were few actual action scenes in the live action series. On one occasion, Batmanuel pulls Arthur to safety when they are attacked by a ninja
. However, in other episodes, Batmanuel is shown getting trounced by car thieves and is described as having been mugged
on the subway when the Manuel Mobile was at the mechanic, so his fighting skills are questionable.
Batmanuel has an on-again/off-again relationship with Captain Liberty
(played by Liz Vassey
).
Batmanuel is very self-absorbed, often thinking only of himself even in the worst situations, and even speaking in third person. He is so self-absorbed that when parking, he takes up two spaces with his car, saying that "one space is not good enough for the Manuel Mobile. She requires two spaces minimum." He also appears to have no trouble with lying, with not paying the approximately $8,000 worth of parking tickets he has accrued, or with suggesting dumping the body of the Immortal (who died after having sex with Captain Liberty) into the river. (According to him, the story of a super hero dying during intercourse is "as old as the hills.") However, Batmanuel manages to help The Tick, Arthur, and Captain Liberty, when needed.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from The Tick
The Tick
The Tick is a fictional character created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986 as a newsletter mascot for the New England Comics chain of Boston area comic stores. He is an absurdist spoof of comic book superheroes. After its creation, the character spun off into an independent comic book series in...
live action series.
An obvious parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, the character was similar to Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus (The Tick)
Die Fledermaus is a fictional superhero in the animated television series, The Tick. Voiced by Cam Clarke, he fights crime in a place simply called The City....
of the animated series.
Played by Nestor Carbonell
Nestor Carbonell
Nestor Gastón Carbonell is an American actor, known for portraying Richard Alpert in ABC's drama Lost and Mayor Anthony Garcia in the film The Dark Knight...
, Batmanuel has no obvious superpowers or extraordinary physical abilities. He does, however, have a very high opinion of himself. Batmanuel's main focus is lechery (though self-aggrandizing comes in at close second). He considers himself to be one of The City's top superheroes.
Batmanuel's costume consists of brown pants, a tan shirt with a very broad collar, a short brown cape, a mask with bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
ears, and a shiny golden codpiece that doubles as his wallet. Unlike the ears on Batman's costume which are essentially two points that sit on top of his head, the ears on Batmanuel's mask cover his actual ears and are shaped like the ears of a bat. These do not appear to serve any particular purpose. Batmanuel also wears fingerless gloves. He drives the Manuel Mobile, a gold Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
with a customized front plate that reads "BATLOVE."
Due to budgetary constraints, there were few actual action scenes in the live action series. On one occasion, Batmanuel pulls Arthur to safety when they are attacked by a ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
. However, in other episodes, Batmanuel is shown getting trounced by car thieves and is described as having been mugged
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
on the subway when the Manuel Mobile was at the mechanic, so his fighting skills are questionable.
Batmanuel has an on-again/off-again relationship with Captain Liberty
Captain Liberty
Captain Liberty is one of the main characters in The Tick live action show, played by Liz Vassey. She is apparently a parody of mainstream superheroes like Captain America and Wonder Woman, much like American Maid from the animated series. However, unlike American Maid, Captain Liberty is just as...
(played by Liz Vassey
Liz Vassey
Liz Vassey is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Emily Ann Sago on All My Children, Captain Liberty in The Tick, and Wendy Simms in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.- Career :...
).
Batmanuel is very self-absorbed, often thinking only of himself even in the worst situations, and even speaking in third person. He is so self-absorbed that when parking, he takes up two spaces with his car, saying that "one space is not good enough for the Manuel Mobile. She requires two spaces minimum." He also appears to have no trouble with lying, with not paying the approximately $8,000 worth of parking tickets he has accrued, or with suggesting dumping the body of the Immortal (who died after having sex with Captain Liberty) into the river. (According to him, the story of a super hero dying during intercourse is "as old as the hills.") However, Batmanuel manages to help The Tick, Arthur, and Captain Liberty, when needed.