Chairface Chippendale is a recurring antagonist in the Tick comics and 1994 cartoon.
Chairface first appeared in The Tick 7: The Moon Menace. He is a cunning criminal mastermind who grew up bitter and resentful about his chair-like deformity. Chairface rarely does the "dirty work" himself, usually employing Professor Chromedome or his minions with it instead.
Chairface first made himself known to the Tick when he attempted to carve his name into the moon, but was thwarted in the middle of doing so, only leaving the first three letters of his name. Other known attempts of villainy from Chairface include him swapping bodies with the Tick, controlling Dinosaur Neil's body, bidding for full custody of an imprisoned Tick, postal fraud, blackmailing, kidnapping, vandalism and creating a public disturbance.
Chairface is voiced by the late Tony Jay in the series.
Appearance[]
Chairface Chippendale is a slim, Caucasian male with a slight English accent. He is 6'0" and weighs 155 lbs, with a muscular build underneath his clothes and a heart tattoo on his left pec.
He has an oak wood, straight-backed chair for his head and facial structure, with one spindle going down the back. His top rail is curved, and acts similar to that of human eyebrows; he can furrow and raise it when irritated or intrigued. His chair legs are without stretchers—the back somewhat longer than the front—and respectively serve as his neck and mouth. His front legs can be broken in half, much like an actual chair. He has the ability to experience sight, smell, touch, and hearing. Non-solid substances—such as alcohol and smoke—can be consumed through his seat or front rail, where it will seep into his system and cause intoxication.
Chairface has a knhack for fashion, flaunting a colorful wardrobe and a wide array of attire. His most notable getup, however, are white gloves, a plum purple tie, white button-up dress shirt with bracelet-length sleeves and two-buttoned cuffs, suit vest (often depicted in either a deep purple or red), and a brown plate buckle belt, atop of high-waisted deep purple suit pants, white socks and black dress shoes.
History[]
Raised in England, Collin "Chairface" Chippendale was born to a cold and unloving family of aristocrats, and was soon publicly disowned for his chair-like face. His neglected upbringing, as well as the deep sense of alienation he experienced by those around him, quickly led a young Chairface to a forever life of crime and villainy. [1]
A sophisticated, handsome man with an abundance of riches, it did not take long for him to be taken under the wings of notorious criminals. During this time, he was taught a variety of skills, such as lock-picking, safe-cracking, smuggling and general thievery. [1]
According to The Tick's Giant Circus of the Mighty, Chairface's very first endeavor took place in 1965, when he and his gang of misfits robbed the Bronx Zoo of its animals, and replaced their cages with United Nations ambassadors. He would then go on to commit crimes in every state of the US. In 1968, he was arrested in San Diego by secret agent Angus MacGuire—the start of their long-running feud.
In 1970, he immaculately impersonated late English actor James Mason as a means to escape a local prison in Fayetteville. To prevent further exploitation, warden M. Jarr demanded the actor call in daily with his current whereabouts. Unbeknownst to Jarr and the prison guards, Mason had been dead for several years, and Chippendale would take this as his escape once again in The Tick: The Luny Bin Trilogy. After his initial imprisonment in Fayvetteville, he fled to Mexico and committed a lottery scam, in which he raffled off the state of Wyoming.
In 1971, Chairface crossed paths (and swords) with Angus Macguire in Canoli Caper of Naples, Italy. Chairface lost two of his closest men during the attack, Cheeks Chaney and The Guy With Ears Like Little Raisins, before he and Angus were dismissed by local police. The two would swore each other as arch-enemies, with their scores unsettled until 1989, when detective Angus catches wind of Chairface Chippendale's greatest feat, and birthday gift yet—to forever carve his name into the Earth's moon.
Chippendale had spent ten years prior chiseling down the Austrian Geissman Lenses, a pair of lenses so powerful, they can focus the light of a candle into a heat ray of unparalleled range and intensity. He planned to use these by means of ensuring that everybody who mistreated him would know his name, as written on the moon with said lenses.
In The Tick Issue #7, or The Tick vs. Chairface Chippendale, Chairface would invite the most notorious criminals and supervillains to witness the spectacle, only to be thwarted by Angus Macguire (American Maid in the 1994 animated series) and his new arch-nemeses, Arthur and The Tick, after only engraving "CHA" into the moon's surface. Placed into handcuffs once more, Chairface makes one last vow: "No prison can hold Chairface Chippendale!"
In the comics, Chairface's involvement in the event is completely covered up by the media, instead framing an unknown man named "Charo".
At some point after these events, Chairface became the sole dictator of "Chippendaleia", a small suburban kingdom in New Jersey.
In The Tick's Big Back to School Special, it is revealed that Chairface Chippendale is the estranged father to Stoolface Chippendale, a teenage boy attending The City's Flobie High School. Chairface's partner, Stoolface's second legal guardian, is currently unknown, and it can be well assumed that the two have since separated. Stoolface is never explicitly mentioned by Chairface himself, however, he does (begrudgingly) receive mail from the school in which he attends.
Personality[]
Chairface Chippendale can be described as many things, but he is anything but redundant. He takes "criminal mastermind" to a whole new level; each of his sinister plots more extravagant than the last, done with a showman's flair. He is selfish, demanding, and will gladly throw a tantrum when not getting his way. Chairface has little to no regard towards others' feelings, and is quick to betray those close to him for his own personal gain. This is evident in The Tick vs. Science, in which he forces Professor Chromedome into his own body in order to steal Tick's form.
Chairface is extremely intelligent, with a genius-level IQ. He is an able engineer and scientist, but often leaves the dirty work to be carried out by Chromedome or his minions. He would much rather let himself be pampered than carry out basic tasks, such as answering the phone or preparing his own food. Despite his outward resentment towards The Tick, he is just as afraid of him, and will easily surrender his plans when cornered by him.
Born into wealth, Chairface has the luxury of indulging in his many hobbies, which include, but not limited to: race-car driving, fencing, etiquette, bad poetry, and shopping for evil gadgets. He has a love for acting and performing arts, as he owns a theater within The City, and is the only known character in the series with a SAG card.
His favorite form of dance is tap, and his favorite root vegetable are potatoes.
Gallery[]
