Review: Quantum And Woody #2

Creative Team:
Writer: James Asmus
Penciler: Tom Fowler
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Dave Lanphear

The Issue:
Eric and Woody are brothers. Well, make that foster brothers. Eric is straight laced and orderly, a high achiever who spent time in the military and now works a private security contractor. Woody? Well, Woody makes his way mostly through schemes and scams refusing to live a life working for someone else. The two, brought together the last issue, have discovered that their father is dead and that the company that he worked for might be behind it.

After an explosion at their father’s place of work Eric and Woody have an encounter with the cops. Naked in the cold the two get into a fight only to discover that they’ve developed powers from whatever their father was working on. Thanks to Woody destroying the cop cars the brothers escape to their father’s house. They look through his belongings only to find a memory card where he reveals that a group known as the E.R.A. wants his research.

As the issue closes the brothers, now donning their superhero costumes, arrive at Quantum Industries just in time to try and stop the E.R.A. from making a hostile takeover.


What I Liked:
After a successful first year, Valiant Comics is attempting to make the leap in the world of capes and tights comics. With a series being repackaged (Bloodshot and the H.A.R.D. Corps) and a few others being launched (Quantum And Woody; The Eternal Warrior; Unity) they are looking to be taken seriously. And this book is one they’ve put a lot into. Not only did they have months of interviews and previews leading up to it, but in the Valiant books themselves they had the ads in it. They had faith in this title and you can see why.

Quantum And Woody joins Archer & Armstrong as the only books on the roster that are funny, and the art is also a little cartoonish. This is a great change of pace from the other books that are more serious in tone. The jokes don’t take away from the product as the rest is still very strong. It’s just that the jokes are so good. When Woody talks to Eric about how wearing a mask would make him less suspicious than being an innocent black man it was so honest, and comical. The jokes don’t seem out of place, and only two issues in it feels as if James Asmus has a strong feel for the characters.

If I was to explain this book to someone it would be that it’s as if USA Network’s Psych was a superhero book. It’s witty, sharply written, but has a heart. The two characters have years of not liking and or understanding each other (and their relationship with their father) are now thrust to make him proud by finding out who is behind his murder. It’s as fun a read as you’ll find on the shelf.

The art perfectly fits the tone of the book. This is the first time I’m ever seeing the work of Tom Fowler and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it. As I said earlier it’s cartoony but it’s not overly so.


What I Didn’t Like: 
I honestly have no complaints, and as a result this will receive the highest score I’ve given to a Valiant book. If you are even loosely considering picking up a Valiant title I’d suggest picking up the first two issues of this series. You will not be disappointed.

Grade: 

5 out of 5 villains

Just a guy who was into this nerd stuff before it's popular. Now that is I'm just happy I have people to talk about it with.