Review - Quantum and Woody #1

"--then they the world's worse superhero team!"

In some reality, anyone thinks they can don a cape and tights and be a superhero. There's a lot more to it than just the look. You have to of course have the power, but you've also got to have the proverbial responsibility. One half of the duo in Quantum and Woody #1 from Valiant Comics has both, while the other only has one.

The first issue is written by James Asmus, illustrated by Tom Fowler, color art by Jordie Bellaire, colored by Ryan Sook, Marcos Martin, Andrew Robinson and Fowler and lettered by Dave Lanphear.

Dr. Henderson was a brilliant scientist, working on something truly revolutionary until his death shrouded in mystery. Eric and Woody are his two sons from different races, brought together by adoption and frequently divided by point of view. A childhood fraught with bickering and fighting leads to Eric's path into the military and Woody's path into general debauchery. The death of their father reunites them as possible suspects and newfound superheroes.

There's a lot going on in Quantum and Woody #1. Asmus really manages to strike a balance between presenting Quantum (Eric) and Woody as potential heroes and siblings, offering readers a complete and entertaining picture of the two. Being a superhero has always carried with it a sense of duty, but presenting a dichotomous approach to that trait through two adopted brothers is brilliant. Yes, this is a revival of the Valiant classic, but Asmus makes it feel original and unique. It's close to guaranteed you'll find fewer characters as fast-talking and reckless as Woody (maybe Deadpool).

Fowler's art seems to move just as fast the story itself does. There's a ton of action in the first issue, with Asmus briskly pushing the reader towards the ending of the first issue, prompting Fowler's art to feel frenetic in its attempts to keep up. Some of the faces look a little rough though, as it's fairly evident that Fowler excels more at showcasing action from a distance. He does a great job of showing the younger Eric and Woody in the interspersed flashbacks, giving the reader a great glimpse into their pasts.

Quantum and Woody #1 is a lot of fun. The characters are two sides of a coin, both playing off one another and doing it exceptionally well. The ending of the first issue is setting them up to be the center of an amusing and entertaining series. The characters are chock full of conflicting values and will prove to be more than a handful for everyone in their paths and the readers who follow the stories.

Quantum and Woody #1 is in stores July 10.