Quantum and Woody #1 Review

"The world's worst superhero team," Quantum and Woody, gets a reboot after 13 years, and if Valiant's premier issue is any indicator of the caliber of the issues to come, this is a series to follow closely. If you don't want any details of the story, just know that it's worth picking up. If you don't care about SPOILERS, read on.

I haven't read any of the original series, so count me as a bright-eyed newcomer. With that stated, I have no idea where that goat on the cover fits into the story as he is nowhere to be seen in this issue.


Written by James Asmus and drawn by Tom Fowler, this retelling of Quantum and Woody leads off with a nice depiction of the super-powered duo causing a bit of havoc while being filmed by the local news. This is a glimpse into the apparently tumultuous future the two have in store for us. We then watch Eric and Woody go about their "normal" lives. Eric is ex-military and has a very black-and-white view of the world. We get evidence of this when Eric comically attacks a waitress' boyfriend who was pretending to stick her up. His brother, Woody, is, (can you guess?) the complete opposite. Eric's father adopted Woody when he was just a kid, and the two of them have been at odds with each other ever since; so much so, that they haven't talked in years leading up to when the story takes place.

What reunites them is the murder of their father, who had been working on top secret experiments in alternative energy. After an amusing throw-down at the funeral, Eric and Woody decide, separately, to break in to their father's lab in order to get a lead on the killers. Here, we get some idea of each character's skill set. Eric is chock-full of text book intelligence and fighting prowess, while Woody is cunning and can apparently do great vocal mimicry. If you can't deduce what happens next...just get out of here.

With top-notch humor, and fantastic art, the only negative thing I can say about this book is...what the hell is up with that goat on the cover? I can't wait to see what situations these two get in, and how they'll undoubtedly bungle it all up. Be sure to look out for the second issue, come August 7th. For all the green comic readers out there, that'll be a Wednesday.