Quantum + Woody
Writer: Daniel Kibblesmith
Art and Colors: Kano
Letters: David Sharpe
Review by: KrisK
Valiant has been rebooting its universe this year, and it’s ending the year on a high note with Quantum + Woody #1! For those of you not familiar with the duo, they are adoptive brothers. The one in a mask is Quantum (Real name Eric Henderson), and the one in the shades is Woody Henderson.
When investigating the death of their father, they ended up the victims of a scientific accident. They ended up with quantum energy based powers. Quantum has force field powers, and Woody has energy blasts. The downside to their new powers is that they have to klang their wristbands together every 24 hours, or they are ripped apart by the very quantum energies that empowered them. They fight crime together, though Quantum is more heroic, while Woody is in it for the fame. They bicker a lot, as brothers do, and they probably wouldn’t be in each other’s lives much, if it wasn’t for the fact, they literally couldn’t live without each other.
This issue starts with the brothers as kids as they are getting to know each other. Eric wants to play knock off Dungeons and Dragons, and Woody thinks that is the least cool thing ever. Until he sees a picture of one of the female characters in the game who is drawn gratuitously. He decides then to give the game a chance. Fast forward to super powered adulthood and the heroes are hijacking an ice cream truck to catch a runaway villain, Dr. Unfathomable. They catch the villain by working together and combining their powers. They are approached by “Company Men” who want to hire Quantum to do the work of the angels. He takes it, and he becomes a government employee. Woody, lacking Quantum’s maturity to balance him out, starts to party and rack up gambling debts. 
The writer does a good job of feeding the reader the background information without making this feel like issue one. He tells it through story, without spoon feeding years of story, and the issue is so much the better for it. The humor reminds me of a more mild Deadpool, and Kibblesmith never lets the humor undermine the story. It has a consistent pace, and I left the issue wanting to read the next one. The separate narratives for the brothers keeps the story flowing steady, and the third subplot builds on their past. The art feels natural for the book. The smaller panels built into the large action scene panels give the reader the opportunity to focus on the details of what is going on.
Verdict: Buy! I enjoyed this story thoroughly the first time, and after flipping through it for a quick second skim, I found more to like. There are layers to this comic in both the story and art, and I get the feeling that it only gets better. Valiant hits another grand slam with Quantum + Woody!
