Quantum and Woody! #1
Writer: Daniel Kibblesmith
Artist: Kano
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: Valiant
Review by Josh Rose
Quantum and Woody are the world’s worst superhero team. Quantum, Eric Henderson, is former army and tries to keep a secret identity. Woody Henderson, Eric’s adopted brother, is concerned about becoming famous and screws up Eric’s chances of having any sort of secret. In Quantum and Woody! #1 they commandeer an ice cream truck to stop a bad guy. Somehow they manage to get the job done and the Feds recruit Eric to join them with Woody as his negotiator. One year later Eric and Woody are no longer speaking and only meet daily to “KLANG” their bracelets together so they don’t die. All because Eric and their dad kept a secret from Woody.
Daniel Kibblesmith introduces us to the team and explains the basics by showing us them in action. He later explains why they klang bracelets through Woody talking to himself. This issue does a great job executing the flashbacks and flash-forwards. You see them hitting their peak as a team, as well as them at their lowest a year later. You see them bonding as kids, and then much later Eric discovering the secret that broke up Quantum and Woody. It’s a very emotional book for a buddy comedy, but Daniel Kibblesmith pulls it off by teasing us with snapshots of their childhood, showing us a bit of how close they were with each other as kids, and how downhill things have gone since they stopped talking.
I really enjoy the panel layouts. Like, a lot. Kano throws in a ton of extra panels in the art to show movement and focus on facial expressions. It’s especially interesting how the story flows down the center of the page when the feds are recruiting Eric, but there are panels off to the side to show Woody completely oblivious to what’s going on. My favourite page in this issue is the very first one, simply because of how smoothly the outside of the treehouse blends into the scene happening inside it. Although, the image of an ice cream truck in a high speed chase does come pretty close.
The Verdict:
Buy it. Quantum and Woody! #1 has the action and chaos that longtime fans are familiar with, but it also dives deep into these characters, showing us what makes them tick. Whether you’ve read Quantum and Woody before or this is your first introduction, you should be reading this.
