Quantum + Woody #1 Review – Does This Deliver? Have You Been Paying Attention?

Quantum and Woody – at your Local Comic Shops 20 Dec 2017!!

AUTHOR: Daniel Kibblesmith
ART/COLORS: Kano
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COVERS: Julian Totino Tedesco, Geoff Shaw with Gabe Eltaeb, Neil Adams with Zeea Adams, Clayton Henry with Pete Pantazis, Nick Pitarra with Michael Garland
PUBLISHER: Valiant Entertainment

Hey, PSSST! Have you been paying attention? For those non-Valiant fans, have you been paying attention to what has been going on? Valiant has been on a bit of a run here lately, with all of their ongoing books really hitting the mark. X-O Manowar has been an amazing run, Bloodshot is stellar, Ninja-K is out of this world. Their fourth offering is Quantum and Woody. Can it keep with recent history, and become a huge success? Of course, people want to know if this book will deliver, but I found that it went much deeper than that, and that could make this book all the more better for it.

Many of us know Daniel Kibblesmith as the writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but he was also the guy who put out Santa’s Husband, an interesting and heartfelt twist on Santa Claus and his husband (very much worth the read). Going into Quantum and Woody, we know Daniel is funny and can tell a great story. This bodes well for what we are jumping into with this new book. Right off the bat we get the funny, the “Worst Super Hero Team” in the world. They’re up to what we would expect them to be up to, accidentally defeating the bad guy. Comedy everywhere, it’s all there. But then something happens; a twist I wasn’t quite prepared for. See, this book couldn’t just get by on the funny alone, making the characters one-dimensional. It needed substance, heart, it needed a reason to continue to shine, and Kibblesmith delivered!

Santa’s Husband – cute, funny, and a worth while read!

The book has a surprising amount of heart, and Kibblesmith did it in such a way that it sneaked up on you. Imagine, if you will, that one friend of yours, that one you always seem to find mischief with. Think back to the stories you’ll tell your grandchildren, and how they involve that one friend, your best friend. Now, put those stories in a book, because that’s what Daniel did to this book. Right off the bat, he made us care about two knuckleheads that don’t quite measure up, that are better together than they ever will be apart. Two brothers who just don’t have much love for one another (right now), but will need to come together in order to survive.

STORY: 4.75 (Heart I tell ya!)

Notice the boxes that bring smaller items to the forefront. Are they important?

When a story has flow, having an artist that can make that story come to life is very important. Colors that set moods, set up the funny, and basically bring everything to life, these are a must for a good book. Kano does some amazing things here, as I really love his color choices. Lots of soft pastels, art that you don’t have to dig for to find out what’s going on. Kano uses a great deal of insert bubbles, but they work out so darn well! I’m not just talking about word bubbles, but bubbles that highlight certain areas, so that you better understand the story. A perfect example is the “Advanced Cavers and Kobolds, Third Edition” in the first page that young Eric Henderson (Quantum) mentions to Woody in the opening page. In the story, it’s just a small piece of information on a page, information that has very little bearing on the story (or does it). Kano brings these little tidbit to life by placing a box around it, bringing it to the fore-front. This goes on throughout the story, and it’s a lot of fun! He forces you to pay attention to the details of the story, to the smallest item, and brings them all to the front of your mind. Are they important? Well, maybe. As of right now, we just don’t know, but I would wager they do all add up to something in the end.

ART: 5 (I love those boxes!)

I’ve been a long time fan of covers! This time, Valiant busts out some names that we haven’t heard much about before. Still, these covers deliver! Valiant has done a great marketing scheme by over-hyping these covers, funny part is it’s what made 90’s comics so gaudy!  How perfect is that? Make the story over the top, make the covers over the top! Love it! As a collector, I really enjoy the throwback to the 90’s covers, as they will be fun to look at and collect! Also, I’ve gotta get my hands on one of those 1:250 books! From the back office, to the artist, to the author, I really think Valiant has had a blast putting this one together. Do they want it to stick, sure they do. I think though, they just wanted to have fun with a silly book, making fun of the 90’s all while making fun of themselves.

COVERS: 5

I know budgets can get tight around the holidays, heck I know mine is! But when you read a story that delivers the funny and surprises you with heart, well it’s a story that I have to say yes to. I know I will be getting these books, as this book already has me hooked!