The Good
Quantum goes on a lone wolf mission to break into the E.R.A. facility in order to rescue Woody, who is being tested on. Also included in this issue is The Goat and a whole bunch clones that Woody wants to hook up with.
Sometimes, you just need something fun to read, and everything about this book is fun. Writer James Asmus, artist Tom Fowler, and colorist Jordie Bellaire are the perfect fit for a book as awesome/silly/amazing as QUANTUM & WOODY. We're only 4 issues in, but this series delivers a lot of fun in a bite sized package, all while adding a dash of some fantastic action sequences. These characters are still coming into their own as well, so the mishaps they get into make sense, since they've only been heroes for a short while.
This book is hilarious. It's not just the dialogue that makes this a fun book though. In this particular issue, there's a character who I truly love: Beta-Max. He's the first human cyborg, but he was created in the 80s, so all of his parts are extremely dated. The other characters play off of this, and the dialogue follows suit. We get to see some quirky back and forth between Beta-Max and the other characters that truly is some funny stuff.
The villains in this book are pretty dumb, but I love a good, dumb villain now and again. The staff of the E.R.A. come off as more mindless brutes than anything else because they don't really understand anything about the world they're in nor the technology they are using. We get to see the Goat in this issue, and by golly, he's the best part of the issue, especially the way the bad guys react to him. It's a priceless moment.
The Bad
The only concern with this book is that it seems a little out of place in the Valiant Universe. It feels a bit too wacky. While it's true that ARCHER & ARMSTRONG has a lot of comedic elements to it, QUANTUM & WOODY is a bit more over the top and not just with the main characters. Lots of people within this book are over-the-top goofy, and normally, this wouldn't be a huge problem, but Valiant books are all very connected. It's only a minor concern though.
The Verdict
QUANTUM & WOODY is pure fun. If it were a candy bar, it would be too good to exist and immediately shut down by the candy consortium. We get to see some team work between our two heroes in this issue, and while the book focuses heavily on the comedic follies of these two characters, the reader is still treated to some fantastic action. The creative team for this book is a perfect fit as well. The only concern, which is a minor one, is that the book may be a bit too "out-there" when compared to the rest of the Valiant universe. Aside from that, though, I highly recommend this issue and this series.