Quantum And Woody #3

by kanchilr1 on September 04, 2013

The Team
Writer James Asmus Art Tom Fowler

So far Quantum And Woody has been a really great title with some sharp writing by James Asmus and wonderful artwork from Tom Fowler. The two lead characters are not great people, they are highly flawed nuanced human beings. James Asmus understands, and perfectly encapsulates this in previous installments of the series. There is also great respect towards the initial series by veteran writer Christopher Priest. In face the greatest flaw of the narrative thus far, is that is sticks slightly too close to the source material. It would be very interesting for Asmus to make a hard right turn to mix up the series slightly and make it his own. It is also a shame that Priest has not been involved in this reboot. In the past two chapters of the saga the titular heroes have been running their lives into the ground. Will their super powers that have been recently acquired change the course of where they are headed? Are these two characters destined for mediocrity? These are the questions that it seems this series would like readers to ask. Hopefully there will be some more character development leading up to a clear answer in future issues.

It was nice to see the scope of this series widened by the end of this issue. A monthly comic book cannot exist between just two characters. The grounded tone of the title is also a nice touch, as the superheroic elements are sort of downplayed to suit the series. After all the duo know that they are not the best at what they do. It will also be quite amusing to see them team up with some of the other Valiant characters as they seem to always know how to get themselves out of a jam. Watching the universe expand between the two of these interesting heroes is enough of a reason to pick up the further antics of the comic book.

A major selling point of this series should be the art of Tom Fowler. This issue however does not look up to standards for the artist because of the manic nature of the pacing. There are so many details in the background that the penciller loses some of the charm that he usually has. Flashback scenes with lighter amounts of people on screen look much better in comparison. The new character designs for the outfits are also an interesting choice that does not look as pleasing on the eye as it should at times. The blue and white colors of Quantum seem to clash at times with the characters around him. While the pencil work here is definitely flawed, there is still a lot to love. Facial expressions are one of the strongest assets of the artist. The hybrid of cartoons and realism that permeates the background of this book, also fits the tone of the series very well.

While this may not be a perfect monthly title, it is hard not to feel that the best the series has to offer is still ahead. A world is being built at a large scale scope that seems to put the title in line with other Valiant books. The continuing adventures of Quantum And Woody continues to be one of the very best titles the publisher has to offer.

Our Score:

7/10

A Look Inside