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Review: Quantum & Woody Must Die #1

I’ve heard a lot about Quantum and Woody but haven’t ever gotten the chance to check it out until I saw they’re having a new miniseries.  I can already say from this debut issue that If you’re struggling to find some quality laughs in a comic book, look no further than Quantum and Woody Must Die. The story setup is pretty simple in Quantum and Woody Must Die #1: Quantum and Woody are doing their crime-busting business at a port in Baltimore when Quantum ends up causing a French-Canadian mercenary to get infected by extremely harmful chemicals.  The mercenary is determined terminally ill in the hospital and he and a mysterious doctor want Quantum and Woody dead.

QWMD_001_COVERA_HAWTHORNEOf course there’s tons of ridiculous other happenings going on in the story, but I don’t think it’d do the book justice to try and list them all here.  There are some genuinely funny moments, like Quantum being confused why white people are obsessed with The Wire, or the appearance of their dad whose brain is now inside a pregnant goat, among many others.

For me, that’s where this comic shines: the comedy.  I thought the dialogue was a bit long-winded at times but overall the writing is great so this is just a minor qualm.  Perhaps I was assuming this was going to be more of an action book rather than a dialogue-centric book, but I’d be lying if I said the action wasn’t satisfying.  That’s in part thanks to Steve Lieber’s great art and sense for what should be showcased on each panel which I enjoyed in Superior Foes of Spider-Man as well.

This is a book I definitely recommend if you’re a fan of comedy in comics done well and superhero stories that don’t take themselves seriously at all.


Score: 4/5


Writer: James Asmus Artist: Steve Lieber Publisher: Valiant Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 1/28/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital