Quantum & Woody, as superheroes, are a series of mishaps and bad timing, mostly by Woody’s hands, which somehow inevitably turns out for the better. But now Quantum is the carrot on a stick to take down a radical militia which ultimately make him an unwitting sacrifice. Just a typical day for a superhero and his slacker brother.

Official description from VALIANT:
Eric finds himself quickly rising through the ranks of his new employers at Magnum Security. But when he comes to find that his duties as an on-staff superhero are bit more unsavory than he ever expected, it’s down to Quantum, an old army buddy, and Woody – interloper! – to discover the illicit truth behind Mr. Magnum’s all-seeing private security empire.

James Asmus ramps up the satire in Quantum & Woody #7 to new heights and all-time hilarious lows. He runs the gamut from radical religion, militias, race and sexuality as Eric’s boss, Mr. Magnum, believes he’s sending a lamb to slaughter. But thanks to Woody nothing ever goes as planned or is ever that simple. He begins this issue facing down a slew of gun barrels and as only Woody can do expounds upon the overkill of the need for six guns when five would have worked just as well. Asmus also let’s Woody throw around terms such as “marxist-atheist-sodomite” and “homo-sinful” as he tries to escape his deadly situation. It’s always colorful and always skating a fine edge which Asmus maneuvers skillfully.

This is followed with Eric’s encounter with trigger-happy, white supremacists who just so happen to idolize Quantum not realizing who he is under the mask. This is only the first bit of irony in a book dripping with it. Eric’s former superior officer, kicked out of the military under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, now is a leader in this militia and out for revenge. Again, the irony smacks you in the face. There is a singular moment this issue that becomes more relevant and noteworthy, could only happen with Quantum & Woody, and was completely unintentional when Asmus wrote it. Woody refers to one militia member as “duck dynasty” due to his long white beard but with the satirical musing Asmus layers throughout and the sexual orientation of Eric’s former superior, it collides in a more poignant current event, “ripped from the headlines,” jab. Asmus hits it out of the park without even trying!

Ming Doyle’s work is simply great and a tailor-made for this title. Expressions are a key factor in selling non-verbal comedy in comics and Doyle masters it as easily as Asmus falls backward into great satire. Doyle has been a great addition to Quantum & Woody and handles action sequences with equal skill to her comedic and lively expressive style.

Quantum & Woody is on par with another great action/comedy Valiant tile, Archer & Armstrong, with it’s humor, odd team and eccentric villains. Eric and Woody are the oddest of couples but not only do they have to work together, but literally, their lives depend on it. They have a complicated history as brothers and even with all the mishaps and near-death experiences, Asmus manages to make their relationship much deeper and emotional under the surface than appears at face value. This book has all the elements for a great comic and is what most comics should strive to be more like. In a world full of darkness and brooding, Quantum & Woody is a breath of fresh air. For laughs, fun, action, heart and just a little bit of absurdity, Quantum & Woody is the book to get!

5/5