Just as DC Comics have recently campaigned for their "Year Of The Villain," Valiant Comics appears to be campaigning for their "Year Of Heroes." Valiant is even previewing Doctor Tomorrow on the last few pages of Quantum & Woody #1. Valiant is also preparing for Bloodshot, another one of their titles, to premier in theaters on March 13. Vin Diesel will be playing the title character.
Let us talk about the premier issue of Quantum & Woody. At first glance, the story appears to center around a nerd, a bodybuilder and a goat. But upon reading, the writer, Christopher Hastings, proves that it is going to be so much more. Whether in movies or comic books, creating an interesting introduction to the characters while not boring the reader or viewer with a backstory is an extremely difficult task. However, Hastings has accomplished this! When you throw in the artwork of Ryan Browne and the colorful eye of Ruth Redmond, you have a title that possesses a good future for its brand.
The general consensus appears to be that the public is not very trusting of Eric and Woody Henderson's super powers. As brothers, these two appear to have shared a long history together, including some time at war. I love the fact that the panels are heavy with dialogue, including some humor at times. This alone makes me envision their story on the big screen.
Also very interesting is this issue's villains, who seem to be set up to maintain a history of crimes against the government. It is not often where your bad guys are a family that looks quite normal, especially when they are discussing the sale of girl scout cookies and cub scout popcorn. Their next priority after settling the snack debate is to prevent an act from being passed through the Senate that would indirectly control some of the future advancements in technology. Wearing masks, this militant family isn't ruling out killing to get their point across. As a matter of fact, they are expecting it.
I am always looking for new additions to my comic book collection and sometimes new blood or independent works can provide some interesting choices. Although, I should never jump to my first conclusion, even though this is a positive one, it will be just as exciting to see where the Valiant community of artists take this story into the future.