Quantum And Woody #4

Writer James Asmus Artist Tom Fowler

Introduction

Quantum And Woody has gotten into a great three issue head start towards being one of the very best books over at Valiant. James Asmus is an up and coming writer who has gotten a major break along with artist Tom Fowler on the book. The uncanny sense of storytelling has led to some great reading thus far, along with the expansion of a medium through lighter superhero fair. Different takes on capes and tights might seem like a dime a dozen these days, but Asmus does just enough to keep things fresh. This story also has no problem getting slightly darker when necessary. One major player of the cast is inherently not a great human being, which makes the happenings of their adventures that much more interesting. Over the past few installments, the villains have begun developing in the troubled lives of the characters. These rogues are built off of some crazy ideas that stretch from weird to hilarious, similar to most notes of this tale. Hopefully going forward there will be a deeper exploration of the weirder elements coming to a boiling point within this comic.

Writing

This issue of the tale wraps up the introductory storylines between the two characters, it also introduces the goat from the previous incarnation of the title who was also on the cover to the first issue. For the conclusion to an arc, this installment sets up a lot of new ground for the story to follow. New characters are introduced, along with concepts and ideas what could possibly be heading to the next story. Setting up a humorous arc in a title like this, has to be very difficult. That is why, it should impress readers that the talent manages to make a clear landing in the face of the story. While it may have been hard to see the villains here as an actual threat to the characters, especially because this was supposed to be a big pay off issue to the last five chapters. The murky background is still fleshed out here among the different characters.

Art

Tom Fowler continues to impress with his regal, yet kinetic style. The penciller is a masterful at creating the illusion of motion in his work. Comics are demanding of the reader by nature, that’s why a talent like Fowler is one to truly be appreciated. While I do enjoy looking at some other artists with strong dynamic energy, the narrative usually gets lost. This artist makes a great case for ever penciller to focus on both aspects of the trade, so the craft of comic books will be the best story that they can possibly create. Readers are given a sneak peek at the cover to the next issue, in the end of issue #4. This new take on the classic Steranko esque piece, is gorgeous and hopefully something that the illustrator can bring to the interior of this tale. As long as pencils are in the deft hands of Fowler, readers should continue to be interested in Quantum And Woody well into the future.

Conclusion

Asmus and Fowler cap off the first storyline of this series with a solid finish. Hopefully going forward, rogues will be better developed in the context of this universe.