After a much need hiatus, Thursday’s Valiant Effort is back! This issue, as well as the next couple will be catch up articles to get December through February books reviewed for all you great fans. Look for an awesome giveaway or two over the next couple of weeks. I will have some Gold issues as well as some other great items. Keep an eye out for a new article that will include the rules for the giveaway.
I will start off this Valiant return (see what I did there?) with a review of the last three issues of Q2: The Return of Quantum and Woody!
Q2: The Return of Quantum and Woody #3 through #5
Priest and MD Price continue this great series, showing us the future, and the past, of the worst, but the funniest, superhero team. This series has taken us about 20 years into the future of the Valiant Universe, exploring the lives of Eric (Quantum) and Woody (Woody…) and what they are doing with their lives. We find out in issue #3 that Woody finally figured out how to remove the quantum bands, so the two could be “free” of each other without disintegrating. The bands give them their powers, but the catch has always been that they needed to clang them together every 24 hours or their molecules would separate… not something either of them wanted. Now, this future sees Eric mentoring a young man and a gender confused girl as the new Quantum and Woody. Their battle is against a villain named Koros who we found out in issue #2 was actually a synthetic being, like a person created in a lab. Now the team has to fight against a secret organization known as the Sword in order to find what they call “the grail”, the blueprints for constructing more beings like Koros.
Another part of this storyline reaches back in to Eric’s and Woody’s past, exploring an event where they were at camp and met up with a criminal who tried to kill them. Woody shot him with his own gun and now, they are dealing with the consequences. Both friends are going to talk to the local sheriff to explain what happened.
Issue #3 really has us questioning the moral ground that Eric claims to be holding. He has some other agenda and Woody wants to know what it is. Issue #4 has some big reveals about just how far Eric was willing to go to save something that he feels is precious. Turns out that he had “the grail” all along. Now, Johnathan is starting to get his memory back and realizes that he was a government operative that was supposed to stop Eric from doing what the government thought was wrong. Issue #5 is our big finale as the truth about Eric’s plans, and our new Woody, finally comes out. Eric is out to destroy the synthetic life that he sees as a true threat to humanity. This could have a disastrous impact on the new Woody, not to mention that they need to stop the synthetic army of the recently unlocked Sword that is now serving Koro. This big finish is not to be missed! My Rating: 4.5/5
Quantum and Woody Valiant-Sized #1
This issue is sort of a Christmas special for our beloved goof-ball heroes. Three different tales, all interconnected, that give us some more insight into the relationship between these two brothers, but also set us up for a future storyline… maybe, if the bad guy has time in his busy schedule of doing good things. Woody and Quantum face a threat to Earth that is very much like the plot of several movies. Giant asteroid. Doom and gloom for Earth. Working with Thomas Edison (yes, THE Thomas Edison), they devise a plan that is so crazy it just might work. Of course, Woody screws it up. This was a great story and I really loved the interactions between all the characters, the action, and the comedy that we have all come to love and expect from James Asmus. A perfect addition to the Quantum and Woody series. My Rating: 5/5
Quantum and Woody Must Die! #1 and #2 (of 4)
In Quantum and Woody’s newest adventure, they may be secretly controlled by their therapist using hypnosis, but it really seems to be working out for them. They thwart the bad guys at every turn and the public seems to love them. With the Domino Twins stealing from the FDA for a company called Z-Nyth, Quantum and Woody are on the case. After following a lead, they come face to face with a giant monkey monster and some super-powered humans working for Z-Nyth. In another part of the story, a victim of the first robbery attempt, the robber who was dumped in a pile of mixed chemicals, lays dying and is offered the chance to get revenge on the ones who did this to him… Quantum and Woody! This is an amazing series from award-winning creators James Asmus (Gambit) and Steve Lieber (Superior Foes of Spider-Man). If you are a Quantum and Woody fan, this is a must. If you are not a fan… what’s wrong with you? Get on the bandwagon! My Rating: 4.5/5
Ivar, Timewalker #1
I know we have already had a full review of this one, which you can check out here, but I wanted to include my two cents in this article. Ivar Anni-Padda is a man who follows time arcs and travels through all points of history. This story introduces us to Dr. Sethi, the woman who almost invents time travel, or what Ivar calls the “single biggest threat to everything”. My favorite line? “Come with me if you want to make history.” This series is action and wit and smarts. I really enjoyed every minute of it and look forward to the next issues. You should check out this new series from one of my favorite guys, Fred Van Lente with some awesome art by Clayton Henry and Bryan Reber. My Rating: 4.5/5
That’s it for this first one back in a while. I hope you enjoyed it and saw something that you may want to pick up and read. Valiant has an awesome universe that has what a lot of the big publishers are missing… continuity and great stories. So, look for my next installment coming soon with some cool giveaways. Keep your eyes peeled and read Valiant first!
