Quantum and Woody, Vol. 3: Crooked Pasts, Present Tense by James Asmus

Quantum and Woody, Vol. 3: Crooked Pasts, Present Tense Reviews

• 
  Anne

  This last volume of Quantum & Woody wraps up this run nicely, I think. And I'm honestly looking forward to seeing these guys team up with Archer & Armstrong in
  The Delinquents.
  
  
  
  The Goat #0 was a cool issue that explained...well, it explained why the hell these two have been running around with this science experiment goat. I kept wondering what the fuck was up with sticking a random goat in the comic, and now (ta-da!) I know.
  
  
  
  I guess I need to go back and read some of the older comics about these guys because I get the feeling this isn't the best run. BUT as an introduction to them, I thought it was pretty decent. I ended up liking both Eric & Woody, plus all the weird side characters that went along with them.
  
  
  
  Overall, this was fun. Maybe not required reading, but still worth your time if you are looking for a bit of a silly comic to read.
• 
  Chris Lemmerman

  I realised who Quantum & Woody remind me of now; most of the Valiant books have obvious DC/Marvel counterparts, but these two have eluded me for a while. Now I get it though; they're like Cable & Deadpool. Eric's the one trying to do the right thing, while Woody screws it all up, but they both manage to save the day at the end of it, with some laughs along the way. Cracked it.
  
  This final volume of their ongoing series collects the last four issues, as well as the Goat one-shot that finally reveals what the hell is going on with it (although it takes a long time to get there).
  
  The main story flits backwards and forwards, really leaning into that Crooked Pasts, Present Tense title as we learn more about Woody's past and the brothers try to make a living, only to run afoul of the ERA again in the final issue. Things aren't exactly tied up neatly, but it does feel like the characters are turning a corner by the end of the book.
  
  The art's a bit all over the shop, with Tom Fowler on the Goat, Kano on two issues, and then Wilfredo Torres and Erica Henderson taking the last two. There aren't any particular standouts, but then I don't feel like any of the artists here get a lot of chance to really let loose. There's a lot of cram-packed panels, which doesn't give them much room to maneuver.
  
  I can see why this one only lasted 12 issues; it's a good premise, but I don't think it quite lands all the time.
• 
  Chad

  A little too absurd to me. Too much focus on telling jokes and not enough attention paid to telling good stories. Feels like the series is meandering a bit at this point and lost focus. Kind of like what happened to the old Keith Giffen / Kevin MacGuire Justice League series after about 25 issues. The book needs to regain that balance between jokes and story.
• 
  Wing Kee

  Moments but mostly meh.
  
  World: The art is great, I love this style that really lends itself to very emotive characters. The world building is self contained to this series and there's little crossover from the main Valiant universe which is a shame. But the pieces we do get are often quite hilarious.
  
  Story: The continuation of the story since issue one. There are some pacing issues here and there and a plot that's barely stitched together and doesn't really hit the point it sets out to hit. However it did have it's moments though they were few and far between. The ending is a bit of a meh and honestly I don't feel inclined to learn more.
  
  Characters: Fully established by now in what they are and there is little or no growth in them, nor is there really an arc. Some characters like 69 do but Q&W are arrested development which is meh.
  
  It had it's moments but was highly forgettable.
  
  Onward to the next book!
• 
  Judah Radd

  Does a good job of being what it’s trying to be, however what it’s trying to be isn’t quite for me.
  
  That’s ok! I still mostly enjoyed it. The characters were fun and there were some good laughs. I would have liked a more engaging story, some intrigue, a better villain and more cool action parts, but I think the intent was more oriented towards goofy character hijinks, and I think it did that pretty well.
  
  The art was adequate. Not flashy and beautiful, but told the story clearly. Overall, if this is what you’re looking for... you’ve found it.
  
  I recommend to anyone who likes Quantum & Woody!
• 
  Des Fox

  Quantum and Woody veers into its finale, and loses just a little bit of cohesion on the way. We return to the E.R.A. story arc, with some decent, if rushed payoff. This volume does not feature a consistent artist, but everyone on the book does an admirable job, with a particularly strong display from Kano. While the plot is the least focused of the series so far, it still does well to resolve the series, while delivering constant laughs and clever pop culture references. There's a particularly great segment near the end focused on Thomas Edison that made me laugh out loud, something Quantum and Woody is always good for. There's some good character development too, making the for a satisfying conclusion as we lead into The Delinquents.
• 
  Emma Gear

  What a disappointment.
  
  I was so interested in this book based on the premise. A pair of estranged brothers who barely get along at the best of times being gifted with superpowers that require them to reunite and KLANG their bracelets together every 24 hours or risk being ripped apart atom by atom. Also it's a comedy! It sounds so fun... but I just did not like Quantum and Woody.
  
  
  
  It sucks because everything about Quantum and Woody is something I would be into. A mismatched pair that could very easily lead into comedic moments. Superhero comedies are a greatly underserved genre that I really really want more of. The powers are fun and even the gimmick behind them works to serve the comedy! The brothers barely like one another but they're forced to never be away thanks to the imminent threat of death! It's so good!
  
  I find it hard to pinpoint why I don't like Quantum and Woody. There's a lot of potential reasons, but I think the biggest one is probably Woody himself.
  
  
  
  Woody is one half of the duo and is essentially the comic relief member to contrast Quantum's (Eric) more stoic and serious approach to using their powers for good. The easiest tropes to apply would be that he's a slacker, a womanizer, and very self-serving but these traits are all played up to such an extreme degree that he comes off as more unlikable than a fun scamp. Like in that pic there once the group is surrounded by police while naked Woody's immediate thought is to claim that Eric is a terrorist who's kidnapped him. And uh, even in 2013 it's pretty obvious what could happen if the cops were to buy his story wholesale.
  
  And it doesn't really end there. Woody seems like he'd be the more street smart of the pair to play off of Quantum's book and military smarts but he doesn't even seem to have that much. He doesn't really contribute anything to the pairing at all, aside from being a grating character to endure. While I do have other problems (Like the main issue with their powers being sort of ignored after the first arc) I feel like Woody as a character is probably the most egregious problem.
  
  
  
  Which is doubly bad because Eric is more multilayered as a character. Growing up black there's more than a few flashbacks with his father where he has to be scolded for even little things like defending himself against a racist kid. Laying out the problem that a lot of black kids have to deal with where doing anything out of line even if you didn't instigate the problem can come off as looking bad and reinforce negative stereotypes other people may hold. It's surprisingly deep commentary like that when combined with Woody's "jokes" about trying to get Eric killed by cops that only make Woody seem even worse of a character.
  
  That's not to say it's all unfunny. There were a few gags that genuinely got me, including one where Woody offhandedly mentions he infiltrated Eric's place of work to steal some tech and that he used blackface to do it. It's not shown and not dwelled on and Eric's reaction is suitably irritated that it just sells the joke so well. Sadly the moments of genuine humor don't feel nearly enough, and what you're left with is two estranged brothers, one of whom comes off as genuinely, deeply unlikable.
  
  That being said, I might be interested in reading more. I feel like a lot of problems I had with this run could be solved by a different writer because all of the pieces are in place to make something good! The premise is INCREDIBLY strong. It's absolutely something I want to see someone do right.
  
  So would I recommend 2013's Quantum and Woody? Not really. Do I want to see more? Kinda.
• 
  Russio

  More of the same, which is mostly a good thing. The goat origin is the best part of this and there are some witty postmodern subversions - the comic turns into a parodic freebie comic from an eatery for a few pages. The final panel is great but there is a little too much neatness about the enterprise in its concluding section and the balance between sci-fi and humour has tipped a little back towards the former, whereas it was the satire of volume 2 that really did it for me.
• 
  Beth

  Lots of fun. The goat wins best supporting character role.
• 
  Richard

  Read and reviewed as part of
  Quantum and Woody: Deluxe Edition 1
• 
  Ferenc

  4/5 - Graphic Novels
  2/5 - Superheroes
  2/5 - Story
  2/5 - Characters
  
  2.5/5 - Rating
• 
  Alex Sarll

  The secret origin of the boys' superpowered goat sidekick! Woody trying to act like a responsible adult! Eric trying not to get his stuff eaten by the goat while also trying to get Woody to act like a responsible adult! All of which goes about as well as you'd expect. Although there's a very meta complaint from Eric about the late shifts in artist which beset modern comics, I'm not sure the series has ever looked better than in the final issue of this joyous and ludicrous collection, where Squirrel Girl's Erica Henderson* reminds us she is the queen of goofball superheroics.
  
  *Weirdly, only one letter different from Quantum's real name. Unless this is like when D. Grayson wrote Nightwing and it turned out she'd pen-named herself after Dick?
• 
  Shannon Appelcline

  Goat (0). A cute little origin story for the Goat. Occasionally funny, but neither deep nor important [7/10].
  
  Crooked Pasts, Present Tense (9-12). Sadly, the least interesting arc of Quantum & Woody is the last one. It gets off totally on the wrong foot with Woody returning to serious crime, which seems out of character for the character to date. Meanwhile, the art goes from OK to poor halfway through the arc, and it ends with the exit of one of the best characters in the new comic. Along the way there's a little humor and some funny interaction, but none of it feels particularly novel [5+/10].
• 
  Cale

  This wraps up the series, and does do a fairly good job of tying up the loose ends. It's not quite as funny overall, but still has its moments (although a classic kids comic book section for young Edison didn't work for me at all). By the end, everything's back to the status quo, with a few minor changes, and it doesn't really feel like the overall journey did much. It was an interesting book to read, but even with the closure offered here, it's not something I'd recommend. Not bad, but not worth going out of your way to read.
• 
  Anchorpete

  A Superhero book that is actually funny. This book is great, even though I would say this volume gave me the least laugh out loud moments of the entire series. I have this feeling that this book was wrapped up quicker than James Asmus would have liked. It felt like there were a few more story arcs to go, before all of the various plot lines were brought together for the conclusion. I think Valiant has a plan to bring these two guys back, and soon. I am hoping James Asmus is attached.
  
  
• 
  Stefanie

  If you enjoyed the first two volumes, then you have to read the third. It was maybe my least favorite of the three, but it was still funny and provided some the closure necessary for a finale. I loved the Goat prologue. It would have been great if they would have set up The Delinquents in the end. I haven't read any Archer & Armstrong, so I don't know if I'll follow Q&W into the crossover.
• 
  Adam Stone

  I don't care about a single character in this comic. While I sometimes like slapstick, and weird and convoluted plots, this has just seemed like directionless nonsense.
  
  I am curious how it will crossover into Archer & Armstrong, but I don't look forward to reading anything more about these characters.
• 
  David Williams

  Oh that dastardly E.R.A., making the Goat even more awesome than it was already. This final book in the first go-round of the re-vamped Q+W does what it should: blindly klangs its way through ridiculousness.
• 
  Ritinha

  Finalmente Asmus explorou o puro ouro que há na personagem d'«o bode» e apostou mais em momentos dignos de Chew do que na patetice pura do Woody (embora esta nunca seja menosprezada).
  Run de boa saúde e recomendável.
• 
  Jay

  Tapped by private security agency, the one of the brother hope to go legit while the brother just like to stir up crap and was right about one thing. Being a hero isn't all cracked up.
• 
  Daniel Butcher

  I think I'm coming around to Quantum and Woody due to the nice use of pop culture reference to bring on the funny.
• 
  Alex

  Probably the most well-written volume. Strikes a good balance between jokes and tender moments.
• 
  James

  My main takeaway from this series is that I want to read the original Priest run, again and see if it's as good as I remember. This was not terrible but I wouldn't say it was good, either. There are jokes from the original series that I still carry with me, but most of the humor in this series just fell flat for me.