Q2: The Return of Quantum and Woody #2 continues the story of the new duo as they attempt to put a stop to Koro’s crime spree with the help of the original Quantum and Woody. This issue opens up with the original duo fleeing in a pickup truck after Woody killed the man who tried to accost them in the woods after finding a dead body. Woody is fleeing while his brain is racing through twisted scenarios of what will happen to him in jail despite being a kid and Quantum’s assurances that those things wouldn’t happen. This history is representative of the current situation with the original Quantum approaching this situation with Koros in a well thought out manner locating Rusen Ali, the one behind Koros in order to discuss his true motives, while Woody speeds ahead without much thought. Mr. Ali tells Quantum the mythic narrative of Koro, or rather Koroglu,and how in this narrative he led his blind father to a mystic river to receive healing and eternal youth but selfishly drank it before him and the father died. And after that he took up the sword and went by the name Koroglu. He wants to know why Quantum tries to stop his heists seeing as how he believes he’s stealing from those who have taken from his homeland and his people. And he was able to defeat the new Quantum and Woody on an earlier occasion and even in front of cameras. This defeat is what brought the original Woody out of retirement because of the concern about the kid but with the original Quantum seemingly addressing the situation in a more sophisticated manner will Woody’s involvement only cause unnecessary complications? And who are the new Quantum and Woody?

The first issue was successful in creating an intriguing story line for the new Quantum and Woody, generating interest in their identities while giving a strong context to the original duo. Some of the humor was hit and miss with the way the story jumped around but the action and Koro, the villain, were very good. This issue started off with a flashback back to Woody and Quantum’s youth but aside from them running, and maybe serving as a metaphor for their career together, not much comes from this flashback this time around. However the way the recent past and current events tie together this issue is masterful with the most engrossing being Quantum’s extended conversation with Mr. Ali, and not just because of the name. It was like watching two chess masters feeling each other out but in this case it was each one revealing just enough of their motives and plans , and the story behind Koro was just fascinating. Mr. Ali’s plans would be revealed and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this will unfold. Last issue had the feeling of things just randomly happening but this issue would start to piece those various plotlines together such as the original Woody returning, and he would explain his reason to the new duo. The banter was enjoyable and I was surprised about the new Woody, who has a sassy wit. And the original Woody’s, uh, organized confusion was still intact and worked better this issue in terms of humor. And I don’t want to give away any of the details behind the characters but I’m really engrossed in this Koro story line and how it connects to all the characters in some way. I don’t know what reception Mr. Ali was referring to but I know I’ll be there too since now I can’t wait for the next issue.

SUMMARY

Q2: The Return of Quantum and Woody #2 improves on everything in the first issue and reveals a very engrossing storyline about Koro’s origins and the true motives of the one behind him. Having the original Quantum face to face with Mr. Ali was an excellent move and served as a way to provide so many details in an entertaining way. Enough light would be shed on the new Quantum and Woody while the original would explain why he came back, and I thoroughly enjoyed the character development. And the humor worked better with a couple of legitimate laugh out loud moments so everything came together in a very smooth manner. I still don’t know how the flashback from their youth still pertains to the current situation but it had its moment. But now I’m really into this series and seeing how everything comes to a head in this story arc.

Release Date: 11/12/14

Writer: Priest

Artist: MD Bright