Quantum and Woody #1

cover date June 1997

     Things are much better inside. MUCH better. “Klang” was co-plotted by series creators Christopher Priest and M.D. (Mark) Bright. Priest provided the script while Bright did the pencils. I didn’t know at the time that the two had worked together previously on other titles for other publishers. Greg Adams was the inker.

     As people who have read other Priest-written titles like Black Panther or Captain America and the Falcon know, Priest doesn’t always tell a story chronologically. He also likes to use humorous “title cards” like the TV show Frasier. The issue opens with a chapter called “Kunta Fishbein And The Underground Railroad.” (Yes, I know that “And” and “The” shouldn’t be in capital letters but that’s how it is in the issue. Take is up with letterer Dave Lamphear.) Eric, a black teen in an impeccable school uniform, and Woody, a white teen in a rumpled school uniform, are trying to haul a dog up stairs from a basement. The dog is, apparently, stiff from rigor mortis. They are arguing about which of them is failing to help enough to actually get the dog up the stairs: Eric, who is pulling, or Woody, who is pushing. Eric is claiming that Woody is making him do more work because it is a race matter. “Woody, my people have been pulling the weight of yours for centuries—“ Woody’s heard this rhetoric before and isn’t buying it. “Eric—You live in Connecticut. Your big struggle is sea scallops versus bay scallops.” He also points out that Eric didn’t seem to care about skin color when he was kissing Amy Fishbein. The struggles, both philosophical and physical, come to an abrupt end when two things happen. First, Eric’s dad comes home. Second, the dog wakes up. The valium that Woody had fed the intruding canine didn’t kill it…and just wore off.

     “Houston, We Have A Problem.” (Any complaints about the “A” can also be sent to the letterer.) Eric and Woody are both still teens. Woody is standing on Eric’s shoulders, obviously peeking in on an undressing woman. When Woody refuses to give Eric a turn, Eric dumps him to the ground and climbs the trellis under the window. Much to his shock, it isn’t young Amy that Woody was watching but her mom, Mrs. Fishbein. Woody beats a silent but hasty retreat when Amy and Mr. Fishbein arrive to confront the boys. Eric doesn’t notice at first and doesn’t have kind words to say about the naked older woman. When he notices that Woody isn’t responding, he looks down to see Amy and her dad. He is, of course, quite embarrassed.

     “The Price.” At school, the desk next to Eric’s is empty. The teacher tells them that Woody won’t be with them anymore. At break, Eric complains to another student that Woody didn’t even say goodbye. Keith responds, “Maybe it’s because you’re black.”

     “Ashes.” Adult Eric, dressed in a military uniform, is at a funeral. Both his father and Woody’s father have died. Eric is comforted by old friends Amy and Keith. Then he spots Woody standing over to the side. The approach each other, fists ready to strike. This leads to (finally) the splash page (or pages, since it is a two-page spread). Along with all the credits and titles and such, the image is of the two of them in costume and klanging wristbands together.

     “Sole Of A Warrior.” Eric, dressed as Quantum and insisting on that name, is being confronted by the likewise costumed Woody. Woody is complaining that he can’t have long hair—which he does—and white boots. In his opinion, it sends the wrong message. Quantum cuts him short with six simple words: “You owe me. Remember the dog.” “Damn,” says Woody and he puts on the boots.

     “Quantus Leaps.” Quantum and Woody are in a police station. They’re being interviewed by Detective Joe Tomorrow. (Despite the great name, Joe is NOT a superhero, time-traveler, or anything except a hard-working police officer.) Joe is having a couple of problems. One is that he wants to call Eric “Quantus.” Easy mistake. The other is believing that the two of them are super heroes. He wants to go back and start their interview from the point where he found Eric & Woody, unconscious at the end of a trench outside an exploded building. It is (eventually) decided that the story should start at the funeral.

     Woody learned about his father’s death from a lawyer. He and Eric hadn’t seen each other in fifteen years. Just as they were about to go into fisticuffs, Detective Tomorrow came over to speak with them. The dual deaths of their fathers—partners in Affirm Research—in a helicopter accident is suspicious. Being the beneficiaries of the wills, Eric and Woody are the prime suspects of any possible wrong-doing.

     “The Onion Killeth.” Dressed all in black and wearing a high-tech wrist band on each arm, Eric intends to investigate his father’s death. His primary suspect is David Warrant. Dr. Warrant was his dad’s chief assistant and, in Eric’s opinion, had the best motive. He intends to track Dr. Warrant’s movements and actions. Woody comes along, partly to satisfy his curiosity about their dads’ deaths but mainly to annoy Eric. Much to Eric’s consternation, David Warrant does absolutely nothing suspicious. While Woody argues that one of the wrist bands should be his because their dads were partners, Dr. Warrant continues with his day, oblivious to the fact that he was being watched. At Woody’s suggestion, they stake out Affirm Research. Sure enough, Warrant eventually arrives there.

     “It Takes A Village.” The two men enter the laboratory and sneak around. Well, Eric sneaks. Woody has no compulsion about making noise and generally being as un-stealthy as possible. Eric explains that the room they are in was parts of their fathers’ electromagnetic containment field project. He’s sure that this project, worth millions, is why someone (Warrant?) killed their dads. Woody sits on a console and actives, among other things, a cover version of “Y.M.C.A.” Eric has had enough of Woody’s lack of commitment to what he’s trying to do. He shoves Woody into a glass chamber, follows him in, and closes the safety door. One can only presume he does this to prevent them from being overheard while he rips Woody a new one.

     Fifteen years of anger and frustration on both their parts comes crashing down. Eric has been holding a grudge all these years because Woody left without saying goodbye or ever calling. He believed what Keith has said about it being a race issue. Woody never called because he didn’t know Eric’s phone number; they were next door neighbors. He never wrote because his mom told him that Eric’s family moved. When Woody’s parents divorced, his mom refused money (stupid move) and the two of them lived in poverty. Woody’s dad also moved although, obviously, still had contact with Eric’s dad.

     The two of them stop their verbal and physical fight when the notice lights coming on and a disturbing hum. Dr. Warrant is outside the chamber, doing something at the control panel. The door to the chamber they are in is locked. Woody tries but fails to break the see-through chamber wall. They begin to disintegrate from the feet on up as energies fill the chamber. As Warrant continues to manipulate the control panel, Eric & Woody returns to their fighting. Already turned to energy from the waist down, the simultaneous blows cause their wristbands to klang together. The resulting explosion wrecked the lab and propelled them outside the building. That’s where Detective Tomorrow found them shortly after.

     “Okay,” Joe Tomorrow says, “Tell me about the costumes—the names—“

     Woody responds, “Well—that’s another story.” And it was another story…the next issue.

     I loved this title. There’s no doubt that my summary here has not done justice to the work done by Mr. Priest and Mr. Bright. Should I ever win Powerball, I’m going to buy the rights to Quantum & Woody, then call Priest and tell him “Get to work!” Most of the series was collected in very affordable trade paperbacks along with bonus material. It is, I assure you, very worth buying.