March 13, 2014

Review -- QUANTUM AND WOODY: GOAT #0

Quantum and Woody: Goat #0

(James Asmus / Tom Fowler / Allen Passalaqua / Matt Milla / Dave Lanphear; Valiant)
4 stars
A better reviewer than I would probably spend the first half of a review of Quantum and Woody: Goat #0 talking about the storied history of the goat and what the return of Tom Fowler means to this series, but I'll freely admit that I'm tootired lazy uninterested  much of a professional to do the 15 minute internet search it would take to ground myself in the goat background and/or familiarize myself with who Tom Fowler is in the first place and then cleverly pass this information off as if I knew it all along.
Quantum and Woody: Goat
Rather, I'm diving into the turbulent waters of this book wearing nothing but a Speedo made of muffins and my lack of better judgment to see if I will sink or swim in what Valiant is passing off as “excitement and laughs and all that!
Wait.. did I just write “Speedo made of muffins”?  Blame it on the goat.
Because this ain't no quotidian goat.
Once again, Valiant has released a Zero Issue full of fun and creativity and great art and sweet dialogue and a fast pace and lollipops and ice-cream cones (well, maybe not the lollipops). Quantum and Woody: Goat #0 is full of one-liners and zingers and puns and visual gags and Carl Sagan. This is no thick Russian novel or grand Grecian monomyth –Goat #0 is a shaggy dog story devoid of the tediousness of such a tale, substituting a goat for the dog and leaving you with a smile on your face.

It's the kind of book that you just have to let yourself like, as some of the jokes might make you wince if you think about them too long. It's the kind of humor that's especially funny when you haven't slept in a few days. Don't over-analyze; giggle til you pee.
This is an origin story that is more concerned with story than origin. Asmus and Fowler obviously have a great fondness for the goat and it shows in their careful handling of story and art. Fowler draws one of the best “Goat-in-Love” panels I've ever seen (and believe me when I tell you, I've seen quite a few), and the last page seemingly indicates some major revelations about the goat's importance to the larger story of the series (I think – it's a little confusing).
Also, a quick shout out to letterer Dave Lanphear for his work on a top quarter of a panel TWO-BOOM sound effect. It's a thing of beauty.
So where was I?

Oh yea, you could buy a lot less entertainment for $3.99 in most circles, brother, and almost all of it would have a lot less goat. So go on and get your goat, if you're looking for a couple of chuckles and a Speedo made of muffins (why do I keep coming back to that – damn goat)

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