Valiant Entertainment 2017
Written by Daniel Kibblesmith
Illustrated by Kano
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Adoptive brothers Eric and Woody Henderson, while investigating their father’s murder, fall victim to a scientific accident gone wrong. Now, they must KLANG their wristbands together every 24 hours, or else they’ll be pulled apart by the quantum forces that empower them. Together, they fight crime...when they’re not fighting each other.
I wasn’t even sure I was going to read this one. The buddy comedy thing was tired and kind of tripe to me and the artwork has been well let’s just say short of what I would like to see. I kind of saw them as a joke if I’m being honest it got to the point where they were a lame Blue & Gold and yet here we are with a new volume, a new ongoing series and a new number one.
Here’s what I already know Daniel has a sense of humour, a delivery system that makes it intelligent and interesting almost sarcastic in nature and its completely the best adult humour has to offer. I was and still am a huge fan of the Doorman and if he can bring that kind of humour and sensibility to this series then we are going to have one hell of a fantastic time here. This is what happens when you get a writer who’s portfolio is diverse and recognisable, in other words his fan base essentially. So I was looking forward to this when I learned he was the writer.
So I actually like the whole premise here. Woody having been adopted by Eric’s dad and the two becoming brothers with completely different attitudes and outlooks on life. You could say that Woody’s childhood trauma shaped the man he would become which is why he finds it hard to take anything seriously. By the same token Eric has that stability and sensibility that he’s bound by some kind of honour. Even at age 9, the opening here, we see how different they were. Oh and by the by the work Kano does on the opening solidified that I’m not going anywhere for a while.
So then a year after the Government folk offered Eric a job, one without Woody, and things are well not exactly great. Eric has the goat who is still phenomenal as a character in its own right. I have to say as far as first issues go to see the whole thing play out so we get perspective of how not only the boys were, have been and are but how the future is going to be. Daniel does an amazing job with the structure of this book and it gives me great hope for how it’s going to be. The ebb & flow here is brilliantly done and the characterisation is stellar and it makes me want to see more and that’s the golden ticket right there.
Kano is a very seasoned illustrator who’s eye for storytelling is pretty spectacular. The way he can set the page layouts and then use angles and perspective in the panels is a joy to see. The fact that he isn’t afraid of utilising backgrounds when he wants to and give them the same attention to detail he gives us in the characters and the main features well it’s nice. Granted I’d like to see more backgrounds in use but that’s me.
So I have to say the secret that Eric kept from Woody is huge and if that’s why we see how they interact with one another and his reaction to what is offered at the end of the issue. Either way it’s a whole different direction for the brothers and it looks like things will never be the same and while blood may be the ties that bind hopefully we’ll learn that growing up as siblings leaves a far longer effect on him, Woody that is.
This has the right kind of humour, anger and a developing story that has incredible potential.