When many people hear the name Daniel Kibblesmith, they’ll usually cite his work as a comedy writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But this December, Daniel’s name will become synonymous with “rising comic book writer” when he takes the wheel at Valiant Entertainment‘s return of QUANTUM AND WOODY!
This December, four-time-offending writer Daniel Kibblesmith and taser-proof artist Kano (Daredevil)
give the Valiant Universe the adjective-worthy superheroes it deserves: QUANTUM AND WOODY!
The Emmy-nominated writer/comedian took time out of his busy schedule (much appreciated!) to chat with us about the upcoming series. Hear how the writer studied up on Eric and Woody Henderson, who Daniel identifies with, and which character from the Valiant Universe he’d like to see make an appearance in QUANTUM AND WOODY!
#KLANG
QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017) #1
Written by Daniel Kibblesmith
Art by Kano
Cover A (Standard) by Julian Totino Tedesco (OCT171904)
Cover B (Extreme Ultra-Foil) by Geoff Shaw (OCT171905)
Pre-Order Edition by Nick Pitarra (OCT171909)
Extreme Ultra-Foil Chase Variant by Geoff Shaw (OCT171906)
Q&W Icon Variant by Neal Adams (OCT171907)
The Most Variant Cover of All Time! by Clayton Henry, SPECIAL GUESTS & EVERY GIMMICK KNOWN TO MAN! (OCT171908)
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On Sale DECEMBER 20th (FOC–11/27/17)
Sometimes… you embrace your destiny. And sometimes… you and your trouble-making adopted brother find yourselves trapped in a scientific lab explosion that grants you $@&%ing awesome super-powers. As a result of their accident, Eric and Woody Henderson – aka Quantum and Woody – must “klang” their wristbands together every 24 hours or both dissipate into nothingness. Which makes superhero-ing pretty awkward when you’re not on speaking terms at the moment. See, Eric has been keeping a pretty big secret: He knows who Woody’s birth father really is… and where he’s been hiding all these years.
<[Preview] Valiant Offers Bonus Content, Covers + More w/ QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017) #1-4 Pre-Order Edition Bundle>
“They can’t really break up. They’re joined at the hip. Almost literally,” writer Daniel Kibblesmith told The Washington Post. “Part of that tension is, how long can you really keep up the silent treatment when you have to see this person every day?… You have this extremely practical reason that they’re fighting and it’s sort of two stubborn people playing the role of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.”
PREVIEW PAGES
<[Preview] Valiant Debuts QUANTUM AND WOODY! #0.0001½ – Free Digital-First Prelude Available Now!>
PopCultHQ Creator Spotlight:
Daniel Kibblesmith of Valiant’s QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017)
PopCultHQ: How much research did you wind up doing to familiarize yourself with the personalities and history of Eric “Quantum” Henderson and his adoptive brother Woodrow “Woody” Van Chelton, err, Henderson?
Daniel Kibblesmith: I’d read all the recent Quantum and Woody stories already – they were my entry point into the Valiant Universe, and I knew then-writer James Asmus as an acquaintance from the comedy world. But once I had an opportunity to write them myself, I had a great time rereading that run to get a feel for their voices. Funnily, the week I got the gig, I was in a used bookstore and found a first edition paperback of Priest and Bright’s original Quantum and Woody from the ‘90s – which I read immediately – and it’s incredible how fully formed and ahead of its time those comics were. So I reached out to Valiant to swipe some more recent reprints and make sure I could read all those as well.
PopCultHQ: Was there a defining characteristic (of any character in the series) that you are/were most looking forward to explore, either because of the fun nature or that you saw an exciting challenge?
Daniel Kibblesmith: I definitely try to have strong motivations or drives in mind when I’m writing the characters, even if it’s something I’m doing instinctively that I haven’t sat down and articulated. It helps when – like I said with the Priest and Asmus comics – the characters’ personalities are so complete that I really feel like I know what they’d do in any situation I drop them in.
With Woody it would obviously be the fun of writing a character who lives like there’s no tomorrow. I thought about the way he was raised, and the total lack of stability that came with being a foster child, especially one with a history of abuse. He knows what he can survive and bounce back from, and that the world doesn’t owe him anything, so why would he behave any other way?
Then Eric gets to be the straight-laced counterpoint, the guy I think I relate to a little more directly. He thinks he can control his world as long as he doesn’t give an inch and does everything by the book. This has NEVER borne out in reality – Woody is actually a lot more adept at navigating the chaos of their world – but he still futilely battles chaos with common sense.
PopCultHQ: Did you draw from any personal experiences from your childhood or family in establishing the relationship and the struggle of the two superpowered siblings?
Daniel Kibblesmith: Short answer: Probably. I’m the oldest of five, so that sense of responsibility is probably why I relate more directly to Quantum, but secretly long to be a Woody. But having adult siblings is weird, because you’re perpetually playing out childhood cycles and falling into old patterns as soon as you’re together. You’re locked into a dynamic with them. Quantum and Woody are fun because their bracelets – which must be KLANG’D together every 24 hours or they’ll evaporate – just literalize the metaphor of being stuck with your family, like it or not, for life.
PopCultHQ: With what you’ve already written for the new Q&W! series, do you have a personal favorite between the brothers? Perhaps one you really connect with or possibly one where you’re eager to explore their character?
Daniel Kibblesmith: Like I said, I feel like I exist more like Eric. But as a comedy writer, Woody gets all the best lines.
PopCultHQ: Your comedic prowess had to be attractive to Valiant to script their hilarious buddy team. Have you found yourself bringing anything you’ve learned or experienced now in the comic book genre back to your other work or personal life?
Daniel Kibblesmith: I think the thing that carries over is the process of storytelling. Even when I’m at my other, other job writing for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, we’re still trying to create a narrative with a strong emotional point of view and carry people through it. Although those narratives might be about us as a country, the goal is still articulating and processing a feeling we all relate to, the same way people with siblings can hopefully relate to Q&W.
PopCultHQ: Writing for the ComiXology Original series ‘Valiant High‘ afforded you the opportunity to become familiar with a number of Valiant’s characters. What character in the Valiant Universe would you love to see pop-up in Quantum & Woody! and why?
Daniel Kibblesmith: Ninjak, because Ninjak. I would’ve said Faith, but I like her too much to put her through that.
~~~~~
Special thanks to Mr. Kibblesmith for taking the time to be interviewed by PopCultHQ.
Be sure to follow Daniel and Valiant online (links below)
to stay up on all the latest on QUANTUM AND WOODY!
Here’s an early look at QUANTUM AND WOODY! #2 coming in January 2018:
QUANTUM AND WOODY! (2017) #2
Written by Daniel Kibblesmith
Art by Kano
Cover A (Standard) by Julian Totino Tedesco
Cover B (Extreme Ultra-Foil) by Geoff Shaw
Extreme Ultra-Foil Chase Variant by Geoff Shaw
Q&W Icon Variant by Mike Allred
Blank Cover Also Available
The must-read superhero-action-family-drama-buddy-comedy throwdown of 2018!
It’s the ones you love that hurt you the most…and, in the case of super-powered adoptive brothers Eric and Woody Henderson – aka Quantum and Woody – this is definitely going to leave a mark! Quantum has kept the truth about Woody’s biological father a secret, and now that Woody has found out about his brother’s betrayal, their once-promising superhero career has ground to a standstill. So now it’s time for one last shot at teaming up as our heroes head “down under” – ahem, to Australia – in search of Woody’s one true DNA match. Like father, like son? Let’s hope not.
You’ll believe two men and a goat can fly coach when the new adventures of the world’s worst superhero team continue with a slightly less collectible second issue from rising star Daniel Kibblesmith (The Late Show With Stephen Colbert) and dazzling artist extraordinaire Kano (Daredevil)!
$3.99 | 32 pg. | T+| On Sale JANUARY 31st
Writer – Daniel Kibblesmith
Daniel Kibblesmith is an Emmy-nominated writer and comedian from Oak Park, Illinois. He is a staff writer for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (2015) and a founding editor of ClickHole (2014). He has written comics for Valiant Comics, D.C., and Heavy Metal, and comedy for The New Yorker, McSweeneys, and The Onion News Network. He is the author of Santa’s Husband (Harper Design, 2017) and co-author of the humor book How to Win at Everything (Chronicle Books, 2013). He works and lives in New York City, with his favorite author, Jennifer Wright.
`
`
`
Publisher – Valiant Entertainment
Valiant Entertainment is a leading character-based entertainment company that Owns the largest independent superhero universe in comics. With more than 80 million issues sold and a library of over 2,000 characters, including X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, Archer & Armstrong, and many more, Valiant is one of the most successful publishers in the history of the comic book medium. Today, the company’s characters continue to be forged in publishing, licensing, film, video games, and beyond. Valiant consistently produces some of the most critically acclaimed comics in the industry and has received numerous industry awards and accolades, including a Diamond Gem Award for Comic Book Publisher of the Year. Valiant also recently announced a multi-picture deal to bring Bloodshot and Harbinger to the big screen as feature films. Visit them online at ValiantEntertainment.com.
`
