Is the reboot of Quantum and Woody any good?

I have finally gotten around to reading the reboot of Quantum and woody. I was a big fan of the original series and I was really curious to see if the new version could live up to the quirky and cutting brilliance of the original.

Quantum and Woody, the world's worst super team, was a strange combination of social commentary, character development and sophomoric humor. It explored racism and friendship and goats wearing funny costumes. It managed to be crude and touching all at the same time. 

Part of what made it so strong was the fact that both of the main characters were deeply flawed and hurting people. They may have been trying to play the part of superheroes (well, Quantum was, at least) but they were really anti-heroes struggling to be functional.

Anyway, the reboot is not nearly as good as the original. Having said that, that's kind of like comparing anyone to Michelangelo. Yes, I just called  Christopher Priest Michelangelo. And it felt great.

The reboot is good. When I am not comparing it to the impossibly high standards of the original version, it was a fun, occasionally thoughtful read. I definitely had a good time reading it.

And they did make some choices that I liked. Woody, who was never into the whole superhero thing and really just did it to take care of Eric, doesn't even wear a costume in the new version. Heck, Eric drops the cape and all the pouch is pretty darn quickly, creating a costume that is a lot more like someone might wear in real life. 

Of course, the giant change is that the goat officially has superpowers from the get go. No, seriously, it's having them be brothers. Really wish they had gone farther exploring that but it does make an interesting change and they definitely look at what it means to be family.

Still, the new version of Eric, even though he's a lot more reluctant to pursue being a superhero as Quantum compared to the original version, seems a lot more emotionally capable of doing it. And Woody comes across as a lot more shallow but a lot less emotionally damaged. Both of them seem a lot less emotionally damaged. Instead of two borderline functional guys who accidentally got superpowers, the new version are more like a legitimate hero and his slightly shady best friend.

And for those of you who have only read the reboot version and are finding it strange that I'm calling them not emotionally damaged, you just have to read the original.   

Still, I am glad that this title keeps on coming back. The reboot might not be as good as the original but it carries on in the same spirit.