Quantum and Woody

Quantum and Woody are a superhero duo created by writer Christopher Priest and artist MD Bright for Acclaim comics.

General History
Eric Henderson and Woodrow van Chelton were raised in the rich suburbs of Greenwich, Connecticut. Their fathers were joint partners in Affirm Research, a successful energy and technology company. The two boys grew up together, best friends and partners in crime; with Eric usually ending up taking the heat for their antics.

Woody's mother Lucy left her husband suddenly, taking her son with her. Eric mistakenly came to believe that his friend moved away because Eric was black and Woody was white. Meanwhile, Woody had to endure a life of poverty on the streets of New York, taking care of his drug-addicted mother. Both boys fostered an attitude of resentment towards one another over the course of the next several years.

The two were finally reunited as adults, upon the deaths of both of their fathers. Much to his chagrin, Woody discovered that his father had made Eric the executor of his estate. To add insult to injury, the two men found themselves bonded in another way: Eric had become convinced that their father's assistant, David Warrant, was behind their deaths. While investigating, Eric and Woody were trapped in an electromagnetic isolation chamber which activated accidentally, creating a tremendous explosion. When the two men came to, they discovered that they had been merged with a quantum energy field and their physical forms would discorporate unless they struck their control bands together every 24 hours.

A side effect of the transmutation was that they had gained superhuman powers, with which they eventually decided to embark upon a career as crime-fighters. Brought together again by kismet and absurdity, the team now known as Quantum and Woody would rediscover their friendship and form a new (dysfunctional) family.

Traitor Game XVII
Quantum and Woody first appeared in a fourth-wall breaking Public Service Announcement during Traitor Game XVII: We Apologize For The Inconvenience.

Powers and Abilities
Quantum and Woody are permanently bonded to a quantum energy field of nearly unlimited size. Their connection to this field is in a constant state of decay, requiring them to touch their control bands together every 24 hours or to lose corporeal stability and revert to energy form. As a side effect, their control bands allow them limited access to the energy field, to be used for a variety of purposes. Quantum's is an energy beam and Woody's is a force beam.

Eric has coupled his energy beam with a variety of technologies: 1) to activate special chemical fibers in his costume that bend light around him, making him effectively invisible, 2) to fuel an energy dampening field in his cloak that helps mute the damage caused by projectiles (such as bullets) or blunt force, 3) to empower his bolas with an EMP field which knocks out electronics. These and many other feats are testament to his ingenuity and foresightedness.

Woody uses his force beam to smash things, as a tractor beam, to create force fields, or to charge up his hand to- well- smash things.

Additionally, the two make use of a variety of other weapons and accessories. Eric carries a variety of throwing stars; a gun with several attachments such as a grapple and chemical projectiles; and perhaps the deadliest weapon in his arsenal- his cheat book, loaded with information and plans on a vast array of subjects.

Woody carries a 9 mm beretta loaded with blood capsules and a Zippo lighter.

Eric is a gifted hand to hand combatant, trained in a variety of martial arts (notably the exotic Black Lion style). He is well educated in several sciences and was a student at West Point Military Academy, and he speaks several languages fluently (including French and Japanese).

Woody plays the guitar well. And loudly.