Quantum is an ambitious piece of work, a 12-issue series that mixes alternate realities, Nazis and super-heroic elements with a slice-of-life approach to its protagonist. The result is a first issue that is intriguing but a little uneven, and though you can hardly call Clark's pacing leisurely, it does feel like he could have tightened up the first issue a little more to indicate what the story was about more quickly. That said, though, the first issue is full of potential, and the art, while not spectacular, is solid and shows glimmers of becoming something more.
Quantum starts off in an undeniably science-fiction place, in a world where the Nazis won the war and are planning on conquering other realities, but it then diverts to the life of regular guy (and music snob) Nick Vargas, whose work in a strange combination of music store and diner is interrupted when he develops strange powers of teleportation. In other words, the story is all over the map, and yet, it kind of works, in no small part thanks to the characterization of Vargas.
Most of the rest of the characters aren't really fleshed out yet, but Nick comes across as pretty fully realized, and has a pretty real reaction to his sudden development of super powers. Clark dumps Nick into a Twilight Zone-ish nightmare of Nazis and people who know his name even though he doesn't know them. Unfortunately, he also dumps the reader into the same situation, and although we're a little more clued in thanks to the prologue and the text on the back cover, there's still a general feeling that more info about what exactly is happening would make the book a smoother read. Nick also adapts a little too quickly to his new role as action hero, popping up in the last page with a cheesy action-movie cliche line that is forgivable largely for the earlier pop culture crack about Frank Stallone.
Though most of my enjoyment of the issue came out of the well-realized character of Nick, it did feel a little bit like Clark was putting too much emphasis on the musical side of the character. His tirade against the '80s was funny, obnoxious character-building stuff, but his two-page interlude of attempting to play music might have been better used for some plot development.
In terms of artwork, Quantum is also a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the work is little more than capable, skimpy on the backgrounds and uneven in its depiction of the characters. And yet there are some pages where the likenesses and backgrounds look more detailed, such as the first shot of the exterior of "Tastee-Toons," the impressive splash page that sees Nick first encountering the after-effects of the Nazi experiment or the weirdly detailed shot of a homeless man holding a "Why Lie? I Need Beer!" sign. Basically, at no point is the art less than capable, and there are several pages that are fairly impressive. All in all, though there are flaws, Quantum: Rock of Ages is off to a promising start.
