Brian Truitt

USA TODAY

Vincent Van Goat gets an origin story in %27Quantum %26 Woody%27 zero issue

The goat has been a fan favorite for Valiant Comics since the %2790s

The superpowered animal will play a key role in the series moving forward

Got goat? Valiant Comics does.

For those who've dreamed of buying a comic book starring a superpowered farm animal, or are just jonesing for more Vincent Van Goat, Quantum & Woody: Goat No. 0 is out Wednesday from the Quantum creative team of writer James Asmus and artist Tom Fowler.

The goat became a fan favorite in the first go-round of Christopher Priest and Mark Bright's Quantum & Woody in the 1990s, and reappeared last fall in the fourth issue of Asmus and Fowler's relaunched book centered around adopted brothers and hapless heroes Eric and Woody.

Back in the day, Vincent ate an Eternal Warriors map and gained the power of teleportation, and in the zero issue Asmus and Fowler show his primary modern upgrades, including more powerful limbs — for launching himself, power kicks, etc. — and the helpful ability to shoot lasers from his eyes.

"But I wanted to still play it a little coy with exactly what all Vincent is capable of. I think the goat is best when he can still surprise us," Asmus says.

"No one knows yet just how much this goat can do," adds editor Alejandro Arbona, "and even after this issue, the full extent of the goat's abilities may never be known. Suffice it to say, there's much, much more to this animal than meets the eye."

Asmus admits they cover a lot of ground in the zero-issue origin story, from Vincent's humble beginnings to receiving his powers to being imprisoned by the deranged and secretive scientists of Edison's Radical Acquisitions team (a nod to Thomas Edison, by the way) to a revelation about how closely the goat is tied to Eric and Woody's past.

"We also reveal a big, big secret the goat's been keeping since the start of the series," Asmus says. "Seriously."

Quantum & Woody as a book tends to toward the quirky in general but with a genuine heartfelt story being told inside that madness, according to the writer. And with Goat zero, he and Fowler pack in some crazy moments yet "also hit what I hope is one of the bigger power chords we have to play in the emotional story of our characters."

Arbona teases that the goat kicks a field goal, pulls a thorn from Bigfoot's paw and single-handedly stops a Mexican gang of bank-robbing luchadores all in just one page. While at that is going on, he says, "we also strive to dig deep into our characters' personalities and their issues and their relationships, and this life story of the goat is no different.

"The goat cares about many things in life very deeply, and has very strong feelings and motivations, and we're going to find out exactly what they are."

While it's meant to be a fun read for new readers, the zero issue also introduces a big wrinkle into the ongoing story, and it's a twist that will also be a driving force that leads into the crossover series The Delinquents with with the odd-couple duo of Archer & Armstrong.

"The goat's story and its relationship to the boys is going to be a very rich part of the series after this. It already has been, and we're about to find out exactly why, before we take that story line further and deeper," says Arbona, who also jokes that readers haven't seen that last of the Figure Four Leglock Gang.

Asmus actually wrestled with how much he was going to use Vincent when first planning his take on the series.

"Ultimately, I'd rather have the readers wanting more goat, rather than getting burnt out or having the joy wear off too quickly," he says. "But we developed a story for the goat we've been excited about telling since we launched."

And make no mistake, the goat's "absolutely" a core member of the comic's cast now, Arbona says, "whether Eric likes it or not.

"The key with the goat isn't that appearances should be a gag or a novelty, but to use the goat in a way that serves the story and affects how the characters interact and how the plot unfolds."

Because of the sheer number of superhero comics that come out on a monthly basis, Asmus remarks that it's hard to give fans something they haven't seen before, which is why having a sidekick super-goat around brings something different to the Valiant Comics universe.

And beyond that, it's a great shorthand for the book itself," Asmus says. "Quantum & Woody has always been a fun, off-kilter comic. And a superpowered goat helps send that signal out, and catch the attention of readers who are up for our

brand of good times.

"For a lot of readers, the Goat was probably their first flirtation with the book, if not with Valiant in general. And for those who were already entrenched, the goat represents the sensibilities that makes Quantum & Woody a uniquely exciting and enjoyable comic."

Adds Arbona: "Haven't we all felt a little like the goat at some time? Mute and misunderstood, full of secrets and beans. But I think people suspect that there's more going on than the goat's weird yellow eyes and apathetic 'Meh!' let on. And who wouldn't love a flying laser-goat that blows up the mad scientists' island headquarters to save our heroes?"