I was there at the beginning, you know. My Quantum card is numbered in the 20s, and my copy of issue #1 is signed.

I’ve reviewed every issue as soon as I could get my hands on it. I’ve chatted to the guys at Time Bomb Comics whenever I’ve seen them at a Con I’ve attended, and I’ve checked out plenty of their other comics too.

So it’s genuinely sad to realise that Quantum #13 is the final issue of this excellent anthology comic. I hope that doesn’t sour the experience for anyone who didn’t realise, but the cat is out of the bag and the news revealed on the final page of this issue. It also has a cover gallery on the back, making this an even more bittersweet experience; there’s been an excellent variety of stories included in Quantum over its all too brief run, and it’s unfortunate that the challenges of physical distribution seem to have halted its chances of continuing.

Regardless of that, this final issue wraps up ongoing stories such as Space Banshee Exorcist and The Very Strange Reappearance of Peter Thomson, as well as having a few other strips up its sleeves.

The Major Rakhana story here is a clever one, focusing on her concubine, Sanjay. His motivation is under the spotlight in this story, which is written by Michael Morley, the winner of a competition to have an original story featured in Quantum’s pages. It holds up really well against any other Major Rakhana story, and it’s always great to visit the camp, retro-futurist steampunk you find in Rakhana’s universe.

The Very Strange Reappearance of Peter Thomson concludes its run with a characteristically violent and poignant climax. A far cry from the tongue in cheek exploits of Major Rakhana and her cast of quirky characters, it’s much more grounded and serious despite a rather outlandish initial premise.

The star of the issue, for me at least, is the conclusion of Katie Cunningham’s brilliant Space Banshee Exorcist. With a sweet, beautifully executed, romantic sequence which makes a shockingly abrupt turn, it ultimately reveals a very empathetic core regardless. A huge part of its appeal beyond the excellent script is Danielle Wiebe’s gorgeously stylised artwork too.

Beyond the longer form stories are a few silly, though no less entertaining, shorter strips. I’ll leave those to be discovered by you, dear reader!

Finally, I really want to thank Steve Tanner, Dave West, Katie Cunningham and the rest of Quantum’s team of creators for a run of excellent strips, and for finding space to spotlight my reviews within Quantum’s pages too.

It’s been a real pleasure to get my hands on each new issue; the thrill of picking up a new, varied and somewhat unpredictable anthology from actual, physical stores on a regular basis is something I’ve sorely missed over the last few decades. It’s been a blast from beginning to end, and store shelves will be poorer for Quantum’s absence.

That said, I look forward to whatever Steve and the Time Bomb team have planned next, and I’m also keen to say hello whenever I have the chance at a Con or other event. All the best to everyone at Time Bomb Comics, and thanks again for Quantum!

You can check out Quantum and many other excellent titles at the official Time Bomb Comics website.

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