I wasn’t sure what to expect going into ‘Voodoo’ #1. I vaguely remember seeing the character on t-shirts and posters in the 90s when Image was publishing ‘WildC.A.T.s’ and that’s pretty much it. I never read the comics from Image or DC’s Wildstorm universe (where the WildC.A.T.s characters eventually ended up). I knew nothing of Voodoo’s origin, powers, or character. In that respect, I was excited about reading ‘Voodoo’ since I’d be going into it with the same set of eyes as all those new readers that DC is trying to pull in with their New 52 relaunch.
The story revolves around two government agents who are investigating a strip club, where Voodoo (real name Priscilla Kitaen) is one of the entertainers. I’m sure it’ll be fleshed out more as the series moves on but the agents come across as a generic buddy cop team. Agent Fallon, the lady of the team, is a hardcase and sort of badass who doesn’t like being in a strip joint. Agent Evans, on the other hand, is a bit more lax and is enjoying his job a bit too much.
After a brief disagreement, Fallon leaves Evans to his “investigations” at the club and steps outside for a smoke. Evans pokes around a bit and discovers Voodoo’s real name and that the name Voodoo is merely a title given to the most popular girl in the club. After Evans watches Voodoo strip down on stage, he pays her for a private dance in a back room. While Voodoo does her thing, Evans reveals that he knows that Priscilla is really some sort of an alien and that the government thinks that she is a scout for a full on invasion. They’ve been scouting the place for a while and believe that Voodoo has psychic powers and mind-reads secrets out of the military men who frequent the strip club. When Evans threatens Voodoo by telling her to turn herself in or that she’ll be brought in for dissection and experiments, things literally get bloody as Voodoo reveals her true form.
Sadly, I wish I could wash my eyes out after reading ‘Voodoo’ #1. The story, while not a bad premise for a series, is very light this issue except for the reveals on the final couple of pages. The rest of the issue is taken up with a lot of cheesecake art from Sami Basri showing boobs, butts, and more boobs. Of course, I am a red-blooded guy so cheesecake isn’t necessarily bad in certain instances. However, in light of the controversy DC has courted over other female lead characters in ‘Catwoman’ and ‘Red Hood and the Outlaws’ and their statements that they wanted some strong female characters in the New DC Universe, this issue just seems like yet another misstep in reaching that goal. It comes across like an HBO series in seeming like the sexuality of Voodoo is forced and exploited merely to cater to the more prurient interests of the male readers.
If you’re a 14 year old boy, this issue might be one of those that you slip under your mattress and hide away from your mom for later enjoyment. But if you want a good story, skip it and wait to see if issue #2 focuses more on the characters and the mystery surrounding the alien Voodoo and less on how many scantily clad women and poses the artist can cram into twenty pages.
VOODOO #1
Written by RON MARZ
Art and Cover by SAMI BASRI
