What They Say:
Already on the run from shadowy government agents who want to dissect her, Voodoo now must face a new threat: Green Lantern Kyle Rayner! Will even her shapeshifting powers be enough to keep a GL at bay? Writer Ron Marz returns to his signature DCU character!
The Review:
You know, the further I get into Voodoo, the more I realize that this book was so low on my radar initially out of the entire New 52 that I’m still surprised that it’s one of my top five books and one of just a handful of same-day digital purchases I’ll make. After the first two issues that were filled with sexuality and violence and hints about what’s to come, the third installment takes it up a few notches with the first guest appearance and a lot more exposure to what the big picture may be about. And like so many other DC Comics books from the New 52, it feels like it’s setting up for an eventual overall crossover summer epic at some point. But with the way DC has grown a number of “family” events over the years, it could easily go in that direction as well. And each would feel right, which is a big positive.
Voodoo being on the run isn’t a bad storyline to work with, but she’s not really on the run but rather heading to a destination in order to check in with those that she’s here with. The personal narrative from her this time around echoes what we’ve heard already about how people only see her shell, which is no surprise since it’s an appealing shell to both men and women, and they haven’t a clue about what’s underneath. And that discovery is what’s so enticing because there have been so many hints. This one ups the ante but leaves a layer of uncertainty as she ends up talking about the invasion of Earth once again, but at the same time those she’s with talk about how they’ll be the ones to conquer. Pitting Earth in between two different races who may want to occupy it certainly would be a lot of fun to watch unfold, especially if the other side is cropping up somewhere else in other DC books.
Voodoo’s meeting with her group in secret is rather amusing since they’ve taken the form of a redneck style owner-mechanic and a pair of hotties by his side. The revelations aren’t huge, though we get an idea of how her shapechanging trick works, and a look at some of their weaponry as well as potential real forms, though they could just be adopted forms as well. That uncertainly is one of the big draws for me at this stage since there are a lot of unknowns. And you have to feel like the issues guest star as well, as the Green Lantern known as Kyle Rainer makes an appropriate appearance as he’s discovered some offworld transmissions being made here. Of course, like any brash cop, he just barges in to find out what’s going on rather than doing investigative work and it’s no surprise that he puts himself in a bad position. I’ve long been a fan of Kyle, but I haven’t followed his post-Flashpoint persona yet but this one doesn’t feel too terribly off. I do continue to like his look and his style in making constructs, as well as the fact that he’s the right kind of guest star here rather than a big name like Superman or Batman.
Release Notes:
This comiXology edition of Voodoo comes with the main cover as released with the print edition and no other extras. There do appear to be two different cover designs floating around out there. The digital edition here uses the one that pairs Voodoo with Green Lantern. We used the alternate one (a variant?) because, well, I like it a lot more.
In Summary:
With series writer Ron Marz off the book sometime soon, I’m definitely going to miss how he’s working this storyline in terms of atmosphere and pacing. This issue is a solid addition to what’s come so far as it integrates it firmly within the DC Universe (which it was already, just hadn’t had anything visible so to speak) with a guest appearance that made sense and moved the plot forward a bit and in a different direction. Voodoo is still very much a mystery but we can already see some conflicts slowly arising in her as she’s going to get exposed to more types of people, which could affect her overall mission. Which also may seem obvious yet has some potential for misreading as well depending on how you really want to interpret what the group of aliens/hybrids here talk about. I’m thoroughly enjoying this book and this issue is no exception. And as much as I loved Basri’s art in the first issue, I’m really digging his new take on locales here, especially the scene of Voodoo just striding across the night time fields. Very good stuff here.
Grade: B+
Readers Rating: [ratings]
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