Voodoo 3 (January 2012)

I assume Marz uses Kyle Rayner because he created the creator, but literally any Green Lantern would do. The way Marz writes the character, it could be any of them either. There’s no personality besides Rayner having sympathy for Voodoo as he fights her alien sidekicks.

Of course, Voodoo is out to destroy the earth… or is she? It’s doubtful DC’s going to do a villain comic. But they might.

I think the aliens from Grifter show up at the end too, but I’m not sure and I’m not interested enough to investigate.

It’s a mediocre comic and nowhere near as strong as the first one, but it’s not bad. It doesn’t even suggest bad things for the series overall. Marz just needs to get Voodoo back on her cross-country David Banner jaunt and it’ll be fine.

Nice art from Basri, though his Rayner looks like a complete tool.

CREDITS

Into the Light; writer, Ron Marz; artist, Sami Basri; colorist, Jessica Kholinne; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Rex Ogle, Darren Shan and Brian Cunningham; publisher, DC Comics.

Voodoo 2 (December 2011)

Oh, man, is there really going to be a Kyle Rayner guest appearance next issue or is Marz’s just threatening?

I still like Voodoo (we’ll see what I say next month with the guest star), but Marz’s plotting is a lot loosier here and he has more places to stumble. There’s some weak dialogue and he’s not good at introducing the larger cast.

But it’s still a decent comic.

It’d be better if co-artist Hendry Prasetya did stronger work. I think Prasetya fills in the odd page here and there, because the book’s style is consistant. Every few pages, the art is much better and it’s obviously Basri.

Anyway, Marz does have some neat little plot developments (the strength of Voodoo, besides Basri, is the constant micro-revelations). And the character is strong. Marz is pretty darn good at writing a shapeshifting alien agent, which is still utterly surprising.

CREDITS

Reflections; writer, Ron Marz; artists, Sami Basri and Hendry Prasetya; colorist, Jessica Kholinne; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Darren Shan and Brian Cunningham; publisher, DC Comics.

Voodoo 1 (November 2011)

I’m sure I’ll regret making this statement… but I likeVoodoo.

I generally use Ron Marz as a punchline whenever I can, but he writes some decent dialogue this issue. He understands how to have people go back and forth, how to bring out the exposition naturally, how to imply things.

It doesn’t hurt he’s got a nice cutaway with a federal agent beating up some dumb kids and then a good reveal at the end.

The book also has a major cheesecake factor, which Sami Basri’s art plays into. But—while the cheesecake keeps up—Marz does treat it as realistically as one would imagine a DC comic would get in the seedy strip club scene.

Actually, it seems like Marz has done a lot of research into the goings on at….

See, punchline, even when I’m being complementary.

It’s a complete Species rip-off but it’s finely executed.

CREDITS

Keeping Secrets; writer, Ron Marz; artist, Sami Basri; colorist, Jessica Kholinne; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher; editors, Darren Shan and Brian Cunningham; publisher, DC Comics.