Doctor Voodoo #4

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #4
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Jefte Palo & Alessandro Vitti
Colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letters by Dave Lanphear
Cover by Marko Djurdjevic
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by Lan Pitts


But I am sure of one thing. To end this madness -- I must die at the hands of my brother. -- Daniel Drumm

Thank, God. It's been a slow burn, but this was the issue I've been waiting for in this series. Finally Doctor Voodoo relieves himself of the self-doubt and turmoil to accept his new role and I can't wait to see what transpires out of this. So, what we have here is the Doctor and other various magical Marvel characters such as Ghost Rider, Magick, and I'm sure I saw the Living Mummy, under the influence of Nightmare, hunting Daniel who has possessed the Son of Satan's body for the time being. There's a backstory on how Daniel actually died and the beginning to Jericho's pursuit in the supernatural, and of course a team up I didn't really see coming. What's the old saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Rick Remender has crafted this character for readers unfamiliar with him, and I loved how this issue turned out. He gave Drumm layers and it was about time he shed the layer of "uncertain of his position" next issue has potential to be one hell of an all-out supernatural slugfest. Just as previous issues, we have Jefte Palo on art, assisted by Alessandro Vitti, and outstanding color crafting by Beaulieu. My main disappointment is the confusion I had about this series. At one time, I read it was an ongoing. Then, a mini. Then again ongoing...but it does appear to be a mini that ends next issue. I guess I should have taken a hint when no other Marvel books were affected by Nightmare's Hell on Earth. Funny how that works.

Calling this a misstep is about right. I've had fun with this book and feel shafted now that I'm sure this was just something to get Voodoo over with the fans so he can be a member of a new Avengers team. That's my guess anyways. Visually, the book is one of my favorites on the market, Nightmare's hair aside. Palo and Vitti really shine not only with the superheroics, but with the flashbacks as well. I wished the character had been allowed a full series, but then again, when the former Sorcerer Supreme only got a four-issue mini, I guess I was expecting too much.