I've always felt that one of Marvel's great underused and underdeveloped characters is Brother Voodoo. He's a character with much potential that, sadly, is probably better known as being the punchline for the funny Fred Hembeck drawn comic strips featuring the character in the 80s. And even though no one laughed harder than me at those strips featuring BV (along with his wife "Sister Voodoo" and their baby "Voodoo Chile"), I lament the fact that Marvel hasn't made more of an effort to make the Lord of the Loa more of a player in the Marvel Universe. Since they won't give Dr. Drumm some props, then it falls to me to do so.
I'd been trying to come up with a scenario featuring Brother Voodoo alongside the Brotherhood, and didn't come up with anything I liked until I spotted this very cool piece by Lan Medina sitting in the CAF gallery of the incomparable Peter Franken:
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=326989&GSub=50981
Now, I don't know Mr. Franken personally, nor have I ever conversed with him -- but anyone with a piece of art that cool in their gallery is probably "incomparable," so I'm calling him that. Anyway, I shamelessly decided to use the layout of that piece as the template for my commission.
Thanks to both Peter Franken and Lan Medina, who have no idea who I am.
Anyway, I had to decide on an artist so I contacted Lan Medina's rep for a quote. My pockets turned out too be to shallow to afford Lan, so I had to locate someone just as talented but a bit more affordable for me. Enter, Mike Leeke!
You know that feeling you get when you discover a great restaurant where the food is great, the portions are big, and the prices are small? That's the feeling I got when I discovered Mike Leeke, with the help of fellow CAF gallery owner Michael F. Finn, the granddaddy of commissioned art. Mike's accomplishments include his work on such Valiant/Acclaim titles as HARBINGER, HARD CORPS, and ARMORINES, as well THE ELEMENTALS for Comico. And man, did he do a killer job on this piece with Brother Voodoo rockin' the dreadlocks.
Now, if you're a regular visitor to my gallery you have no excuse for not recognizing the other characters featured, but because I'm a softie I'll name them off for you one more time (clockwise starting top right): Storm, Icon, Triathlon, the Falcon, Monica Rambeau, Green Lantern (John Stewart), and of course, the Black Panther.
Mike Leeke is a great artist who does superb work with a fast turnaround time and has very affordable prices. He'll be turning up in my gallery again -- SOON. If you'd like his work to turn up in your gallery, drop me a line and I'll give you his contact info. You won't regret it.
