The Good
The fifth issue of VOODOO is the first venture for writer Joshua Williamson into the series. You can definitely feel the shift in both the writing style as well as the book's direction. People who like Voodoo's appearance in WildCATS will definitely appreciate the references to the 90's series in this issue.
Although the book does feel to be moving in a different direction, I am still happy to see Agent Fallon make another appearance in this issue. Williamson explores her relationship with Black Jack a little bit more and things seem to get more personal. Personally, I find Fallon has the potential to be a very interesting and exciting character so I look forward to seeing her explored in this book.
Sami Basri delivers another phenomenal issue. His ability to capture emotion and passion and the mood in each scenes of the book is incredible. I continue to be impressed with his skill.
The Bad
Often, a change in the creative team means a change in the depiction of the central character. This is very obvious in the fifth issue of VOODOO although it does not seem to make much sense. Compared to the previous four issues of this series, Voodoo seems far less sure of herself. Before she knew what her mission was and was convinced of them, now she is unsure. Yet this uncertainty is evident before we even get to the final page of the issue (which only reinforces the question of who she is).
While she had no trouble killing certain individuals in the previous four issues, she struggles in her internal monologue with death on the very first page. It feels as though she is trying to convince herself that what she is doing is okay. I think the interesting thing about the character in the previous issues is that she probably wouldn't have verbalized it the way she does here.
The Verdict
This book feels like it will have a lot more WildCATS influence, and it will be interesting to see how much. I am curious to discover what kind of a direction Williamson takes the character and how far he goes with her. How much of her character in this series will change? The final fight towards the end of the issue also left me with a few questions. For example, what is the relationship between the Daemonites and former WildCAT, Grifter?