Brother Voodoo

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Brother Voodoo

Brother Voodoo.
Art by Leinil Francis Yu.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Strange Tales #169 (Sept. 1973)
Created by Len Wein
Gene Colan
In story information
Alter ego Jericho Drumm, M.D.
Team affiliations Midnight Sons
Abilities Fire manipulation,
Ability to generate mystic smoke,
Superhuman strength,
Possession

Brother Voodoo (Jericho Drumm) is a fictional character, a supernatural superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Len Wein, Roy Thomas, John Romita Sr., John Romita Jr. and Gene Colan, he first appeared in Strange Tales #169 (Sept. 1973).

Contents

[edit] Publication history

Brother Voodoo starred in his own feature in the Marvel comic-book series Strange Tales #169-173 (Sept. 1973 - April 1974), and in a backup feature in the black-and-white horror-comics magazine Tales of the Zombie #6 (July 1974, in a story continuing from Strange Tales #173) and #10 (March 1975).

[edit] Fictional character biography

Returning to his native Haïti (born in Port-au-Prince) after twelve (originally nearly twenty [1]) years of education and practice as a psychologist in America, Jericho Drumm discovered that his twin brother, Daniel, the local houngan, was dying, a victim of a voodoo sorcerer who claimed to be possessed by the spirit of Damballah, the serpent-god. Just before he died, Daniel made his brother vow to visit Papa Jambo. Jericho visited Papa Jambo and became his student. After studying under the aged houngan for several weeks, Jericho gained a greater mastery of voodoo practices than his own brother, becoming a houngan in his own right. Papa Jambo then performed a rite that summoned Daniel Drumm's spirit back from the dead and joined it with Jericho's own. Having fashioned a worthy successor, Papa Jambo died. Taking the name Brother Voodoo, Jericho challenged the priest, who went by the same name as his evil god Damballah, and his cult. With the help of his brother's spirit possessing one of the cult members, Damballah's artifact of power (wangal) was stolen from around his neck. With this lack of power, the Damballah's snakes turned on him. His cult was seemingly destroyed. Brother Voodoo became Haïti's houngan supreme and champion.[2] Brother Voodoo established a sprawling mansion as a base of operations. The wangal was placed within a small safe, its combination known only to Brother Voodoo and his manservant Bambu.

Brother Voodoo then encountered the scientist Baron Samedi and "zombies" created by AIM and defeated them.[3] He next defeated the original Black Talon, Mama Limbo, and the Dark Lord Cult.[4] He then defeated the houngan Dramabu.[5]

Having established himself, Brother Voodoo then went on to help other superheroes. He aided Spider-Man against Moondog.[6] He aided Werewolf and Topaz against Doctor Glitternight.[7] He then aided Moon Knight against Grand Bois and his zombies.[8]

Eventually, Brother Voodoo succumbed to the lure of power that Damballah's wangal represented and put it on. The god Damballah took over Daniel's soul. He burned down the house and slayed Bambu. He then traveled to New York to confront Doctor Strange and take over his mind and body. During the battle, Doctor Strange found and freed many more cultists that the Damballah had ensnared. With the assistance of Strange, the Damballah was confined once again to the wangal; Brother Voodoo and Daniel, knowingly risking great danger, were removed of all evil influence. Voodoo promised to return the lost Louisiana citizens home.[9]

Brother Voodoo was next captured and fed a "zombi" drug by Doctor Friday, but he escaped and aided Moon Knight and his sidekick Midnight in defeating Friday.[10] Following the alleged death of manservant Bambu, Brother Voodoo repents his misuse of power to possess former girlfriend Loralee.[11] Brother Voodoo next aids Doctor Strange and Morbius in defeating Marie LeVeau.[12]

He is involved in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Howling Commandos operation.

During the superhero Civil War, Brother Voodoo registers as part of the SuperHuman Registration Act, although he disagrees with the principles behind the SHRA.

[edit] Powers and abilities

Brother Voodoo possesses numerous mystical and quasi-physical powers derived from the loa, the spirit-gods of voodoo. He can easily enter into a trance-like state in which he does not feel the heat from fire and his skin becomes impervious to burning. He can also control flame and lower life forms. Brother Voodoo can mystically create smoke accompanied by the sound of drums. The smoke conceals his presence while he is able to see through it. He has the ability to command certain living things by a mystic sort of hypnotism, most effective over animals and plants. He can summon the loa to request transport for himself and others instantaneously if they deem it necessary to his mission.

Brother Voodoo can also summon the spirit of his brother Daniel Drumm from within his body, doubling his own strength. He can also send the spirit to possess another person's body and then has total control over their actions.

Brother Voodoo also has more mundane escapist talents, once entering Strange's building, not through magic, but through the chimney. He has extensive knowledge of voudoun (voodoo) thanks to training by Papa Jambo, as well as conventional medicine and psychology with an M.D. in psychology.

He wears a mystic medallion that serves as a focus of his powers and as a focus for his contact with his personal loas. He has, at times, employed conventional firearms.

[edit] Other versions

[edit] Fred Hembeck

Cartoonist Fred Hembeck has a particular fascination with Brother Voodoo. He regularly featured the character in the cartoons he drew each month in Marvel Age, generally depicting him as a lame character constantly trying (and failing) to get his own series. When Brother Voodoo finally got his own solo story in Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 3 #1, Hembeck drew it, in a serious art style very different from his cartooning.

In his cartoon in the final issue of Marvel Age, Hembeck claimed he had only begun mocking Brother Voodoo because he had the character confused with an "even lamer" Silver Age character, DC Comics' Brother Power the Geek.

[edit] Marvel Zombies

In Ultimate Fantastic Four #23, Brother Voodoo is one of the dozens of superhero zombies pursuing the last known three humans, a cop, a man and his diabetic daughter. Already, the zombies have killed several of the human's friends. There is a confrontation in the ruins of Manhattan. Unfortunately for the zombies, the humans are protected by the Ultimate Fantastic Four and one of the last surviving super-humans of that world, Magneto. Despite the creature's best efforts, the humans safely escape to the Ultimate world.

[edit] Supernaturals

The four-issue, weekly miniseries Supernaturals (Oct. 1998), written by Brian Pulido, featured an alternate-universe Brother Voodoo leading a team composed of Ghost Rider, Werewolf by Night, the Gargoyle, the Black Cat and Satana, to fight a mystically powered version of the villain Jack O'Lantern in a world where only magical heroes and villains existed.

[edit] What If? Age of Apocalypse

Brother Voodoo was one of the main characters in an alternate Age of Apocalypse, first seen in the February 2007 What If? Featuring X-Men: Age of Apocalypse one-shot. In this issue, Voodoo replaces Dr. Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme in the story and wears Strange's wardrobe. He battles Dormammu and helps the heroes take down Apocalypse, though Jericho himself vanishes when the Eye of Agamotto is taken away from him.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Strange Tales Vol. 1 #169 p.11
  2. ^ Strange Tales Vol. 1 #169-170
  3. ^ Strange Tales Vol. 1 #171
  4. ^ Strange Tales Vol. 1 #172-173; Tales of the Zombie #6
  5. ^ Tales of the Zombie #10
  6. ^ Marvel Team-Up #24
  7. ^ Werewolf by Night #40-41
  8. ^ Moon Knight Vol. 1 #21
  9. ^ Doctor Strange Vol. 2 #48
  10. ^ Moon Knight Vol. 3 #6-7
  11. ^ Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 2 #1
  12. ^ Doctor Strange Vol. 3 #16-18

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