It has finally happened. Thanks to an independent comic book publisher from California, the legendary Western comic book hero from the Italian Sergio Bonelli Editore house, Zagor, is at long last available in English. It premiered in its native Italy way back in 1961, and it made its American debut in the summer of last year. Now, for anyone that has grown up reading this celebrated action packed comic - as yours truly clearly has, during my adolescence in the Eastern European Balkans - the last twelve months are not only a reason to rejoice, but an occassion for celebration.
As written by Mauro Boselli and illustrated by Mauro Laurenti, Voodoo Vendetta (Epicenter Comics, 215 pgs, $13.99) is a rousing and often times dark tale of Darkwood forest's famous hero - the so-called Spirit with the Hatchet - that takes him deep into the heart of Louisiana's swampy bayous. Consisting of two-hunred plus pages, in full glossy color, this third installment of Zagor in English is tightly packed with mysteries of the black magic, the charismatic Louisiana hospitality, and even pirates and lost treasures from ages ago.
While returning to their home in Darkwood, Zagor, along with his chubby Mexican companion, Chico, and their occasional treasure hunting, skinny goofball friend Digging Bill, run across a charming and (sometimes) conniving woman, Gambit. Gambit is such an expert at gambling that she often mistakes cheating as a "rule" of the game, a habit that regularly gets her in trouble with those she swindles. Zagor and Gambit quarrel and disagree at times, but even a blind man could see there's some sexual tension between them.
However, their stay in Lafayette is complicated by Marie Laveau, an African-American ageless beauty, whose skills in the black magic involve bringing the dead back to life, so that she can control them to gain revenge against those who've wronged her in the past. Eric LaSalle is one of these people, and while his home is raided by Marie's Vlandingue (murderers in the art of voodoo), Zagor is accidentally caught in the crossfire, and soon finds himself in a mysterious post-mortem limbo between this world and the next. There, he is tempted by Marie's spirit to join her and rule the ancient Songhay Kingdom as the evil Damballah, her deity partner in crime. This journey, which will test Zagor not only physically, but psychologically as well, is imagined and presented by Boselli and Laurenti with vivid wit and insight, reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's dark and spooky tales of old.
Unlike the majority of Zagor adventures, Voodoo Vendetta features a female driven charm not often seen in this series. The alluring Gambit is a welcome presence in this macho world, where both friend and foe alike are typically of the male sex. Additionally, the duplicitous Laveau challenges our hero in more ways than one, her maliciousness representing only a small part of her complex and three-dimensional persona. And every episode that features the clumsy but benevolent Digging Bill is certainly worthy of the "classic" status. Boselli writes a ghostly tale, infused with plenty of humor and old-school, over-the-top action, and he's complimented here rather gracefully by Laurenti's artwork, which is reminiscent of comic books of old: clear and saturated with various emotions, but also goofy and comical at times. In other words, Voodoo Vendetta possesses all the right ingredients for an unforgettable Zagor adventure.
B+
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