Doc Voodoo: Aces & Eights | ||||||
Dale Lucas | ||||||
Beating Windward Press, 205 pages | ||||||
A review by Nathan Brazil
Dub prepared himself. "Let's get horsed," he answered.
The Iwa fell upon him.
The Dread Baron opened his black eyes.'
Set in Harlem 1926, Doc Voodoo is steampunk at its best. I found it
refreshing to read about a black superhero in a mostly black community,
who wasn't being used to air long held political grievances.
Not aimed at any particular racial group, Doc Voodoo: Aces & Eights
is first and foremost an alternate take on a time and place. While obviously an
important factor culturally, the skin colour of the main cast is
distant second to their situation and humanity. Intriguingly, author
Dale Lucas -- who is Caucasian -- manages to imbue his work with an
authentic feel, in much the same way that the singer Bill Medley always
sounded black. Yet the cast are never in any danger of becoming the
steampunk equivalent of blacksploitation such as Shaft. The eponymous
hero works equally well in both of his identities, and there's plenty of
room for expansion. The only thing I had a hard time accepting was how
the Queen Been had achieved her position without cracking many more
eggs, and retained such an altruistic streak. This quibble aside I felt
that the characterisation was spot on, the plot an assured run through
the urban jungle, and the world that Lucas creates to be one that I
would like to visit again.
In an industry where the major players are often ruled by accountants, I
find it encouraging that small press outfit Beating Windward Press
appear to be placing their emphasis on editors capable of spotting a
good thing. In the case of Dale Lucas, they've found a writer whose
work innovates and entertains, reinventing the familiar and breathing
new life into old themes. I thoroughly enjoyed Doc Voodoo's first
outing, and look forward to reading the next.
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