| BROTHER VOODOG!! Unfinished Masterpiece--or merely an example of Fred cleaning out his closet? YOU decide... |
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| Between 1985 and 1987, Marvel published 17
issues of PETER PORKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-HAM,
a funny animal take on their most popular
character. (Yours truly pencilled a Steve
Skeates written tale in an early issue, and
later both wrote and illoed several short
Spider-Ham episodes that ran as back-ups
in MARVEL TALES several years after this
full length Marvel menagerie was canceled--but
those facts are not actually germane to this
conversation, so maybe, um, I'd better get
back to the actual POINT of things here,
y'know?...) Ahem. Anyway, included as back-ups in later issues were anthropomorphic twists on various Marvel stalwarts: Iron Mouse! X-Bugs! Croctor Strange! Why then not a furry version of Brother VooDoo, then targeted by moi as the unfortunate focal point of a series of running gags in MARVEL AGE magazine? (To explain my fascination with this decidedly marginal character, I've included a reproduction of me trying to do exactly that: explain myself, a piece that originally appeared on the inside back cover of 1990's MARVEL AGE reprint round-up, FRED HEMBECK $ELL$ THE MARVEL UNIVERSE) So, with this twisted notion in mind, I took out my brown felt marker, and proceeded to sketch out the rough layouts for a proposed five page Brother VooDog adventure, and sent copies of it off to the editor in charge (who may well've been Al Milgrom, but I don't recall for certain at this late date--sorry), and then waited to hear word indicating that I should charge ahead and make with the finishes. I'm still waiting... Yup, never heard a word after submitting my eerie mix of Voodoo lore and Benny Hill-like yocks. Can you believe it? (Well, maybe after reading the actual submission you can, but...) Bear in mind, unlike some of the other layout-like material I've offered up here at the site (most notably, my Nick Fury parody for WHAT TH--?!), this particular piece is in a very, well, shall we say, to be kind, embryonic state? Minor artistic details--y'know, like characters faces and stuff like that there?--are missing more often than not, and some of the lettering (not to mention the spelling) might leave something to be desired (yeah--like legibility!), but I offer it up nonetheless for you either to enjoy or struggle through, depending on your ultimate viewpoint. Folks who caught the 2004 edition of "The Simpsons" annual Halloween horror fest might note the similarity between certain elements in this one and only Brother VooDog tale (circa 1987) and the portion of the broadcast wherein Bart and Milhous utilize their time altering timepiece to, um, alter, Principal Skinner's wardrobe!! Proving, as always, low-brow comedy is timeless!! (And yes, I'll admit it--I was laughing myself silly during that particular sequence!!...) Laughing myself sophisticated was never really an option, as you'll soon find out... |
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