Blood and ashes 51

This family (in a very broad meaning ) has a problem with very sharp knives.

Blood and ashes 52

To be completely honest, I was just searching for a mean to get Sunday’s hand above the undead’s head.

If I can add a bit more trauma to the mix, that’s even better!

Blood and Ashes 55

What the… no, Sunday, Hiding behind the statue will NOT help…

Pardon her, this is her slasher-victim moment, it will not happen again

Blood and Ashes 57

Teddy is second best thrower of all the dolls tribe.

Eshu is the first.

Noleg is a very good catcher, though. Fortunately, their mojo is in its head.

Blood and Ashes 58

For those who want the dialogue between the Witcher and Mama Brigit :

Witcher : If I get my hands on you…
Mama: If I get MY hands on you, you’re going to get it !

He is 200 years late on his spanking quota…

Blood and ashes 59

It’s starting to get a bit confusing with all the Marassa pieces around, so, let’s try to clarify the mess.

  • Eshu : Receptacle of half Marassa’s soul. without the soul piece, this is only an inanimate wood puppet.
  • The stone heart placed in Eshu: Mojo of Marassa’s half soul, real vessel of the soul, can link the soul to the body it is in. it used to be one of the pendant around Marassa’s necks.
  • Marassa’s body : Remains of the Marassa who died on the pyre, 200 years ago, regularly ‘healed’ by the healers. He does not have a conscience, but contain Marassa’s last sensations and emotions. Which were: PAINFUL.
  • The handsome young man on this page :This is Marassa’s half of soul, who was put into the puppet and hence, Eshu’s « charming » and easy-going personality.
  • The Witcher : The other Marassa brother, who self undead himself and hid his half of soul somewhere.
  • Mojo: His mojo Viviane’s charm, which contain the Witcher’s half soul.

I’m… not quite sure it clarified anything, actually.

Also, I had to draw a chart for my own use cause i was getting lost myself.

And for the lore: Yup, this is Sad/Sadiah real appearance, when she died at 15. I didn’t dressed her in a poncho, she is wearing the khanga that Sunday used to sew herself a dress. Yes, I’m being overly precides, I know.

Blood and Ashes 61

There is a lot, WAY too lot, things happening in this first panel.

Deafpot is Peepers and Talkative other ‘sister’ and is, as its name imply, deaf as a pot, which mean it can’t always manage it’s voice volume.

Oh, and one other detail, Peepers, Talkative and Deafpot were inspired by the Three wise Monkeys… You know. Them.

Guess which is which. You have three try for each.

Blood and ashes 62

Teddy’s pocket is bottomless, indeed. He can put anything in it, as long it can pass the opening and is not alive.
A sojourn in the endless void tend to make the living a tiny bit bonkers.
And I admit, I’m a big fan of the dolls’ running commentary of the situation.

Blood and ashes 63

In case it’s barely noticeable: they are brothers.

(And yup, that’s one of Guilemma’s scalpel. Teddy sense of propriety is a bit stretched.)

Blood and ashes 64

What a pighead…
And you’d notice that despite the flaming morsels, he is still standing

Blood and ashes 67

I wanted to put a link toward the Wizard of Oz song: Ding dong, the witch is dead, but I’ve been told that my gallows humor was NOT de-dramatizing the situation.

Blood and ashes 70

Yes, Teddy has thread and needles in there too. In fact, before he left for the Pit, Doc Patch filled his pocket with all the tools he could ever need. Doc was not going to let its « son » go without the maximum possible precautions.

Blood and ashes 73

Eshu’s fans, rejoice ! He is… errr, better?

And I solemnly swore to never ever make a character design cool but hard to draw.
Baby Mojo is a NIGHTMARE to draw.

Blood and ashes 74

Well, I’ve been serious for ten pages, that’s my limit, I can’t last longer.

Blood and ashes 75

Mama Brigit is her husband moral compass.

He has trouble following human’s morality, it change a bit too fast from an immortal point of view.

Blood and ashes 77

Look, about the clikety clakity bones, I really hesitated with adding the sound effect thinking it was creepy but…

Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound I guess.

Blood and ashes 78

This is the before the last pages of the chapter.

That was the very moment I realized I was reaching the end.

Blood and ashes 79

There it is.

This is the end of the chapter and the main story… I have to admit, the first time I uploaded this page was a big moment…. and a very small one.

Here be Voodoo took over my brain space for eight years, I had a weekly well oiled habit of writing/ thumb-nailing/sketching/cleaning/inking/traming/finishing/uploading and to think it was just going to stop was… depressing.

and at the same time, uploading the last page was just another step, let’s get to the next one !

(Yes, there is a lot of reasons I study art, but one of them is I’m not good at anything else, writing included.)

But, the story is not quite done !

See you next Monday for the beginning of the 10 pages epilogue: Burying the dead!

Burying the Dead 03

I don’t quite remember what was the age difference between Naima and Sadiah, but no more than five or six years.
Still, Sadiah was eight or nine when she decided to dedicate her’s life to change things.

Burying the Dead 04

Meanwhile, in the Land of the dead…
Let’s just said that for Marassa, it’s ain’t the fun fair.

Burying the Dead 05

You know, it’s only there I realized Sunday has the same hairstyle than her uncle and father…

Burying the Dead 06

Fun game ! How to distinguish half-loa twins with perfectly identical faces?
SimplE: Eshu has an heart sew on his chest and his hands are still burned, but the Witcher has his heart burned and the trace of his tears on his cheeks.

Burying the Dead 07

They both have an unholy temper, they had a 200 years long spat, they were in opposite moral camp…
And yet, they still are two half of the same being.

Burying the Dead 11

And this is the and of the end.
Their story is really finished now for them.
And for me .
It was an 8 years and a half long adventure in webcomics creation and I learned a lot during this time.
[s]First thing was: Never start webcomics with an epic story.[/s]
Thank you for reading and I ‘ll see you on Monday with the very short story : Father’s day

Father’s Day 02

Yes, this was a very short story. Next one will be longer.
See you Monday for the last short story, The Veil.

The Veil : Cover art

In 2018, a little while I was finishing Here Be Voodoo and preparing the crowdfunding for the last book of the French edition, I entered one of the bonkers challenge in art space, namely: 12H of comics. You have 12H to make a 12 pages comics on a theme announced a minute 1.
Bonkers I tell you.
The theme was the word VOILE, which in French, can mean a veil, a sail, an headscarf, a curtain, a buckled wheel, a protective coating, a… you get it (yeah, French is hard sometimes, even when you are born into it)
And so, the veil meaning inspired me for the very first encounter between Saint Brigit of Kilgare and the Baron Samedi, well before she became Mama Brigit and well after she was the Goddess Brigit.
Enjoy !
(Oh right: I didn’t do ALL the comics in 12H. I did just the sketches and pacing. I’m not THAT insane)

The Veil 03

I had fun reusing my visual concepts for the loas (inspired by african art, especially the masks) but with celtic irish art!
(Ok yeah I know Cernunnos isn’t Irish, but I couldn’t pass an opportunity to draw The Boss)

The Veil 04

I didn’t made it up by the way!
I mean, the idea that the Goddess Brigit became Saint Brigit of Kilgare and then Mama Brigit is a well known theory in voodoo studies !

The Veil 05

I admit, there is a lot of Sir Terry Pratchett in my personal theology.

The Veil 08

You will note he was already shameless at the time.

The Veil 10

There is going to be a trick or treat… But mainly a trick.

The Veil 11

That’s the Baron in all his glory. Able to change all a paradigm in a few words and a smile (I swear he is smiling)

The Veil 12 End

They got married, lived happily ever after and they will have a few children, but before that, Brigit is going to torch the church and Samedi will fall in love with her for that.

Welcome to Here Be Voodoo !

The comics is finished (for the second time, don’t ask, WordPress’ shenanigans in 2025), but it is still available FREELY on this website, but also as a mirror on ComicFury !

But before you read the comic, BE WARNED!

Even thought the two mains characters are a little girl and her doll, this is not a comic for children and faint of heart! This story contain:

  • Disturbingly cute voodoo dolls wielding butcher knives.
  • Zombis (dog, bird, humans, bugs, more or less whole.) (also, yeah, the dogs dies. Or are already dead. And undead)
  • Grave robbing.
  • Human remains tinkering.
  • Black magic.
  • Naked ladies and gentlemen.
  • Werewolves. (Who are also the naked ladies and gentlemen).
  • Profanity and swearing
  • Act of questionable morality from both the good guys, the bad guys, and the dolls who wouldn’t know what morality is if it bite them in their straw-filled head.
  • Black humor, dark enough to depress an undertaker.

So be careful when reading the comics !

First page is HERE, or just clic on OLDEST link or archive in the top menu !

Have fun !

Valériane, Dolls Wrangler