| Shade, the Changing Man | |
|---|---|
 The originalShade version bySteve Ditko | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Shade the Changing Man #1 (June 1977) |
| Created by | Steve Ditko |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Rac Shade |
| Team affiliations | Suicide Squad Justice League Dark Justice League Multiverse Justice League |
| Notable aliases | Mad Mod Poet God |
| Abilities | The M-Vest creates a strong forcefield that repels weaponry, allows a degree of flight and distorts Shade's appearance dependent on the viewer's mental state or his own. |
Shade, the Changing Man is acomic book character created bySteve Ditko forDC Comics in 1977.[1] The character waslater adapted byPeter Milligan andChris Bachalo in one of the firstVertigo titles.
Both versions of Shade are distinct from theShade, an unrelated DC Comics character.
Shade, the Changing Man told the story of a fugitive from the militant planet Meta in another dimension. Shade (whose full name is Rac Shade) was powered by a stolen "M-vest" (or Miraco-Vest, named for its inventor) which protected him with a force field and enabled him to project the illusion of becoming a large grotesque version of himself.[2]
The character was the first Ditko had created, or helped to create, for a mainstream publisher for many years. Prior to rejoiningDC Comics, Ditko had worked on characters such as hisMr. A. title.Shade was a return to mainstream superheroics, althoughShade indicated no connection with the DC Universe.Michael Fleisher scripted the series based on Ditko's plotting and art.
His series ran for eight bi-monthly issues in 1978 before its sudden cancellation in the wake of the "DC Implosion", a contraction of DC's line that saw a third of their books axed right before the September releases. A ninth extra-length issue, featuring the debut of a new Ditko character called theOdd Man, was produced, but was published only as a part of DC'sCancelled Comic Cavalcade in 1978. A revised version of the Odd Man story appeared inDetective Comics #487 (Dec. 1979-Jan. 1980). Both stories were published inThe Steve Ditko Omnibus Vol. 1 (2011),[3] a hardcover collection of Ditko's DC work.
After this, Shade was adopted into the DC Universe and made a brief appearance in theCrisis on Infinite Earths miniseries as well as becoming a regular character inSuicide Squad.
Rac Shade is a secret agent from the Meta-Zone dimension who is framed for treason and sentenced to death. Through various events, Shade spends time on Earth trying to clear his names, but is met with resistance from the Meta-authorities at each point. Shade's former fiancée Mellu Loron seeks revenge against him for causing an explosion that crippled her parents. Her mother, operating a mechanical monster called the Supreme Decider (or Sude) had other plans.
The Metans have an outpost on Earth called the Occult Research Center (O.R.C). The center was run by Wizor, assisted by Leno. Mellu ran it for a time. The O.R.C. operates by telling the absolute truth about Meta, something the public tends to laugh off. When Mellu desires to kill Shade, the fact that other, more violent, criminals released in the freak accident during the prison riot that freed Shade become priority, annoys her greatly and causes her to leave the organization.
When Dr. Sagan shows Melluvideotape evidence that Shade has rescued her from a deadly part of the Zero-Zone called the Area of Madness, she changes her mind about Shade, in spite of having been the one who had ultimately captured him.
In the final issue, President Olon's hands are tied in regard to the treason charge. Even though he considers Shade innocent, until his death sentence is overturned in court, he is still under a death sentence as Col. Kross gathers evidence in his defense. With all of these on his side, Shade leaps into the Zero-Zone and is swallowed by the Area of Madness.
Shade later joins theSuicide Squad, but has second thoughts, leadingLashina to manipulate him into helping her under the pretense of returning him to the Meta-Zone.[4] She, however, betrays him and several of his friends are killed byParademons and theFemale Furies.Darkseid appears and settles the conflict, returning Shade home.[5]
| Shade, the Changing Man | |
|---|---|
 The third iteration of Milligan's Shade (center), with Kathy (left) and Lenny, taken fromShade the Changing Man #50; art byBrian Bolland. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics,Vertigo |
| First appearance | Shade the Changing Man #1 (July 1990) |
| Created by | Peter Milligan andChris Bachalo |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Rac Shade |
| Notable aliases | Troy Grenzer |
| Abilities | Can use his Madness Vest to warp reality to his will |
In July 1990, six months after Shade's final appearance inSuicide Squad,Shade was revamped byPeter Milligan andChris Bachalo, becoming part of the so-called "British Invasion", alongsideNeil Gaiman'sSandman andGrant Morrison'sAnimal Man.
The new series still took place in the DC Universe:John Constantine turned up for a three-issue story arc,Death of the Endless appeared in a subtle cameo in issue #50 and Shade appeared with a group of other Vertigo characters in 1999's one-shotTotems. The comic departed quickly from its origins. Milligan and Bachalo reinvented Rac Shade as a red-headed lovelorn poet sent to Earth to stop a growing tide of madness from consuming the planet, his M-Vest becoming a Madness-Vest capable of warping reality. Working fromBrendan McCarthy's character designs, Bachalo created a distinctive look for the comic, distinguishing it from the character's other DC Universe appearances. The original series wasretconned as a story that Shade made up to amuse himself while traveling to Earth (left unexplained was his stint with the Suicide Squad).
Milligan killed Shade off several times during the series, bringing him back each time in a different form: a woman; a black-haired madman; a red-haired, emotionlessmod; and a bedraggled, unshaven obsessive.
The series employed concepts which were at times controversial and distinct from regular DC titles (for example,JFK's assassination andtransgenderism). To distinguish these more 'adult' themes inShade and other titles, DC created theVertigo imprint in 1993.Shade became one of the initial Vertigo titles starting with issue #33.
Shade sold steadily for Vertigo and maintained acult following. The title lasted 70 issues before being cancelled in 1996.
In 2003, a special one-off story by Peter Milligan and artistMike Allred was printed as part of Vertigo's 10th anniversary celebration.
In 2004, the first six issues ofShade were reprinted as a Vertigotrade paperback.
In August 2010,Hellblazer #268 featured the return of Shade, the Changing Man, this time as a supporting cast member for John Constantine in a series of storylines written by Milligan.
According to theAbsolute Crisis on Infinite Earths hardcover book, the events of the second series originally took place on Earth-85 in the DC Multiverse before its destruction.
In 2011, Shade was featured inGeoff Johns'Flashpoint miniseries and its spin-off miniseriesFlashpoint: Secret Seven (written byPeter Milligan) as the leader of theSecret Seven.[6] AfterFlashpoint as part ofThe New 52 (a reboot of theDC Comics universe), Shade appears as one of the lead characters in the first story arc ofJustice League Dark, a new title written by Peter Milligan[7] and drawn by Mikel Janin.
The original Steve Ditko series is collected inThe Steve Ditko Omnibus Vol. 1 (2011).[3]
TheVertigo series was collected intotrade paperbacks:
TheYoung Animal series was collected into threetrade paperbacks:
Steve Ditko returned to mainstream comics withShade, the Changing Man. Joined by writer Michael Fleisher, Ditko unveiled the story of Rac Shade, a secret agent-turned-fugitive from the extra-dimensional world of Meta.
