Shade, the Changing Man
Encyclopedia
Shade, the Changing Man is a fictional comic book
character created by Steve Ditko
for DC Comics
in 1977. The character was later adapted by Peter Milligan
and became one of the first Vertigo titles.
Both versions of Shade are distinct from the Shade
, another DC Comics character.
and enabled him to project the illusion of becoming a large grotesque version of himself. The character was the first Ditko had created, or helped to create, for a mainstream publisher for many years. Prior to rejoining DC Comics
, Ditko had worked on characters such as his Mr. A. title. Shade was very much a return to mainstream superheroics, although Shade indicated no particular connection with the DC Universe (although the letters columns stated that there is no reason it could not be shown to be there). The series was dialogued from Ditko's plot and art by Michael Fleisher
.
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 within an eight week period. A ninth extra-length issue, featuring the debut of a new Ditko character called The Odd Man, was produced, but was published only as a part of DC's Cancelled Comic Cavalcade in 1978. A revised version of the Odd Man story appeared in Detective Comics
#487 (Dec. 1979-Jan. 1980)
After this, Shade was adopted into the DC Universe and made a brief appearance in the Crisis on Infinite Earths
mini series, as well as becoming a regular character in Suicide Squad
.
Rac Shade, a secret agent of the world in the Meta-Zone, a dimension near that of Earth, between which is the Zero-Zone, has been framed for treason and sentenced to death. Through various events, Shade spent some time on Earth trying to clear his name, using the retrieved M-Vest (The Miraco-Vest that had been stolen) in the process, but was met with resistance of the Meta-authorities at each point. His name was being cleared bit by bit, but he remained a wanted man, and Shade continued to use the M-Vest. Shade's former fiancée, Mellu Loron, wanted to kill him for some time for causing an explosion that crippled her parents, but her parents, 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, run by Wizor, assisted by Leno, and, for a time, Mellu. 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 Mellu videotape
evidence that Shade has rescued her from a deadly part of the Zero-Zone called the Area of Madness, from which no one but Shade, thanks to the vest, has exited without expending all their bodily resources screaming, 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, but 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, he leaps into the Zero-Zone and is swallowed by the Area of Madness.
's home dimension ends up here and Shade is able to adjust his M-Vest so he can teleport himself and the Squad to earth.
Unfortunately the O.R.C has been taken over by Doctor Z.Z. and a gang of Metan criminals. They hope to use the place as a base to conquer Earth and eventually Meta itself. Shade's plan to stop them is sidetracked by the Crisis On Infinite Earths and being stuck back in the Zero Zone. He is eventually rescued by the Squad.
Shade's second attempt at stopping Z.Z. is successful, though Meta authorities still wish to arrest him. Rick Flag
pulls a gun and Shade is allowed to leave with the Squad.
Shade is offered technical help in returning to Meta in exchange for his help on missions. Shade cooperates, though he is not quite sure if Earth's technology is up to the task. Shade also spends time trying to help the ex-Squad member Mindboggler, who had died in issue #2, then became Ifrit, a digitized ally of the Jihad.
Shade became increasingly doubtful of the wisdom of staying with the Squad. So when Lashina
(in the disguise of Duchess) came to him with an offer to return him to his home dimension via a detour to Apokolips
, Shade agrees, not knowing what was in store for him. He ends up being forced to kidnap Vixen
as well as Captain Boomerang
(although he had little regret with kidnapping the latter). Shade knew that his actions were wrong, but felt he had little choice.
Lashina betrayed him as soon as possible on Apokolips. Several of Shade's friends, the pilot Briscoe, civilian Flo Crowley (part of the Task Force X support staff) and the villain Dr. Light soon die in the fight against parademons and the Female Furies
. Darkseid
appears and settles the conflict, sending the Squad and its dead home. Shade, wracked with guilt, is sent back to his home dimension.
His whereabouts since then have been unknown.
and Chris Bachalo
. Coming at a time when DC were in the midst of the so-called "British Invasion" of creators, Shade was one of the last to debut in the first wave after Neil Gaiman
's Sandman, and Grant Morrison
's Animal Man
.
This new series used some of the same names and concepts from the original, but these were few and far between; Rac Shade was now a lovelorn poet sent to Earth to stop a growing tide of madness from consuming the planet, while his M-Vest was now a Madness-Vest that he could use to warp reality. The comic 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 Totems - and the original series was rationalized as being a story that Shade made up to amuse himself while traveling to Earth. However, this did not explain how the original Shade could work with the Suicide Squad.
Working from character designs by Brendan McCarthy
, artist Chris Bachalo
created a distinctive look for the comic which set it aside from the previous Ditko run and the characters' DC Universe appearances. Milligan made the stories uniquely surreal
, and had a habit of killing Shade off only to bring him back in a changed form. In fact, Shade had five different forms throughout the series' run: a red-headed mopey poet; a woman; a black-haired madman; a red-haired, emotionless mod; and a bedraggled, unshaven obsessive.
The series followed its previously-mentioned antecedents from the British Invasion by using concepts and ideas which were at times controversial (for example, JFK
's assassination and transgenderism
) and unfamiliar with regular DC titles. To distinguish these more 'adult' themes, DC created a separate imprint to house titles such as Shade. This imprint, called Vertigo started in 1993 and Shade became one of the initial run of Vertigo titles from issue 33.
Shade was always a steady selling title for Vertigo. Though it never sold in spectacular numbers, it maintained a cult following
. The title lasted 70 issues before finally being cancelled in 1996.
In 2003 a one-off story by Peter Milligan
and artist Mike Allred was printed as part of Vertigo's tenth anniversary celebrations in an anniversary special. In 2004, the first six issues were finally reprinted as a trade paperback released by Vertigo.
According to Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths HC, the events of the second series originally took place on Earth-85 in the Multiverse before its destruction.
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.
and Peter Milligan
himself.
. He also met his young son and attempted to bond with him only to find that the kid was suffering from an unusually fast aging disease and doomed to die soon. Eventually, the sadness got too much for Shade and he removed his heart and locked it in a metal box where it could no longer hurt him. But just because his heart was removed doesn't mean that made him apathetic. He only felt this way because he wanted to. That explained why he was still alive after he removed his heart. The Madness keeps him alive, not his organs, they're just a filled-in space.
-written Flashpoint
miniseries and its spinoff miniseries Flashpoint: Secret Seven (written by Peter Milligan) as the leader of the Secret Seven.
It has been announced that after Flashpoint, Shade will appear as one of the lead characters in Justice League Dark
, a new title once again written by Peter Milligan
and drawn by Mikel Janin.
, Alex Ross created Shade III, an African-American version. He is referred to as "more of the classic, heroic version", and is visually based more on the Steve Ditko Shade than the Peter Milligan Shade.
version of the classic Shade appeared in JLA: The Nail
as a member of the Outsiders
.
in Flashpoint: Secret Seven, a limited series spinoff of the Flashpoint
crossover event. The series is written by Peter Milligan and drawn by George Pérez
. This version of Shade is visually based on the Vertigo incarnation, but draws elements from the original Steve Ditko iteration of the character as well. In the series, history is altered accidentally by The Flash, resulting in a greatly altered timeline that reimagines many characters. Here, Shade is the leader of a band of heroes dubbed the Secret Seven
, which includes Enchantress
and Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. Shade and the others are recruited by Cyborg
as part of an effort to stop an apocalyptic war between Atlantis
and New Themyscira
.
The Vertigo series is being collected into trade paperbacks
.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character created by Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
in 1977. The character was later adapted by Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
and became one of the first Vertigo titles.
Both versions of Shade are distinct from the Shade
Shade (comics)
The Shade is a comic book character developed in the 1940's for National Comics. Debuting as a villain, the Shade was best known for fighting against two generations of superheroes, most notably the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the Flash...
, another DC Comics character.
The Steve Ditko era
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 fieldForce field
A force field, sometimes known as an energy shield, force shield, or deflector shield is a concept of a field tightly bounded and of significant magnitude so that objects affected by the particular force relating to the field are unable to pass through the central axis of the field and reach the...
and enabled him to project the illusion of becoming a large grotesque version of himself. The character was the first Ditko had created, or helped to create, for a mainstream publisher for many years. Prior to rejoining DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, Ditko had worked on characters such as his Mr. A. title. Shade was very much a return to mainstream superheroics, although Shade indicated no particular connection with the DC Universe (although the letters columns stated that there is no reason it could not be shown to be there). The series was dialogued from Ditko's plot and art by Michael Fleisher
Michael Fleisher
Michael L. "Mike" Fleisher is an American writer known for his DC Comics of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the characters the Spectre and Jonah Hex.-Early life and career:...
.
His series ran for eight bi-monthly issues in 1978 before its sudden cancellation in the wake of the "DC Implosion
DC Implosion
The DC Implosion is the popular label for the sudden cancellation of more than two dozen ongoing and planned series by the American comics publisher DC Comics in 1978.-History:...
", a contraction of DC's line that saw a third of their books axed within an eight week period. A ninth extra-length issue, featuring the debut of a new Ditko character called The Odd Man, was produced, but was published only as a part of DC's Cancelled Comic Cavalcade in 1978. A revised version of the Odd Man story appeared in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
#487 (Dec. 1979-Jan. 1980)
After this, Shade was adopted into the DC Universe and made a brief appearance in the Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
mini series, as well as becoming a regular character in Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
.
In his own series
The Metans have an outpost on earth, called the Occult Research Center, run by Wizor, assisted by Leno, and, for a time, Mellu. 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 Mellu videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
evidence that Shade has rescued her from a deadly part of the Zero-Zone called the Area of Madness, from which no one but Shade, thanks to the vest, has exited without expending all their bodily resources screaming, 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, but 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, he leaps into the Zero-Zone and is swallowed by the Area of Madness.
Running with the Suicide Squad
Shade ends up living in the Area of Madness. The Suicide Squad, after leaving NightshadeNightshade (comics)
Nightshade is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. Created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Captain Atom v2 #82 originally published by Charlton Comics.-Charlton Comics:...
's home dimension ends up here and Shade is able to adjust his M-Vest so he can teleport himself and the Squad to earth.
Unfortunately the O.R.C has been taken over by Doctor Z.Z. and a gang of Metan criminals. They hope to use the place as a base to conquer Earth and eventually Meta itself. Shade's plan to stop them is sidetracked by the Crisis On Infinite Earths and being stuck back in the Zero Zone. He is eventually rescued by the Squad.
Shade's second attempt at stopping Z.Z. is successful, though Meta authorities still wish to arrest him. Rick Flag
Rick Flag
Rick Flag is the name of three fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. They are father, son, and grandson.The father, Richard Flag was in the original Suicide Squad, a World War II unit. After the war he was a member of Task Force X. The son, Rick Flag Jr...
pulls a gun and Shade is allowed to leave with the Squad.
Shade is offered technical help in returning to Meta in exchange for his help on missions. Shade cooperates, though he is not quite sure if Earth's technology is up to the task. Shade also spends time trying to help the ex-Squad member Mindboggler, who had died in issue #2, then became Ifrit, a digitized ally of the Jihad.
Shade became increasingly doubtful of the wisdom of staying with the Squad. So when Lashina
Lashina
Lashina is a fictional character, and extraterrestrial warrior woman published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Mister Miracle vol. 1 #6 .-Fictional character biography:...
(in the disguise of Duchess) came to him with an offer to return him to his home dimension via a detour to Apokolips
Apokolips
In the DC Comics fictional shared Universe, Apokolips is the planet ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series. It is also integral to many DC Comics stories. The planet is considered the opposite of New Genesis....
, Shade agrees, not knowing what was in store for him. He ends up being forced to kidnap Vixen
Vixen (comics)
Vixen is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics universe. She debuted in Action Comics #521 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Bob Oksner.-Publication history:...
as well as Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang is a fictional character in the . A supervillain traditionally portrayed as an enemy of the Flash...
(although he had little regret with kidnapping the latter). Shade knew that his actions were wrong, but felt he had little choice.
Lashina betrayed him as soon as possible on Apokolips. Several of Shade's friends, the pilot Briscoe, civilian Flo Crowley (part of the Task Force X support staff) and the villain Dr. Light soon die in the fight against parademons and the Female Furies
Female Furies
The Female Furies are a group of fictional women warriors appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Mister Miracle #6 , and were created by Jack Kirby.-Team history:...
. Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
appears and settles the conflict, sending the Squad and its dead home. Shade, wracked with guilt, is sent back to his home dimension.
His whereabouts since then have been unknown.
Peter Milligan and the Vertigo years
In July 1990, just six months after Shade's final appearance in Suicide Squad, the title and character were revived and revamped by Peter MilliganPeter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
and Chris Bachalo
Chris Bachalo
Chris Bachalo is an American comic book illustrator known for his quirky, cartoon-like style. He became well known for stints on DC Comics’ Shade, the Changing Man and Neil Gaiman's two Death series...
. Coming at a time when DC were in the midst of the so-called "British Invasion" of creators, Shade was one of the last to debut in the first wave after Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's Sandman, and Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's Animal Man
Animal Man
Animal Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals...
.
This new series used some of the same names and concepts from the original, but these were few and far between; Rac Shade was now a lovelorn poet sent to Earth to stop a growing tide of madness from consuming the planet, while his M-Vest was now a Madness-Vest that he could use to warp reality. The comic still took place in the DC universe - John Constantine
John Constantine
John Constantine is a fictional character, an occult detective anti-hero in comic books published by DC Comics, mostly under the Vertigo imprint. The character first appeared in Swamp Thing #37 , and was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch...
turned up for a three-issue story arc, Death
Death (DC Comics)
Death is a fictional character from the DC comic book series, The Sandman . The character first appeared in The Sandman vol. 2, #8 , and was created by Neil Gaiman and Mike Dringenberg....
of The Endless
Endless (comics)
The Endless are a group of beings who embody powerful forces or aspects of the universe in the DC comic book series The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman. They have existed since the dawn of time and are thought to be among the most powerful beings in the universe...
appeared in a subtle cameo in issue 50 and Shade appeared with a group of other Vertigo characters in 1999's Totems - and the original series was rationalized as being a story that Shade made up to amuse himself while traveling to Earth. However, this did not explain how the original Shade could work with the Suicide Squad.
Working from character designs by Brendan McCarthy
Brendan McCarthy
Brendan McCarthy is a British artist and designer best known for his work in comic books, film and television.- Biography :Brendan McCarthy, of Irish descent, was born in London. Brendan soon began painting and drawing his own home-made comics....
, artist Chris Bachalo
Chris Bachalo
Chris Bachalo is an American comic book illustrator known for his quirky, cartoon-like style. He became well known for stints on DC Comics’ Shade, the Changing Man and Neil Gaiman's two Death series...
created a distinctive look for the comic which set it aside from the previous Ditko run and the characters' DC Universe appearances. Milligan made the stories uniquely surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, and had a habit of killing Shade off only to bring him back in a changed form. In fact, Shade had five different forms throughout the series' run: a red-headed mopey poet; a woman; a black-haired madman; a red-haired, emotionless mod; and a bedraggled, unshaven obsessive.
The series followed its previously-mentioned antecedents from the British Invasion by using concepts and ideas which were at times controversial (for example, JFK
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's assassination and transgenderism
Transgenderism
Transgenderism is a social movement seeking transgender rights and affirming transgender pride.-History:In her 1995 book Apartheid of Sex, biopolitical lawyer and writer Martine Rothblatt describes "transgenderism" as a grassroots social movement seeking transgender rights and affirming transgender...
) and unfamiliar with regular DC titles. To distinguish these more 'adult' themes, DC created a separate imprint to house titles such as Shade. This imprint, called Vertigo started in 1993 and Shade became one of the initial run of Vertigo titles from issue 33.
Shade was always a steady selling title for Vertigo. Though it never sold in spectacular numbers, it maintained a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
. The title lasted 70 issues before finally being cancelled in 1996.
In 2003 a one-off story by Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
and artist Mike Allred was printed as part of Vertigo's tenth anniversary celebrations in an anniversary special. In 2004, the first six issues were finally reprinted as a trade paperback released by Vertigo.
According to Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths HC, the events of the second series originally took place on Earth-85 in the Multiverse before its destruction.
In August 2010, Hellblazer
Hellblazer
Hellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series, originally published by DC Comics, and subsequently by the Vertigo imprint since March 1993, the month the imprint was introduced, where it remains to this day...
#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.
Version One (the red-headed poet)
The Shade that Kathy originally met was a young, romantic poet ill-suited to the task of saving Earth from the American Scream. He fell in love with Kathy and she with him, although he often felt inadequate about himself and his ability to please her sexually and emotionally. Eventually, he plunged into his own psyche and dredged up his repressed passions and desires, forming an alter-ego: Hades. Hades wasn't quite an evil twin, merely prone to giving in to his own desires. Hades generally spent most of his time lodged at the back of Shade's mind, although he was given the use of their body when the time arose, and briefly had a madness-constructed one of his own.Version Two (the changing woman)
Shade was eventually killed, but his spirit wasn't able to pass on and he ended up inhabiting the body of a recently murdered red-headed woman. http://www.tgfa.org/comics/shade/shade.htm Shade attempted to force his old, male form on her body but what remained of the woman's personality resisted because her murder had gone unsolved. Shade, Kathy and Lenny investigated and found out the horrific circumstances of the woman's death, but not before Shade experienced sex as a female and endured the onset of his first period. Once at peace, the woman was able to pass on and Shade was able to shape the body to resemble his original form.Version Three (the black-haired lunatic)
After further strange adventures Shade was killed once again, but this time the angels themselves forced him to return to Earth and do their bidding. They provided him with a human host created for just such an occasion - a twentysomething male born with no soul or mind; a mere hollow shell. However, the strain of death and the afterlife had caused Shade's mind to become both unhinged and combined with that of Hades. This new Shade had no permanent hold on sanity and would bounce from impulsive mania to thoughtful collection within the blink of an eye. He met up with Lenny and Kathy again and they opened the Hotel Shade, where they met John ConstantineJohn Constantine
John Constantine is a fictional character, an occult detective anti-hero in comic books published by DC Comics, mostly under the Vertigo imprint. The character first appeared in Swamp Thing #37 , and was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch...
and Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
himself.
Version Four (the heartless mod)
After the death of someone close to him, Shade underwent another change, returning to his red-headed form, but with a short mod cut rather than flowing locks. Lost in mourning, he cut himself off from his old life and moved to the big city, where he found new and unusual friends including a deaf dancer and the reincarnation of Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
. He also met his young son and attempted to bond with him only to find that the kid was suffering from an unusually fast aging disease and doomed to die soon. Eventually, the sadness got too much for Shade and he removed his heart and locked it in a metal box where it could no longer hurt him. But just because his heart was removed doesn't mean that made him apathetic. He only felt this way because he wanted to. That explained why he was still alive after he removed his heart. The Madness keeps him alive, not his organs, they're just a filled-in space.
Version Five (the bedraggled obsessive)
Shade eventually lost control of the Madness, which began feeding on his subconscious and started to maim and kill innocents. Desperate to put things right, he gathered up his remaining colleagues and developed a time machine. They rocketed off into the past to correct all of the things that had gone wrong, with limited success. By the end of the series, this Shade was accepted once more into the arms of love while his son found himself trapped in a girl's body.Return to the DCU
In 2011, Shade was featured in the Geoff JohnsGeoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
-written Flashpoint
Flashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
miniseries and its spinoff miniseries Flashpoint: Secret Seven (written by Peter Milligan) as the leader of the Secret Seven.
It has been announced that after Flashpoint, Shade will appear as one of the lead characters in Justice League Dark
Justice League Dark
Justice League Dark is an ongoing DC Comics series, announced as part of the universe wide overhaul, announced on May 31, 2011. The title will follow the adventures of a more supernatural team than traditional Justice League titles, and is written by Peter Milligan, with art by Mikel Janin...
, a new title once again written by Peter Milligan
and drawn by Mikel Janin.
Kingdom Come
In Kingdom ComeKingdom Come (comics)
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Alex Ross and Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
, Alex Ross created Shade III, an African-American version. He is referred to as "more of the classic, heroic version", and is visually based more on the Steve Ditko Shade than the Peter Milligan Shade.
JLA: The Nail
Another ElseworldsElseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
version of the classic Shade appeared in JLA: The Nail
JLA: The Nail
JLA: The Nail is a three-issue comic book mini-series published in the United States by DC Comics. It is a self-contained story by Alan Davis which stands outside of the mainstream continuity of the DC Universe....
as a member of the Outsiders
Outsiders (comics)
The Outsiders are a fictional DC Comics superhero team. As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the Justice League....
.
Flashpoint
In 2011, Shade returned to the DC UniverseDC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
in Flashpoint: Secret Seven, a limited series spinoff of the Flashpoint
Flashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
crossover event. The series is written by Peter Milligan and drawn by George Pérez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
. This version of Shade is visually based on the Vertigo incarnation, but draws elements from the original Steve Ditko iteration of the character as well. In the series, history is altered accidentally by The Flash, resulting in a greatly altered timeline that reimagines many characters. Here, Shade is the leader of a band of heroes dubbed the Secret Seven
Secret Six (comics)
The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...
, which includes Enchantress
Enchantress (DC Comics)
The Enchantress is a DC Comics character who has been both a superheroine and supervillainess. She first appeared in National Comics flagship science fiction anthology title Strange Adventures #187 , and was created by writer Bob Haney and artist Howard Purcell.More recently she is usually called...
and Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. Shade and the others are recruited by Cyborg
Cyborg (comics)
Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...
as part of an effort to stop an apocalyptic war between Atlantis
Atlantis (DC Comics)
Atlantis is a fictional location in the DC Comics Universe. The very first DC Universe version of Atlantis debuted in Action Comics #18 , and was created by...
and New Themyscira
Themyscira
Themyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
.
- Flashpoint: Secret Seven #1
- Flashpoint: Secret Seven #2
- Flashpoint: Secret Seven #3
Collected editions
The original Steve Ditko series will be collected in the Steve Ditko Omnibus, Volume 1.The Vertigo series is being collected into trade paperbacks
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
.
- Volume 1: The American Scream (168 pages, collects #1-6, 2003, Titan BooksTitan BooksTitan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
, ISBN 1840237163, DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, ISBN 1-4012-0046-X, DC version resolicited 2009, reprint, Titan, December 2009, ISBN 1848565003, DC) - Volume 2: The Edge of Vision (192 pages, collects #7-13, DC Comics, November 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2539-X, Titan Books, January 2010, ISBN 1848565011)
- Volume 3: Scream Time (176 pages, collects #14-19, DC Comics, July 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2768-6)