Shade, The Changing Man (Vertigo)

''Shade, the Changing Man'' is an American superhero comic book featuring the character of the same name. The series was written by Peter Milligan and published by DC Comics; it lasted for 70 issues, from July 1990 to April 1996. The final 37 issues were published under the company's Vertigo imprint for mature readers. ''Shade, the Changing Man'' chronicles the adventures of Rac Shade, an alien from the planet Meta who becomes stuck in the body of Troy Grenzer, a convicted serial killer. The series' long-term story arc focuses on the relationship between Shade and Kathy George, a girl whose parents were killed by Grenzer.

The series explores the themes of identity and love triangles, while offering a critique of American culture. Milligan conceived ''Shade, the Changing Man'' after writing ''Skreemer'', his first comic for DC. Editor Karen Berger asked Milligan to start working on a new series; Milligan chose to write about Shade, who had been created for a short-lived series by Steve Ditko in 1977. Milligan sought to differentiate his series from Ditko's: he only used elements of Shade he deemed necessary and took the character in a different direction. Numerous artists contributed to the series throughout its run; the most recurring was Chris Bachalo, who illustrated 38 issues.

''Shade, the Changing Man'' has been called one of the most innovative comics ever published and one of Milligan's finest works. Reviewers found its take on the superhero genre bizarre and unconventional, and offered lavish praise for its originality and characters. Milligan considers it the series he is best known for, and has returned to write new stories about Shade on several occasions. The series was adapted as part of Cartoon Network's ''DC Nation Shorts'' in 2013. A spiritual successor, '' Shade, the Changing Girl'', began in 2016, published under DC's Young Animal imprint.

Synopsis

Rac Shade, an alien poet from the planet Meta, is recruited by Changemaster Wisor to become a Changing Man. Shade is deceived into traveling to Earth, causing his body on Meta to rot. As humans die when taken over by a Changing Man, Shade possesses Troy Grenzer, a serial killer about to be executed. Shade befriends Kathy George, whose parents were murdered by Grenzer, and Lenny Shapiro. He also must avoid law enforcement, who believe he is still Grenzer. Shade's first mission on Earth is to fight the American Scream—actually Agent Rohug, another Metan Changing Man who went insane after undergoing deep-culture-tank training focusing on American culture and stop the madness of Meta from flowing into Earth. Shade also battles with Grenzer, as a portion of his conscience survived and repeatedly tries to retake his body. Shade also develops an alter-ego, Hades, who causes Shade to give in to his own desires.

After the first storyline, the series shifted its focus to telling the love story about Shade and Kathy. Shade is killed, but his spirit is transferred to the body of a recently murdered red-headed woman. After further strange adventures, Shade is killed again, but angels force him to return to Earth and do their bidding. They provide him with a human host created for just such an occasion. The strain of death and the afterlife cause Shade's mind to become both unhinged and combined with that of Hades. Thus, Shade has no permanent hold on sanity and will bounce from impulsive mania to thoughtful collection quickly. He reunites with Lenny and Kathy, opens the Hotel Shade, and meets John Constantine. Kathy and Shade also have a child.

Kathy is eventually killed. Shade becomes a red-head again, but this time with a short mod cut. Lost in mourning, he removes himself from his old life and moves to the city, where he befriends a deaf dancer and the alleged reincarnation of Nikola Tesla