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Shade, the Changing Girl #1-6
Shade, the Changing Girl, Volume 1: Earth Girl Made Easy
Part of Gerard Way's new imprint, DC's Young Animal!
Far away on the planet Meta, Loma's going nowhere fast. She's dropped out of school, dumped her boyfriend and is bored out of her mind. She longs to feel things. That's where her idol, the lunatic poet Rac Shade, and his infamous madness coat come in. Loma steals the garment and makes a break across galaxies to take up residence in a new body: Earth girl Megan Boyer.
Surely everything will be better on this passionate, primitive planet with a dash of madness on her side and this human girl's easy life. Only now that she's here, Loma discovers being a teenaged Earth girl comes with its own challenges and Earth may not be everything she thought it'd be. Megan Boyer was a bully who everyone was glad was almost dead, and now Loma has to survive high school and navigate the consequences of the life she didn't live with the ever-growing and uncontrollable madness at her side. Not to mention that there are people back on her homeworld who might just want Shade's coat back.
Written by Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes), drawn by Marley Zarcone (Effigy) and overseen by Gerard Way, Shade, the Changing Girl starts a whole new chapter in the story of one of comics' most unique series.
Collecting: Shade, the Changing Girl 1-6
Far away on the planet Meta, Loma's going nowhere fast. She's dropped out of school, dumped her boyfriend and is bored out of her mind. She longs to feel things. That's where her idol, the lunatic poet Rac Shade, and his infamous madness coat come in. Loma steals the garment and makes a break across galaxies to take up residence in a new body: Earth girl Megan Boyer.
Surely everything will be better on this passionate, primitive planet with a dash of madness on her side and this human girl's easy life. Only now that she's here, Loma discovers being a teenaged Earth girl comes with its own challenges and Earth may not be everything she thought it'd be. Megan Boyer was a bully who everyone was glad was almost dead, and now Loma has to survive high school and navigate the consequences of the life she didn't live with the ever-growing and uncontrollable madness at her side. Not to mention that there are people back on her homeworld who might just want Shade's coat back.
Written by Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes), drawn by Marley Zarcone (Effigy) and overseen by Gerard Way, Shade, the Changing Girl starts a whole new chapter in the story of one of comics' most unique series.
Collecting: Shade, the Changing Girl 1-6
144 pages, Paperback
First published July 4, 2017
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2213 people want to read
About the author
Cecil Castellucci
221 books722 followersCecil Castellucci is an author of young adult novels and comic books. Titles include Boy Proof, The Year of the Beasts (illustrated by Nate Powell), First Day on Earth, Rose Sees Red, Beige, The Queen of Cool The Plain Janes and Janes in Love (illustrated by Jim Rugg), Tin Star Stone in the Sky, Odd Duck (illustrated by Sara Varon) and Star Wars: Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure.
Her short stories have been published in various places including Black Clock, The Rattling Wall, Tor.com, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine and can be found in such anthologies such as After, Teeth, Truth & Dare, The Eternal Kiss, Sideshow and Interfictions 2 and the anthology, which she co-edited, Geektastic.
She is the recipient of the California Book Award Gold Medal for her picture book Grandma's Gloves, illustrated by Julia Denos, the Shuster Award for Best Canadian Comic Book Writer for The Plain Janes and the Sunburst Award for Tin Star. The Year of the Beasts was a finalist for the PEN USA literary award and Odd Duck was Eisner nominated.
She splits her time between the heart and the head and lives north and south of everything. Her hands are small. And she likes you very much.
Her short stories have been published in various places including Black Clock, The Rattling Wall, Tor.com, Strange Horizons, Apex Magazine and can be found in such anthologies such as After, Teeth, Truth & Dare, The Eternal Kiss, Sideshow and Interfictions 2 and the anthology, which she co-edited, Geektastic.
She is the recipient of the California Book Award Gold Medal for her picture book Grandma's Gloves, illustrated by Julia Denos, the Shuster Award for Best Canadian Comic Book Writer for The Plain Janes and the Sunburst Award for Tin Star. The Year of the Beasts was a finalist for the PEN USA literary award and Odd Duck was Eisner nominated.
She splits her time between the heart and the head and lives north and south of everything. Her hands are small. And she likes you very much.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 284 reviews
August 1, 2017
I enjoy Cecil's comic work, so I'll happily pick up anything she writes these days. It's cool for me to see her writing for Vertigo, too.
I don't know much about he original series this comic is effectively re-booting. But it kinda reminds me of the old Doom Patrol when Grant Morrison was writing it. Very surreal while still having a good storyline.
If you're looking for a story of teenage drama mixed and intergalactic surrealism, this is going to be your bag. Even if you're *not* looking for that, you might want to consider giving it a try. Stretch yourself a little. Didn't you see me compare her writing to Grant Morrison up there? I can't pay a much bigger compliment than that....
I don't know much about he original series this comic is effectively re-booting. But it kinda reminds me of the old Doom Patrol when Grant Morrison was writing it. Very surreal while still having a good storyline.
If you're looking for a story of teenage drama mixed and intergalactic surrealism, this is going to be your bag. Even if you're *not* looking for that, you might want to consider giving it a try. Stretch yourself a little. Didn't you see me compare her writing to Grant Morrison up there? I can't pay a much bigger compliment than that....
July 18, 2017
I like to move it, move it, move it, I like to… movie it, provie it, shooo… sorry, I think my brain’s broken from too many crappy comics lately! Oh up yours Young Animal. Thank Jeebus this is the last one of these I’ve gotta endure!
Shade, the Changing Man is reimagined as Shade, the Changing Girl because I guess the character changes? Ahhhhh you spin me right round baby right round like a record... Come on, dude, keep it together, it’s almost over… have another drink.
I’ve never read any of the previous incarnations so I can’t compare or even know if this is similar in approach but this Shade is an alien called Loma inhabiting a teen girl’s body for a contrived reason. Loma must find out why everyone thinks she’s a bitch - not that anything’s at stake, she’s just gotta do something to fill the pages. Yup, real edge of your seat reading!
I wasn’t sucked into what little story there was. We know that Megan, the Earth girl host, was a mean girl before Loma inhabited her, so we have to wait tediously for Loma to figure out what we know from the start. No explanation either for how possession works - is Megan’s, uh, “spirit” killed when Loma jumps in or what? It appears at the end but where was it up til then? Ah, I didn’t really care anyway.
Loma leaving her home planet to come to Earth was a flimsy excuse that added to the pointlessness of this comic. And the stuff on Loma’s home planet was equally unimaginative. Basically aliens have the same culture as we do on Earth (even vaping!) but they’re alien-looking. The art is nothing special but Kelly Fitzpatrick’s colours are trippy and cool.
Shade, the Changing Girl is boring garbage. I highly recommend avoiding any books with the Young Animal label!
Shade, the Changing Man is reimagined as Shade, the Changing Girl because I guess the character changes? Ahhhhh you spin me right round baby right round like a record... Come on, dude, keep it together, it’s almost over… have another drink.
I’ve never read any of the previous incarnations so I can’t compare or even know if this is similar in approach but this Shade is an alien called Loma inhabiting a teen girl’s body for a contrived reason. Loma must find out why everyone thinks she’s a bitch - not that anything’s at stake, she’s just gotta do something to fill the pages. Yup, real edge of your seat reading!
I wasn’t sucked into what little story there was. We know that Megan, the Earth girl host, was a mean girl before Loma inhabited her, so we have to wait tediously for Loma to figure out what we know from the start. No explanation either for how possession works - is Megan’s, uh, “spirit” killed when Loma jumps in or what? It appears at the end but where was it up til then? Ah, I didn’t really care anyway.
Loma leaving her home planet to come to Earth was a flimsy excuse that added to the pointlessness of this comic. And the stuff on Loma’s home planet was equally unimaginative. Basically aliens have the same culture as we do on Earth (even vaping!) but they’re alien-looking. The art is nothing special but Kelly Fitzpatrick’s colours are trippy and cool.
Shade, the Changing Girl is boring garbage. I highly recommend avoiding any books with the Young Animal label!
July 26, 2017
Loma, an alien from Meta, tries on Rac Shade's legendary madness coat and finds herself on earth, in the body of a brain-dead girl, Megan, who was not very nice before her accident. Will she adjust to Megan's life with Metan authorities on her trail?
As someone who has most of the Steve Ditko Shade run from the 1970s AND most of the 1990s Vertigo run, I approached Shade The Changing Girl with cautious optimism. Since the Young Animal imprint seems to be the second coming of Vertigo, I figured I'd give it a shot.
I wound up digging it. Shade, The Changing Girl, takes elements from both the Ditko run and the Peter Milligan-penned Vertigo adventures. Honestly, it's more coherent that both were a lot of the time.
Shade, The Changing Girl, is a fish (or bird) out of water story as Loma steps into Megan Boyer's life and tries to experience earth life. Too bad Megan was a tremendous bitch. As Loma pieces together what happened on the night Megan drowned, she makes friends and encounters a lot of people Megan did wrong. A LOT of people. Even her parents hate her.
Without spoiling things too much, Earth Girl Made Easy laid a lot of groundwork and set the stage for future adventures. It was really cool that Mellu is on the trail of the stolen M-Vest. I have a feeling Shade and River will be visiting Meta and the Area of Madness in the future. It kind of feels like Doctor Who in a way.
Earth Girl Made Easy feels like it could easily fit into the Vertigo Shade series. As a long time Shade fan, I'm pretty excited about what's to come. Four out of five stars.
As someone who has most of the Steve Ditko Shade run from the 1970s AND most of the 1990s Vertigo run, I approached Shade The Changing Girl with cautious optimism. Since the Young Animal imprint seems to be the second coming of Vertigo, I figured I'd give it a shot.
I wound up digging it. Shade, The Changing Girl, takes elements from both the Ditko run and the Peter Milligan-penned Vertigo adventures. Honestly, it's more coherent that both were a lot of the time.
Shade, The Changing Girl, is a fish (or bird) out of water story as Loma steps into Megan Boyer's life and tries to experience earth life. Too bad Megan was a tremendous bitch. As Loma pieces together what happened on the night Megan drowned, she makes friends and encounters a lot of people Megan did wrong. A LOT of people. Even her parents hate her.
Without spoiling things too much, Earth Girl Made Easy laid a lot of groundwork and set the stage for future adventures. It was really cool that Mellu is on the trail of the stolen M-Vest. I have a feeling Shade and River will be visiting Meta and the Area of Madness in the future. It kind of feels like Doctor Who in a way.
Earth Girl Made Easy feels like it could easily fit into the Vertigo Shade series. As a long time Shade fan, I'm pretty excited about what's to come. Four out of five stars.
September 3, 2017
Some disjointure between episodes (where did the ghost of Megan suddenly spring from?) but overall an interesting take on a concept I've seen done a few times, both worse and better.
Teenagers and math/science professors seem to be the highest risk groups for being body-snatched by aliens/demons/clones. Stay safe, kids!
Teenagers and math/science professors seem to be the highest risk groups for being body-snatched by aliens/demons/clones. Stay safe, kids!
May 24, 2024
Loma is a bird alien from Meta. She steals the madness vest from the last Shade series and inhabits the mind of a comatose girl, Megan, on Earth. Megan was a mean girl who terrorized both her friends, nerds, and even her parents, just an awful person. Most of the book is Loma dealing with this.
Nothing happens in this book. It's so boring and bland. Same with the art. It felt like an indie comic where nothing happens and there's no point.
Received an advance copy from DC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Nothing happens in this book. It's so boring and bland. Same with the art. It felt like an indie comic where nothing happens and there's no point.
Received an advance copy from DC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 18, 2017
** received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **
3 stars.
Look, this is my first introduction to this character. I’ve heard a little about this series from one of my favorite podcasts, Talking Comics. The fact that Gerard Way was involved also drew to me picking this one up. I must admit, I don’t understand this book. Not in a “why does it exist?” kind of way but in a “wtf happened?” kind of way.
The story as I understand it: Loma Shade is an alien from Meta who steals a special jacket and makes it to earth. She steals the body of a comatose girl, Megan, and assumes her life. As she does, she learns that Megan was a total nightmare before her coma and Loma has to deal with that while learning to deal with human emotions and customs.
As a premise, that’s pretty straight forward and kind of cool. Unfortunately, something about the format to this book made several of those rather simple concepts hard to comprehend? The biggest problem I had with this book is that I was never quite sure what was in Loma’s head and what others, like River and Teacup, could see. There are several times when there’s color splashes across the page and I can’t tell if Loma’s in her headspace or if the colors were visible to everyone. It made it hard to follow the story.
Loma is an interesting character. I liked River just fine and Teacup was moderately interesting in a “I’ve seen this type of character several times before” kind of way. I would be interested in more of a story from their point of view.
Honestly, reading this I was slightly imagining how this story would have worked on Teen Nick or something.
The art was pretty damn awesome! It was next level bonkers with some of the scenes of Loma Meta Meditating and dreaming. I enjoyed the colors and the style quite a bit. It was the best part of this book, in my opinion.
So, largely, what made this kind of a difficult read for me is that I had no clue what was happening. A lot of that is probably because this is my introduction to the character. I think a volume one should be a good jumping off point for everyone. That’s just my personal opinion though. I suppose not every first volume of a series has to take the time to introduce the world and the concepts. That being said, I still enjoyed parts of this series. Not sure if I’ll continue with it, though.
3 stars.
3 stars.
Look, this is my first introduction to this character. I’ve heard a little about this series from one of my favorite podcasts, Talking Comics. The fact that Gerard Way was involved also drew to me picking this one up. I must admit, I don’t understand this book. Not in a “why does it exist?” kind of way but in a “wtf happened?” kind of way.
The story as I understand it: Loma Shade is an alien from Meta who steals a special jacket and makes it to earth. She steals the body of a comatose girl, Megan, and assumes her life. As she does, she learns that Megan was a total nightmare before her coma and Loma has to deal with that while learning to deal with human emotions and customs.
As a premise, that’s pretty straight forward and kind of cool. Unfortunately, something about the format to this book made several of those rather simple concepts hard to comprehend? The biggest problem I had with this book is that I was never quite sure what was in Loma’s head and what others, like River and Teacup, could see. There are several times when there’s color splashes across the page and I can’t tell if Loma’s in her headspace or if the colors were visible to everyone. It made it hard to follow the story.
Loma is an interesting character. I liked River just fine and Teacup was moderately interesting in a “I’ve seen this type of character several times before” kind of way. I would be interested in more of a story from their point of view.
Honestly, reading this I was slightly imagining how this story would have worked on Teen Nick or something.
The art was pretty damn awesome! It was next level bonkers with some of the scenes of Loma Meta Meditating and dreaming. I enjoyed the colors and the style quite a bit. It was the best part of this book, in my opinion.
So, largely, what made this kind of a difficult read for me is that I had no clue what was happening. A lot of that is probably because this is my introduction to the character. I think a volume one should be a good jumping off point for everyone. That’s just my personal opinion though. I suppose not every first volume of a series has to take the time to introduce the world and the concepts. That being said, I still enjoyed parts of this series. Not sure if I’ll continue with it, though.
3 stars.
June 13, 2017
This is a fantastic continuation to Shade, and more than anything it is BEAUTIFUL. When I say this, what I mean is that every single page is a masterpiece. You could close your eyes and flip through, and wherever you landed, you could blow it up and frame it on your wall and it would look magnificent.
The writing is strong, the plot is strong, the characters (and their names--Teacup? Hello yes) are strong; but what this does so astonishingly well is tell its story simultaneously through imagery and words. And yeah, all graphic novels should do that--but this is on another level. It's not just worlds that the art creates, and it's not just a point of view. It's a state of mind.
It's philosophical, it's poetic, it's aesthetically stunning, and it transports you to a whole new mindspace. 5 stars.
**Full review here:
http://laurenanalepa.weebly.com/blog-...
The writing is strong, the plot is strong, the characters (and their names--Teacup? Hello yes) are strong; but what this does so astonishingly well is tell its story simultaneously through imagery and words. And yeah, all graphic novels should do that--but this is on another level. It's not just worlds that the art creates, and it's not just a point of view. It's a state of mind.
It's philosophical, it's poetic, it's aesthetically stunning, and it transports you to a whole new mindspace. 5 stars.
**Full review here:
http://laurenanalepa.weebly.com/blog-...
January 16, 2018
Loma Shade, a bird-like alien uses a coat of madness to enter the body of a brain dead high school student in order to explore life on Earth, which is pretty trendy where she comes from. It's as strange as it sounds. There are a lot of interesting points in the story where Loma discovers things about the girl she is inhabiting. Loma is very unlike that girl, so she must renegotiate the relationships that she has with those who remember her as someone else. The art is pretty trippy, and is fun to look at.
December 4, 2019
The best describing word I would have for this YA Graphic Novel would be Bizzaro!
The pages are exploding with psychedelic colors! Mind-blowing art drips off the pages! The lettering, coloring, and art were my favorites. They were flipping amazing! I'm shocked that every page is oozing with trippy madness. It's beautiful chaos.
Different but interesting.
The galactic/astral parts reminded me of the "Preacher" comics in a way, mixed with a bit of "Futurama" and "Freaky Friday", sprinkled with 'Lisa Frank' coloring!
The story was strange but good. I plan on checking out the next one if I come across it. I borrowed this one, issues 1-6, from my local library.
Check out the book blurb if this intrigues you. It's a little tricky to describe plot or triggers without giving away too much. I think this will have a select audience. I'm not sure how to rate it, as the art is so dang awesome! Sometimes it's nice to come across something different, and I know different may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it.
3.5 Stars
The pages are exploding with psychedelic colors! Mind-blowing art drips off the pages! The lettering, coloring, and art were my favorites. They were flipping amazing! I'm shocked that every page is oozing with trippy madness. It's beautiful chaos.
Different but interesting.
The galactic/astral parts reminded me of the "Preacher" comics in a way, mixed with a bit of "Futurama" and "Freaky Friday", sprinkled with 'Lisa Frank' coloring!
The story was strange but good. I plan on checking out the next one if I come across it. I borrowed this one, issues 1-6, from my local library.
Check out the book blurb if this intrigues you. It's a little tricky to describe plot or triggers without giving away too much. I think this will have a select audience. I'm not sure how to rate it, as the art is so dang awesome! Sometimes it's nice to come across something different, and I know different may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it.
3.5 Stars
August 14, 2017
I want to digest this one a little more before I review it, but briefly: I've never done acid, but I imagine this is what an acid trip would be like, maybe? Surreal doesn't quite cover this story or style, and sometimes the existentialness of it all felt really forced and not as clever as it was making itself out to be.
That said, it was oddly fascinating, the art & coloring (though trippy) was gorgeous, and the characters were pretty engaging, and I find myself looking forward to more from the series.
That said, it was oddly fascinating, the art & coloring (though trippy) was gorgeous, and the characters were pretty engaging, and I find myself looking forward to more from the series.
July 4, 2017
Utterly lost…
Damn, that was a real challenging read unfortunately. Honestly, it made me physically ill and gave me a helluva headache. I think it stems from the fact that this really didn’t feel reader friendly. I’ve only a cursory knowledge of the previous iteration of Shade and hoped to be eased into this one.
Nope.
So bloody lost throughout. I can’t in good conscience recommed this to anyone I know. I mean the Young Animal titles are edgier, out there, and experimental but this was less “art house clever” and more “WTF is happening in this very moment?”
Maybe I’m just an obtuse reader, but simple things like “Can anyone see what she’s projecting/making?” were lost on me. I mean in one secod, it seems River does…and maybe Teacup, but in others no one seems to be noticing. Straight up, if a wee blue and black, floppy circle came out of someone’s head, I’d freak the hell out. Another example is in the finale, she’s in her room having an epic battle, and her father (seems?!?!) to be surrounded by eyeballs and coloured circles. A few moments later, mom invites the kids in for cocoa like nothing happened.
Also, one issue ends with Megan’s essence/aura/spirit/mean ass presence confronting Shade. The next issue’s first panel says Shade’s been followed by it for days. Wait, have days passed? Did I miss something? Am I just that dumb?
The art was certainly interesting, but it’s not outweighed by the fact that this felt like a chore, bored me because I felt lost, and in the end I felt kind of dumb. Also, the “actual” lead character has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Sorry Young Animal, this one just didn’t do it for me on any level.
Damn, that was a real challenging read unfortunately. Honestly, it made me physically ill and gave me a helluva headache. I think it stems from the fact that this really didn’t feel reader friendly. I’ve only a cursory knowledge of the previous iteration of Shade and hoped to be eased into this one.
Nope.
So bloody lost throughout. I can’t in good conscience recommed this to anyone I know. I mean the Young Animal titles are edgier, out there, and experimental but this was less “art house clever” and more “WTF is happening in this very moment?”
Maybe I’m just an obtuse reader, but simple things like “Can anyone see what she’s projecting/making?” were lost on me. I mean in one secod, it seems River does…and maybe Teacup, but in others no one seems to be noticing. Straight up, if a wee blue and black, floppy circle came out of someone’s head, I’d freak the hell out. Another example is in the finale, she’s in her room having an epic battle, and her father (seems?!?!) to be surrounded by eyeballs and coloured circles. A few moments later, mom invites the kids in for cocoa like nothing happened.
Also, one issue ends with Megan’s essence/aura/spirit/mean ass presence confronting Shade. The next issue’s first panel says Shade’s been followed by it for days. Wait, have days passed? Did I miss something? Am I just that dumb?
The art was certainly interesting, but it’s not outweighed by the fact that this felt like a chore, bored me because I felt lost, and in the end I felt kind of dumb. Also, the “actual” lead character has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Sorry Young Animal, this one just didn’t do it for me on any level.
February 14, 2018
Being able to fill 6 whole issues of absolutely nothing might seem impressive.
But it's mainly boring, really.
So Loma is an alien from Meta, the planet of the original Shade, and for some of the less imaginative reason ever, manages to get hold on Shade's M-vest which leads her to Earth to take possession of the body of a girl in a coma.
Then it takes her 6 issues to figure out the girl was a mean bitch. Apparently it's important. Why? Beats me. And frankly I don't give a shit.
None of the character is interesting in any way, nor sympathetic, nor anything. I rooted for Rac Shade and Kathy in 1990 but Loma, River and Teacup-a real sense for names eh?-can all go to Hell for all I care. I've rarely seen a series where absolutely everybody is so bland with tepid dialogues and inner monologues that ring phony from beginning to end.
Add a pacing totally off, a barely coherent narration (who is Cecil Castellucci? Has she ever wrote a comic book before? Read one?) and you got one crappy comic book all the way down.
There's a side storyline on Meta-the most uninteresting alien place I've ever seen- alluding to further events but I'm not holding my breath.
Marley Zarcone does the job on the drawing board but doesn't particularly shine. It lacks the weirdness Bacchalo-definitely the yardstick on Shade- brought on the original series back then.
But it's mainly boring, really.
So Loma is an alien from Meta, the planet of the original Shade, and for some of the less imaginative reason ever, manages to get hold on Shade's M-vest which leads her to Earth to take possession of the body of a girl in a coma.
Then it takes her 6 issues to figure out the girl was a mean bitch. Apparently it's important. Why? Beats me. And frankly I don't give a shit.
None of the character is interesting in any way, nor sympathetic, nor anything. I rooted for Rac Shade and Kathy in 1990 but Loma, River and Teacup-a real sense for names eh?-can all go to Hell for all I care. I've rarely seen a series where absolutely everybody is so bland with tepid dialogues and inner monologues that ring phony from beginning to end.
Add a pacing totally off, a barely coherent narration (who is Cecil Castellucci? Has she ever wrote a comic book before? Read one?) and you got one crappy comic book all the way down.
There's a side storyline on Meta-the most uninteresting alien place I've ever seen- alluding to further events but I'm not holding my breath.
Marley Zarcone does the job on the drawing board but doesn't particularly shine. It lacks the weirdness Bacchalo-definitely the yardstick on Shade- brought on the original series back then.
March 1, 2017
This is my absolute favorite book from DC's Young Animal imprint and one of my favorite books that I read on a monthly basis period. The story follows an alien named Loma from the planet Meta who steals Roc Shade's M-Vest and uses it to inhabit the body of a high school girl on Earth. Cecil Castellucci's writing is top notch and Marley Zarcone's art has the perfect amount of surrealism to it and is perfectly colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick.
Read
March 16, 2017It wasn't the first book from Gerard Way's Young Animal imprint, but because all comics by extra-comics celebrities are legally obliged to run late, it's the first to conclude an arc. Pretty much a straight sequel to Peter Milligan's Shade, The Changing Man - but that was a book which seldom went anywhere near straight, and its heir follows the same crooked path. So a young Metan fan of Shade nicks the madness coat and follows her hero's route to Earth, where she takes over the body of a comatose high school queen bee. Whose family and friends are more shocked by the sudden outbursts of decent behaviour than any freaky manifestation of alien superpowers. It's the classic device of using genre furniture to talk about the weirdness of puberty better than realism could, and this team are great at capturing the right note of fevered melodrama meets deadpan cool.
February 28, 2018
This was weird and just average. Not terrible and not great either. I do not know if I would bother to read any more volumes of this.
July 16, 2017
not sure what I thought about this one. it was weird at first and when I got the hang of it, it wasn't that interesting either. I'm kinda sick of these comics that aren't reader friendly or don't even try to be more captivating to the reader. let's stop this "random sentences no one's really sure what they're about" kind of comic, ok? the art was kinda nice tho
full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2017/0...
full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2017/0...
November 13, 2019
Hella weird. Loved every panel of it
August 19, 2017
I have been hovering around the book for a few weeks, maybe longer, I don't know. It's purple and pink and look at that hippo! There is no way not to hover around this book. While I would never claim to love Shade, the Changing Man as much as some have, I do care quite a bit about it, and took the trouble to read through the entire series even though DC has never bothered to collect it. I am suspicious of just about everything Gerard Way does and that absolutely includes the Young Animal imprint, which just seems sort of cloying, like Way had to turn over the last few good unbastardized things from the original Vertigo era and turn them into high-gloss pop songs. It's not quite "ruining my childhood" or anything, but it does feel like he's not exactly the right steward for the material he wants to reinterpret.
And after Peter Milligan brought his own version of Shade back to comics in his Hellblazer run just a few years ago, I just wasn't excited about seeing a drastic reinterpretation of the character. It hurt too much. And the interior art is pretty weak and I really didn't want to see Shade turned into a highschool soap opera. The original comic seemed too complex, too ephemeral, to survive that sort of reinvention.
But that pink! That purple! That hippo! Plus the world is ending.
I have no idea how anyone would understand Shade, the Changing Girl without having read the original out-of-print series it's a sequel to. My entire framework for how I came to understand this comic came from, rather than in spite of, my experience with Peter Milligan's Shade. Both comics confuse me and make me uncomfortable; the protagonist is the antagonist, and yet is an innocent. The character motivations are sort of blocky and naked and strange. It makes a lot of sense that it is a story about teenagers, because the insanity of Shade's character (no matter its iteration or its earthly body) is sort of teenage id let rip. That Shade here sort of infects, and is infected, by a group of writhing, hormonally volcanic teens is incredibly on-theme, despite my trepidation.
Shade is not a fun book, but neither is it meant to be. It's still not particularly well drawn, but Kelly Fitzpatrick's colors make it really feel like a Shade comic. Writer Cecil Castalucci is sort of hard for me to get a feel for, which isn't entirely bad -- I never understood Peter Milligan for a long time either. And as an added plus, the book doesn't feel like Gerard Way had to rub his editorial goo all over it, the way he has with some of the other Young Animal catalogue. It's beautiful and shimmery and fragile and dissonant. I feel unsettled by it, and that's what counts.
And after Peter Milligan brought his own version of Shade back to comics in his Hellblazer run just a few years ago, I just wasn't excited about seeing a drastic reinterpretation of the character. It hurt too much. And the interior art is pretty weak and I really didn't want to see Shade turned into a highschool soap opera. The original comic seemed too complex, too ephemeral, to survive that sort of reinvention.
But that pink! That purple! That hippo! Plus the world is ending.
I have no idea how anyone would understand Shade, the Changing Girl without having read the original out-of-print series it's a sequel to. My entire framework for how I came to understand this comic came from, rather than in spite of, my experience with Peter Milligan's Shade. Both comics confuse me and make me uncomfortable; the protagonist is the antagonist, and yet is an innocent. The character motivations are sort of blocky and naked and strange. It makes a lot of sense that it is a story about teenagers, because the insanity of Shade's character (no matter its iteration or its earthly body) is sort of teenage id let rip. That Shade here sort of infects, and is infected, by a group of writhing, hormonally volcanic teens is incredibly on-theme, despite my trepidation.
Shade is not a fun book, but neither is it meant to be. It's still not particularly well drawn, but Kelly Fitzpatrick's colors make it really feel like a Shade comic. Writer Cecil Castalucci is sort of hard for me to get a feel for, which isn't entirely bad -- I never understood Peter Milligan for a long time either. And as an added plus, the book doesn't feel like Gerard Way had to rub his editorial goo all over it, the way he has with some of the other Young Animal catalogue. It's beautiful and shimmery and fragile and dissonant. I feel unsettled by it, and that's what counts.
August 30, 2017
Penguin Random House Canada provided me with a finished copy of Shade, the Changing Girl, Volume 1: Earth Girl Made Easy in exchange for an honest review. These are my thoughts and opinions.
Update - Link to video review
At its core, Shade, the Changing Girl is about a young woman coming to grips with the consequences of her actions. Shade, a bird-like alien, wanted to experience life as a human, thinking it would be easy and fun. Megan, an Earth girl who is comatose, was a horrible bully to her friends, classmates and parents. Both of these girls cared little for what their actions had on others. Upon arriving on Earth and realizing human life would not a walk in the park, Shade learns to adapt to life on Earth as a human girl. She tries to make peace with the people Megan bullied and terrorized, and adjusts to the rapid fire of human emotions. Initially, Shade's plans were to taste test life on Earth and return home, but when the route home becomes blurry, she's left navigating on her own.
What I found most interesting was the female relationships in this comic. Megan was not a kind or nice person, and so her relationships to her female peers were badly damaged. While the story could have taken to characterizing female relationships as bratty and "drama-filled", Cecil Castellucci has given depth and complexity to female friendships. With Shade in Megan's body, she reflects on the girl's remaining memories and tries to piece together an identity.
The artistic style of this comic is very much in line with pop art - bright bold colours lead the eyes across the page. There were times where I felt the colours and the layout of the panels to be overwhelming and a bit confusing. However, the use of colours really helped to differentiate between the state of characters. For example, because the main character's physical body is shared between Shade and Megan, it was the use of colours that differentiated between who was in possession of the body or who was speaking to the reader.
I was uncertain about if I would continue reading this series, but after finishing the last issue/chapter, the cliffhanger has hooked me in. It looks like old memories are here to stay.
Update - Link to video review
At its core, Shade, the Changing Girl is about a young woman coming to grips with the consequences of her actions. Shade, a bird-like alien, wanted to experience life as a human, thinking it would be easy and fun. Megan, an Earth girl who is comatose, was a horrible bully to her friends, classmates and parents. Both of these girls cared little for what their actions had on others. Upon arriving on Earth and realizing human life would not a walk in the park, Shade learns to adapt to life on Earth as a human girl. She tries to make peace with the people Megan bullied and terrorized, and adjusts to the rapid fire of human emotions. Initially, Shade's plans were to taste test life on Earth and return home, but when the route home becomes blurry, she's left navigating on her own.
What I found most interesting was the female relationships in this comic. Megan was not a kind or nice person, and so her relationships to her female peers were badly damaged. While the story could have taken to characterizing female relationships as bratty and "drama-filled", Cecil Castellucci has given depth and complexity to female friendships. With Shade in Megan's body, she reflects on the girl's remaining memories and tries to piece together an identity.
The artistic style of this comic is very much in line with pop art - bright bold colours lead the eyes across the page. There were times where I felt the colours and the layout of the panels to be overwhelming and a bit confusing. However, the use of colours really helped to differentiate between the state of characters. For example, because the main character's physical body is shared between Shade and Megan, it was the use of colours that differentiated between who was in possession of the body or who was speaking to the reader.
I was uncertain about if I would continue reading this series, but after finishing the last issue/chapter, the cliffhanger has hooked me in. It looks like old memories are here to stay.
September 6, 2017
Throughout the first chapter I was regretting picking this up at the library, but somehow the weirdness won me over. I think any parent of a teenager would be sympathetic with the notion that teens are possessed by aliens.
March 25, 2021
"One thing I'm learning is that you can't outrun crazy." ~ Loma Shade
I really don't have much to say about this, so I feel as if this quote from our protagonist Loma embodies what this book is all about. It just feels like what I can imagine an acid trip to feel like: Crazy colors, a thoroughly confusing yet largely vague story, and the high probability that you won't remember any of it next week. That being said, I applaud Castellucci for creating something that does feel original, and even though it is a remake of the original Shade, I don't feel as if I would better understand this series having read its predecessor. Additionally, Castellucci takes several very, very trope-y tropes such as switched bodies and the evil-high-school-bully character, and turns them on their heads in a unique....scratch that....frustratingly unique way. My main qualm? Castellucci has crafted a stupidly complex story. There really just didn't seem to be much of an underlying reward for me as a reader on the occasions I did start to see the plot clearly.
Zarcone's art is what thrusts this story towards the insane. Don't get me wrong; I do have my complaints. It's so brash that it won't appeal to many reader's, and there were times I was utterly lost in panel movements. However, the crazy inks of this creative team completely embrace the quirkiness of characters and episodes. Ask yourself this: Why shouldn't the art that follows Loma Shade's descent and battle with madness be confusing, flamboyant, and irksome?
Still, this book remains a 3 star. Shade's/Megan's story did not hold my attention well enough to fight against the maddening artwork, and all the minor characters remain shallow clichés for at least the first four issues (River is pretty cool though). In summary, a thoroughly intriguing addition to the Young Animal line (yes, I'm about 4 years late to this), but probably not something I'll revisit.
April 25, 2019
Kinda of an acid trip. Sci-fi mezclado con adolescentes. Literalmente. Es bueno leer de cuando no tienes que salvar el mundo, sino simplemente detener a un bully de seguir siendo bully.
Y las portadas de Becky Cloonan, 10/10.
http://www.neapoulain.com/2019/04/sha...
Looma es una joven en el planeta Meta que no parece tener dirección en la vida, se roba el abrigo de la locura del poeta Rac Shade, su ídolo y huye a la tierra. Deja atrás a su novio, que parece que tiene que limpiar el desastre que dejó y ella acaba en la tierra, en el cuerpo de una adolescente que estaba en coma hasta ese momento (llamada Megan Boyer) y ahí empieza la aventura. ¿Saben que me gusta de este comic y de este volumen en especial? Que es una historia coming-of-age con aliens, locura, algo de aventura y que habla de bullying, de afrontar los errores y de ser mejor persona.
Hasta antes de que Looma, que quiere que la llamen Shade, entrara en el cuerpo de Megan Boyer, Megan era un ser horrible. Aterrorizaba a los que decían ser sus amigos, mantenía aterrorizados a sus padres (y eso se puede ver con las reacciones de los padres al recibir la llamada del hospital para avisarles que Megan ha despertado) y era una bully en todos sentido. Shade, por otro lado, apenas si tiene idea de cómo fingir ser una adolescente funcional, no tiene ni la menor idea de quién era Megan ni de cual es su pasado. Le fascina la tecnología antigua, un viejo show de los cincuentas/sesentas, sueña con conocer a la actriz principal y se siente fuera de lugar en todo momento.
¿Saben algo? Cuando yo era adolescente me sentía fuera de lugar en todo momento. Como un alien. Y la manera en la que Cecil Castelucci explora la adolescencia a través de una chica alienígena con aspecto de pájaro es magnífica. Looma/Shade tiene espíritu de aventurera, de viajera, no sabe quedarse quieta y no entiende por qué todos tratan a Megan como la tratan. A veces, las historias de superheroes no tienen por qué ser grandes misiones para salvar al planeta, a la humanidad, a una ciudad o para detener a un villano con poderes extraordinarios. A veces, creo, que luchar contra el bully de turno y no dejarlo ganar es algo que basta. Este volumen de Shade lo hace estupendamente, a través de la historia que cuenta Castelucci y el arte de Zarcone. Las dos son magníficas.
Además algo que me inspiró a hacer una reseña de este volumen es que vi una reseña de una estrella que decía que era malo porque "no pasaba nada, sólo cosas de chicas" y me sentí ofendida porque las cosas de chicas no son *nada*. Creo que este volumen refleja perfectamente lo que es sentirse rara, fuera de lugar y estar confundida todo el tiempo, como Looma. ¡Me encantó!
Y las portadas de Becky Cloonan, 10/10.
http://www.neapoulain.com/2019/04/sha...
Looma es una joven en el planeta Meta que no parece tener dirección en la vida, se roba el abrigo de la locura del poeta Rac Shade, su ídolo y huye a la tierra. Deja atrás a su novio, que parece que tiene que limpiar el desastre que dejó y ella acaba en la tierra, en el cuerpo de una adolescente que estaba en coma hasta ese momento (llamada Megan Boyer) y ahí empieza la aventura. ¿Saben que me gusta de este comic y de este volumen en especial? Que es una historia coming-of-age con aliens, locura, algo de aventura y que habla de bullying, de afrontar los errores y de ser mejor persona.
Hasta antes de que Looma, que quiere que la llamen Shade, entrara en el cuerpo de Megan Boyer, Megan era un ser horrible. Aterrorizaba a los que decían ser sus amigos, mantenía aterrorizados a sus padres (y eso se puede ver con las reacciones de los padres al recibir la llamada del hospital para avisarles que Megan ha despertado) y era una bully en todos sentido. Shade, por otro lado, apenas si tiene idea de cómo fingir ser una adolescente funcional, no tiene ni la menor idea de quién era Megan ni de cual es su pasado. Le fascina la tecnología antigua, un viejo show de los cincuentas/sesentas, sueña con conocer a la actriz principal y se siente fuera de lugar en todo momento.
¿Saben algo? Cuando yo era adolescente me sentía fuera de lugar en todo momento. Como un alien. Y la manera en la que Cecil Castelucci explora la adolescencia a través de una chica alienígena con aspecto de pájaro es magnífica. Looma/Shade tiene espíritu de aventurera, de viajera, no sabe quedarse quieta y no entiende por qué todos tratan a Megan como la tratan. A veces, las historias de superheroes no tienen por qué ser grandes misiones para salvar al planeta, a la humanidad, a una ciudad o para detener a un villano con poderes extraordinarios. A veces, creo, que luchar contra el bully de turno y no dejarlo ganar es algo que basta. Este volumen de Shade lo hace estupendamente, a través de la historia que cuenta Castelucci y el arte de Zarcone. Las dos son magníficas.
Además algo que me inspiró a hacer una reseña de este volumen es que vi una reseña de una estrella que decía que era malo porque "no pasaba nada, sólo cosas de chicas" y me sentí ofendida porque las cosas de chicas no son *nada*. Creo que este volumen refleja perfectamente lo que es sentirse rara, fuera de lugar y estar confundida todo el tiempo, como Looma. ¡Me encantó!
December 24, 2019
Out of this world!
I will always love this first volume of Shade the Changing Girl. I remember when the first issue came out and I fell in love immediately, even with just the cover alone! From the Young Animal series, this is an ode to the old Shade the Changing Man.
An alien bird is obsessed with a human poet who use to be a superhero. When she steals his magic coat and crash lands on earth, she enters the body of one of the meanest girls around. The bodies last occupant wants revenge on the “friends” that left her for dead. The bird alien just wants to read and go to concerts. Its wild, posh, And meta AF. I love Loma’s style, the colors are as crazy as the story And honestly Loma just had the best one liners. The second volume is alright.
I will always love this first volume of Shade the Changing Girl. I remember when the first issue came out and I fell in love immediately, even with just the cover alone! From the Young Animal series, this is an ode to the old Shade the Changing Man.
An alien bird is obsessed with a human poet who use to be a superhero. When she steals his magic coat and crash lands on earth, she enters the body of one of the meanest girls around. The bodies last occupant wants revenge on the “friends” that left her for dead. The bird alien just wants to read and go to concerts. Its wild, posh, And meta AF. I love Loma’s style, the colors are as crazy as the story And honestly Loma just had the best one liners. The second volume is alright.
March 24, 2020
5
Cecil Castellucci has created a book that is equal character study and one hell of an acid trip. Shade, The Changing Girl wasn't the book I had expected, and to be honest, I had no idea what this book was going to deliver. Contradiction? Maybe. When a DC label makes a series, I just assume it's going to be a superhero. This volume is different in all the right ways.
Why the 5?
It's just an insane series. I loved every beat of this volume. I remember reading issue 1 in 2017, but decided to wait for the series conclusion. With my Young Animal library growing, it was now time. Shade is a solid volume, full to the brim with weird backstory and characters. Volume 2 has a lot of work cut out for it.
Cecil Castellucci has created a book that is equal character study and one hell of an acid trip. Shade, The Changing Girl wasn't the book I had expected, and to be honest, I had no idea what this book was going to deliver. Contradiction? Maybe. When a DC label makes a series, I just assume it's going to be a superhero. This volume is different in all the right ways.
Why the 5?
It's just an insane series. I loved every beat of this volume. I remember reading issue 1 in 2017, but decided to wait for the series conclusion. With my Young Animal library growing, it was now time. Shade is a solid volume, full to the brim with weird backstory and characters. Volume 2 has a lot of work cut out for it.
December 17, 2025
meh. me da rabia porque tiene mucho potencial pero me da la sensación de que está intentando abarcar demasiado y se le va. No consigo conectar del todo con ningún personaje porque no se toma el tiempo de evolucionarlos o conectarlos en profundidad (excepto un par de momentos que sí me han parecido muy bonitos de Shade). siento constantemente que me falta información o contexto y me siento muy perdido. Tiene mucho potencial!!!!!! qué rabia, hay algo aquí y no consigo verlo.
el final no me ha gustado nada, ha sido muy rápido y se ha sentido anti climático.
el arte es chulo y tengo esperanza en el segundo volumen.
el final no me ha gustado nada, ha sido muy rápido y se ha sentido anti climático.
el arte es chulo y tengo esperanza en el segundo volumen.
May 13, 2018
Me encanta el dibujo y me encanta la historia. Megan sufre un accidente y entra en coma. La cosa es que Loma, una alienigena se mete en su cuerpo, se encuentra con que Megan querida no era. Además hay un misterio en el accidente que deja a Megan en coma. La narración es muy amena y muy visual y tiene un rollete ochentero muy guay. Además la edición es muy buena y el papel le va perfecto. Con ganas de seguir.
June 22, 2017
I rate this 4.5/5 stars! Full review will be up on July 4th, stay tuned!
July 3, 2018
Wasn't sure I'd like this but I did! Alien bird wants to experience madness so she inhabits a 16 year old girl. Two problems: the girl is a bitch No one likes and now she's trapped in the body! so. very. living. my. life.
October 7, 2023
What a fun and quirky little series. It sometimes feels like this series is going off the rails, but it isn't. This series feels like the most self-aware comic series I have read. It knows what it wants to be and executes the madness well. It shows elements of how to be a friend in the world, how being unkind can impact you, and the importance of not jerking people around in love. So many great lessons contained within, but also just a fun ride.
August 5, 2017
So first things first, I haven’t actually read any of Shade before this. I also haven’t read any of the other DC’S Young Animal comics, so I may be lacking in a decent amount of context here (which may have resulted in me liking it more or less than other fans that have read both? The other reviews are conflicted on this). If I’m being completely honest, I mostly picked up this volume because I was looking for something new to try and all the bright colors on the cover caught my attention. The artwork is very bright and playful more often than not, while the plot bounces back and forth.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
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