Shade, the Changing Man

Shade, the Changing Man is a comics character (full name, Rac Shade) created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. He was a fugitive from the militant planet Meta in another dimension, and was powered by a stolen "M-vest" when enabled him to project the illusion of becoming a large grotesque version of himself. His series ran for eight bi-monthly issues from 1976 to 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 Comics Cavalcade. (A revised version of this story appeared a few years later in Detective Comics.) Shade, who previously had no ties to the DC Universe, was later incorporated into DCU continuity and appeared occasionally in such books as Suicide Squad.

Related Topics:
Steve Ditko - DC Comics - 1977 - The Odd Man - Cancelled Comics Cavalcade - Detective Comics - Suicide Squad

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In 1990, Peter Milligan and Chris Bachalo revived and revamped the character. This series used some of the same names for characters as the original, but was otherwise a unique take, and, apart from a brief guest appearance by John Constantine, existed in its own continuity. In this incarnation, he was an insane poet from Meta, given the ability to change reality through the "Madness vest" he wore. He used this ability to (among other things) inhabit the body of an executed serial killer, and befriend Kathy George, the woman whose family "he" had killed. The series was part of the initial line-up for DC's Vertigo imprint in 1993, and lasted for 70 issues. The first six issues were collected in trade paperback in 2004.

Related Topics:
Peter Milligan - Chris Bachalo - John Constantine - Vertigo - Trade paperback

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Both versions of Shade are distinct from The Shade, a supervillain.

Related Topics:
The Shade - Supervillain

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