Tag Archives: shade the changing girl

Review: Shade, The Changing Girl #2

Posted on by

stcg_cv2_open_order_varSchool is Hell. School is madness, even for the displaced avian Lomo currently inhabiting Earth girl Megan as she returns to Amelia Bloomer High School, much to the confusion of her fellow students. Insisting on being called shade in her new amalgamation of body and personality. Her peers are obviously wary of her, assuming her strange and oddly calm behavior is a result of her accident and resulting coma as she struggles to make sense of her place in the social strata of the school, her relationships with other students and even lunchtime.

Series writer Cecil Castellucci is crafting a strangely off-kilter look at this world through the eyes of her uniquely alien, avian creation Loma. Far more advanced and intelligent then the primitive world around her she none the less has to work to make sense of her strange new home and the people around her already questioning her act of rebellion in stealing the M-vest. Thrown into school Loma has a lot more interactions this issue as we start to learn more and more about Megan’s life. Faced with the tense and confused reactions of Megan’s former friends, unaware the majority wanted her dead. While initially indifferent to those around Loma is still left with the creeping uneasy sense that she’s logged herself firmly into a human with a very complicated and prickly past than she might have first thought. So far there is no sign of the previous occupant, Megan, beyond her memories but it’s such a tantalizing layer to add to an already out there story,  I have a hard time believing that Castellucci won’t bring some of this into the mix during her run.

Being no stranger to writing teens in her long career as a novelist or indeed the criminally overlooked Plain Janes for DC’s last teen-oriented imprint, Minx back in 2008, She has an amazing grasp on writing what feels like authentic teens dialogue and speech patterns without ever slipping into groan worthy cliche or dropping in social media mentions and in fact seems to be actively avoiding this particular pitfall with Shade. The comic slips between this tone and Loma’s more poetic inner monologue beautifully. Ultimately I was left with the feeling that even if the alien elements were stripped out, this series is strong enough already that it would still work wonderfully as a story of identity, change and dealing with the preconceptions others bring into that equation. Working as it’s own unique story even for those like myself who might be coming to the book with only general idea of Shade’s long and esoteric character history.
Matching this with some sensational art  from Marley Zarcone further sets this apart from the rest of the comics crowd, Imbuing the comic from start to finish with its own loose flow and momentum as the story drifts almost lazily and fluidly from one moment to the next. A page featuring Megan getting ready for school shows this in a single panel showing her movement from the room and time, faint versions of herself around the room almost like echoes which emphasizes the books dreamlike qualities and elements of madness. Despite the book’s solicitation saying “No one can have a little bit of madness” the visuals are toned down this issue letting the book breath a  little after the stunning visual spectacle of its debut issue. Subtle and effective when they are used, a small poster here, the madness takes over small parts of her surroundings almost seeping through into the panels.

“I have to study up. Do my homework to really live this life” Shade promises herself setting out her plan for the future as this issue itself does, expanding on the last issue this one treats us to just a little more of Megan’s life, a world that Castellucci makes you eager to explore and learn more about as Loma sets about discovering too. Gorgeous art and sharp writing sets this as a perfect allegory for being an uneasy teen and a story of identity put through a psychedelic, kaleidoscope filter.

Review: Shade, The Changing Girl #2

Posted on by

422284-_sx1280_ql80_ttd_High school is pretty terrible to begin with. The angst, the pressure, the hormones… I don’t know many people who actually claim that high school was the best time of their life. Being myself in high school was hard enough. I can’t imagine being an alien in a Madness Vest possessing the body of a 15-year-old girl.

For Loma Shade though, life has gotten that complicated. After possessing the body of Megan, Shade is dealing with the fallout of her new body’s previous owner’s life. While the details are fuzzy on just what happened that caused Megan to slip into a coma in the first place, the details are even more fuzzy to Shade. Bits and pieces slip in, but not enough to form a coherent picture of anything. It’s enough to overwhelm our new traveler as she tries to deal with the Madness for the first time. Something that, if the Ministry of Ministries on Meta is to be believed, can kill her if she’s not careful.

So far in its first two issues, Shade, The Changing Girl is a dense book. It throws you right into the Madness experienced by Shade as she tries to navigate her new life. The balance between Cecil Castellucci’s writing and Marley Zarcone and Kelly Fitzpatrick’s art makes sure of that. However, in the Madness, there is still a relatable story. In the case of this particular issue, it’s isolation. If you were any sort of weird kid in school, Shade’s struggle to understand the politics of popularity as well as her own life and her boredom with the material being taught is a straight blast from the past. Granted, with the extra alien layer, but that’s what makes it so mind bending and great. Part of what makes it so easy to lose yourself in this book is the colorful and twisty art from Zarcone and Fitzpatrick.

Along with Shade’s struggle to adapt to her new life is a web of mysteries that builds on top of each other. Shade is trying to put together just what these people in her life are supposed to be to her. The swim team stays quiet, whispering to each other messages of fear. Megan’s mother Anna struggles to figure out just what her “daughter’s” deal is since waking up. The Ministry on Meta is trying to find the vest while Lepuck struggles to keep quiet about what Loma did. On top of all of this, it appears that Megan’s spirit might not be as dead as originally thought. Uh oh.

screen-shot-2016-11-04-at-8-12-58-pm

With all of that going on, it’s easy to understand why Shade wants to cling to River, but it’s also a good way to keep the plot moving forward. Now we’re in at least three different levels of intrigue as Shade has at least two groups trying to stop her. Not to mention wondering what the newly noncorporeal Megan will do now that she’s not bound to her broken body. If she’s going to be the figure in the wallpaper, to steal an allusion from this issue. This is what really drives this issue. Wondering just what Shade is going to do as all of these known and unknown forces prepare to move in. For her though, it’s less about a potential fight and more trying to understand her new life as she drags an old TV inside after walking home from school for “homework.” Let’s hope she can understand it before the Ministry or the Madness kills her.

Story: Cecil Castellucci Art: Marley Zarcone and Kelly Fitzpatrick
Story: 8.5 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview: Shade the Changing Girl #2

Posted on by

Shade the Changing Girl #2

Written by: Cecil Castellucci
Art by: Marley Zarcone
Backup Art by: Mirka Andolfo
Backup Written by: Asher Powell
Cover by: Becky Cloonan
Variant cover by: Chynna Clugston Flores

Shade has settled into her adopted human body, but the rest of her high school isn’t sure how to deal with this strange new behavior from the girl they once knew. The more Shade learns about Megan’s former life, the more she realizes everyone hates her. It’s one of many fresh sensations Shade is getting to know. Being a human is galaxies different than being from Meta, and it’s not going to be easy balancing all of that with the madness that brought her here.

stcg_cv2_ds

Around the Tubes – Peter David Edition

Posted on by

moonshine01-coverSo, hear the one where the writer went off on Romani people at a New York Comic Con panel? Check that out and more in our round-up of news and reviews from around the web.

Around the Tubes

The Beat – NYCC ’16: Anti-Romani Statements Made at X-Men LGBTQ Panel – Read this part 1

The Beat – Romani Open Society Fellow Responds to Peter David’s Anti-Romani Statements – Read this part 2

Crave Online – New York Comic Con 2016 | Starset Teases Their Marvel Graphic Novel – Well ok then.

CBLDF – Survey Shows Stark Increase in Librarian Self-Censorship – Sad to hear.

Comics Alliance – Marvel Still Has Plans for the Vampire Hunter ‘Blade’ – How about that comic that was announced?

Publisher’s Weekly – New York Comic Con: 2016 Sales Creep Up, ICv2 Surveys Retail Disruption – Interesting stuff here.

The Beat – Madefire Gets Another $6.5M in Funding and Launches Virtual Reality Comics App – Well this is an interesting move.

 

Around the Tubes Reviews

Talking Comics – Aquaman #8

Talking Comics – Champions #1

Talking Comics – Green Valley #1

Talking Comics – He-Man/Thundercats #1

Talking Comics – Jessica Jones #1

Talking Comics – Moonshine #1

Talking Comics – Shade, the Changing Girl #1

Talking Comics – Shipwreck #1

Around the Tubes

Posted on by

tdohkm_cv1_dsIt was new comic book day yesterday! What’d everyone get? What got you excited? What was a dud? Sound off in the comments below!

While you decide on that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.

Around the Tubes

The Village Voice – Ms. Marvel Will Save you Now – Hey, it’s like all of that data we’ve been publishing that shows all of what this article says about diversity for the past four years was right.

CBR – Superhero Funeral Honors Grade School Shooting Victim – Absolutely heartbreaking.

Kotaku – Batman Arkham VR: The Kotaku Review – Who’s excited for this?

 

Around the Tubes Reviews

Newsarama – Cage #1

Newsarama – Death of Hawkman #1

Newsarama – Justice League #6

Newsarama – Midnighter and Apollo #1

The Beat – Shade, The Changing Girl #1

Review: Shade, The Changing Girl #1

Posted on by

stcg_cv1_dsThere’s no such thing as a little bit of madness.

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 it. 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 whom 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.

I really had no idea what to expect from Shade, the Changing Girl #1, the latest comic to come out from DC’s Young Animal imprint. I don’t know the classic character this spins out of, so I felt a bit behind the curve as most of the issue feels like the comic equivalent of an acide trip, more poetry than narrative and floating around like much of the art within.

But, as the first issue went on, writer Cecil Castellucci does a solid job of bringing things together into a much clearer picture and by the end I had a much better idea as to what was occurring. What was me scratching my head turned into me nodding a bunch as things fell into place and what felt like a disaster of a start coaleced into a solid debut, much like how some paintings look like splatches up close but further away forms a beautiful picture. What starts as a weird trippy sci-fi story turns into a tragic story about teenagers.

Marley Zarcone‘s art matches the story bringing a trippy read to life into trippy visuals. I feel an influence of Mike Allred in some ways, so if you like that art you might like this.

It took me quite a while to get into the first issue, but when I got to the end I really enjoyed it. I’m still not 100% sold, but the issue has an interesting thing going on and where it goes from here, I honestly have no idea. With so many options, I’m intrigued more than anything and want to see what comes next.

Story: Cecil Castellucci Art: Marley Zarcone
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Posted on by

black-1-1Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

We’re bringing back something we haven’t done for a while, what the team thinks. Our contributors are choosing up to five books each week and why they’re choosing the books.

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Shay

Top Pick: Fight Club 2 Library Edition (Dark Horse) – This was an amazing miniseries that stood up to the awesomeness of the book and the film. David Mack’s killer covers and Cameron Stewart’s art makes this hardcover edition worth having as a keepsake and an amazing read worth going back to time and time again. It’s a great sequel to an already iconic story and having it in hardcover form makes it a nice coffee table book so you can turn all your friends on to the magic.

Harley Quinn #5 (DC Comics) -The baddest chick is back in a new issue. This is the start of a new story arc ” Eat To This Beat”. We get to follow Harley on an undercover mission through NYC punk scene and that’s sure to be a fun ride and a super interesting arc. Excited is an understatement.

Shade, The Changing Girl #1 (DC Comics) – Intergalactic body jumper, a female lead, high school drama and more await in this new take on a unique series from DC. I’m hella interested in where this story goes because, the idea of someone trying to escape madness and getting trapped in the body of bully that everyone hates is a fun twist. I’m excited to see all the twists and turns that can happen when nothing is what it seems.

Wynonna Earp #8 (IDW Publishing) – The struggle is real for a werewolf trying to protect his family from the criminal pack of werewolves he ripped off. Lucky for Ibob that Black Badges baddest team has his back, with Val, Wynonna,  Haught, Dolls , Smitty and, Doc on his protection detail. But, Ibob might have to step up and help in the fight because when things go wrong family and friends have to look out for each other and take no prisoners.

Jessica Jones #1 (Marvel) – Welcome to the present! A decade later Jessica Jones is back and ready slay with her PI gig. Things might be a little different but, Jess is still the same and that’s a good thing because I’m sure this series will keep us on our toes and get us ready for the next season on Jessica Jones on Netflix.  2018 seems like forever but, this should be the fix we all need.

 

Alex

Top Pick: A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #8 (Valiant) – Always a pleasure to read, this series has become one of my favourite. The current story featuring a travelling circus of Armstrong clones has been an absolute blast, with just enough stabs at a typically standard superhero comic to make it to the top of the list.

Black #1 (Black Mask Studios) – It’s hard to understate how much of an impact this comic could have with it’s tale of a young black man shot by police, before he wakes up with superpowers. In a world where only black people have superpowers. This comic should have some significant buzz about it, but is it worth the hype? We’ll find out Wednesday.

Bloodshot Reborn #18 (Valiant) – I’m as surprised as you are that this is here the week after issue #17 came out, but it makes sense. The story wasn’t quite over for the Bloodshot gang, and a second issue of this comic in as many weeks isn’t a bad thing. Especially when the Bloodshots are stranded on a dingy in the middle of the ocean.

Green Lanterns #8 (DC Comics) – DC’s finest title right now. This series has gotten me excited about Green Lantern comics for the first time in a decade. The chemistry between Simon and Jessica echoes all the very best buddy cop movies, and their platonic relationship has developed very naturally over the course of the first seven issues.One of the very few comic books that I’m happy about the bi-weekly shipping schedule, but as ever with such a shipping schedule, I really hope that the quality keeps up with it.

Intertwined #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – A kung-fu noir tale set in the 70’s? Sign me up.

Revolution #2 (IDW Publishing) – This is a comic that’s the fantasy of any kid who played with their Transformers and G.I. Joes at the same time. The kicker? The first issue was awesome, even if you haven’t been following the comic of the properties involved.

 

Brett

Top Pick: Black #1 (Black Mask Studios) – I’ve read it. I’ve reviewed it. It lives up to my high expectations and really delivers an entertaining comic that is also relevant.

Death of X #1 (Marvel) – Filling in the gap of what happened post Secret Wars and when we came into the new Marvel Universe, Death of X will let us know what set the Inhumans and X-Men on a collision course.

Jessica Jones #1 (Marvel) – Jones returns to her own series and it’s far overdue. At this point the question is if the series will live up to expectations?

Midnighter and Apollo #1 (DC Comics) – A follow up to Steve Orlando’s excellent Midnighter, the mini-series reunites this superpowered power couple.

Romulus #1 (Image Comics) – Written by Bryan Hill with art by Nelson Blake II, this series has been on my radar ever since Hill mentioned it on our podcast. Now, I finally get to see what the buzz is about and Anthony has more details below.

 

Anthony

Black #1 (Black Mask Studios) – It has been repeatedly said but Black Mask Studios releases titles that are always intriguing, fresh and deserving of a wider scope of people’s comic radar. Black suggest a what if story that puts a focus on a topic that is unfortunately not new but being more publicized as an influx of stories of police brutality against black individuals rises. What if only black people had superpowers? There needs to be more diverse titles like Black with a creative team like writer Kwanza Osajyefo, co-creator and designer Tim Smith III, artist Jamal Igle and cover artist Khary Randolph.

Moonshine #1 (Image Comics) – A crime story set in the prohibition era that includes a werewolf? With the creative team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets) back together, this is an absolute must buy.

Paper Girls #10 (Image Comics) – The second arc comes to a close. Paper Girls is one of those titles that are a continuous treat to read, fleshing out the characters and weirdness of time travel all with a helping of humour each and every month.

Romulus #1 (Image Comics) – From writer Bryan Hill (Postal) and artist Nelson Blake II, Romulus sounds like one of those titles that has potential to be a big hit. A woman named Ashlar is on a mission to fight against a secret organization that trained and betrayed her. With an awesome sounding lead, secret organizations, and a manipulated past in need of a present day reality check, Romulus has a lot of promise.

A&A: The Adventures of Archer and Armstrong #8 (Valiant) – Archer and Armstrong look to continue to fight against a clone of Armstrongs from a local circus. A&A never fails to be entertaining and hilarious and since this is the last part of this circus of nightmares, it will be very interesting to see what exactly will be found out about Armstrong’s wife, setting up the next arc.

Preview: Shade, The Changing Girl #1

Posted on by

Shade, The Changing Girl #1

Written by: Cecil Castellucci
Art by: Marley Zarcone
Cover by: Becky Cloonan
Variant cover by: Duncan Fegredo, Tula Lotay

There’s no such thing as a little bit of madness.

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 it. 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 whom 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, Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure), 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.

stcg_cv1

ECCC 2016: DC Comics Announces DC’s Young Animal and Gerard Way on Doom Patrol

Posted on by

The DC All Access panel at Emerald City Comicon was crashed by none other than Gerard Way, Eisner Award-winning writer of The Umbrella Academy and former vocalist and co-founder of the alternative rock band My Chemical Romance. Way announced that he will be curating DC’s Young Animal, a new mature reader pop-up imprint of DC Comics that will consist of four series and feature his creative direction.

The flagship title for this monthly lineup is Doom Patrol, written by Way, which will set the tone for the other titles in the series, described by Way as “comics for dangerous humans.”

The lineup includes:

DOOM PATROL – This September, in the spirit of Grant Morrison’s legendary run on the series, along with other classic incarnations of the characters, writer Gerard Way and artist Nick Derington will put their unique stamp on the world’s strangest heroes taking on the universe’s strangest villains.

SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL – An alien takes over the body of a 16-year-old bully and must face the challenges of being a stranger in a foreign land, plus the consequences of a life she didn’t live. Star Wars’ Moving Target writer Cecil Castellucci and artist Marley Zarcone explore themes of madness, alienation, and the bizarre in this sci-fi thriller, with covers by Becky Cloonan. The new series hits shelves in October.

CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE – Writers Gerard Way and Jon Rivera, along with artist Michael Avon Oeming take readers on a strange adventure with DC Comics’ Silver Age character Cave Carson, his cybernetic eye and his college–age daughter as they travel to dark places deep in the earth and mind. Catch this new series in October.

MOTHER PANIC – Meet Violet Paige, a celebrity heiress by day and brutal vigilante by night as she takes on the underbelly of Gotham City’s high society. Hitting shelves in November, the series is written by Gerard Way and Jody Houser with art by Tommy Lee Edwards.

Sounds like a Vertigo-like imprint with superheroes and we’ve seen Way can deliver!

Recent Entries »