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Underground > Comic Books >

Rac Shade

18:58 / 23.03.02

I am interested in Shade the Changing Man as written by Milligan. I have picked up several back issues in the quarter bin lately and was wondering what are the key storylines? I have already read about Shade's "death", the passionchild, and the events leading up to Shade's child being born. Any other suggestions? Should I purchase 1-18?

uncle retrospective

20:46 / 23.03.02

Shade is one of the best comics I've ever read. The 1-18 run is good but it only gets really good from 18 on.
It all gets very odd, with one of the best road stories in print. The vertigo relaunch is also really good. Looses most of the "I'm a bit grim me" mood the book was stuck in. Shade goes nuts and it all goes mad.

If you can get the back issues in the quater bin buy all you can.
Then come back and thank us.
(there will be other praise.)

[ 23-03-2002: Message edited by: uncle retrospective ]

09:24 / 24.03.02

I second this recommendation - shade was a fantastic comic that was way ahead of its time. The centrepiece of the series for me was the six part a season in hell storyline (issue 45-50) (which you already have)

The series goes off in a completely different direction after that, is still quite interesting... some shade collections are definitely called for...

09:24 / 24.03.02

I second that- #s 45-60 are Milligan at his best.

in other news, does any one want to start a book group re: SKREEMER (early Milligan/Steve Dillon book)? Heavy stuff that seems to be in the quarter bins as well.

16:47 / 25.03.02

shade, 1-50 are all gold. after that milligan wanted to stop, but vertigo made him keep it going for another 25 or so issues.

I think I would go so far as to say "Shade" was the the definitive vertigo series. not as popular as sandman, not as brilliant as any of grant's stuff, but a beautiful personification of weirdness.

19:22 / 25.03.02

Shade surpasses all beauty and was definately my favourite over Doom Patrol at the time.
truely transcendant.

12:59 / 27.03.02

Man I need to read these again.

The stuff I liked the most was the vertigo relaunch, especially issue #39, 'pondlife', where the comic book gets deconstructed, Shade gets usurped by one of his shadowforms, and we see Milligan's alter ego, Miles Laimling...

14:32 / 27.03.02

I thought this series had the best ending. It was exactly what it should have been.

Zoom.

17:27 / 27.03.02

zoom, I never would have taken you for a sentimentalist....

14:53 / 11.04.02

Been on a bit of Milligan kick lately, read through the 'shade' backissues, and picked up 'skreemer' , 'skin' and 'enigma'. It's all very good; it's nice to read stuff by someone who's read something other than comicbooks all of his life. I liked the 'godfather' meets 'james joyce elements of 'skreemer'. ANd did anyone else notice the similarities between 'enigma' and Morrisons's 'flex mentallo' (bizarre superheroes, similar narrators, 'world'-changing events, etc) ? And Shade of course is beautiful...

Anything else out there of his worth reading? How about his 'animal man' backissues?

20:23 / 11.04.02

Really, after Grant's run, anything paled, though the Milligan stuff was quite good.

Originally posted by gridley
"zoom, I never would have taken you for a sentimentalist"

I am the original sentimentalist. Fear me.

Zoom.

Murray Hamhandler

21:56 / 11.04.02

Face is good, if you can find it. And I've been hearing good things about some X-book that he's writing...
I think, though, that his earlier work for Marvel (Elektra, Magneto) borders on the subpar, from what I've heard.
Arthur Sudnam, II

05:22 / 12.04.02

I once remember hearing on the rumour mill that Milligan was writing a Spiderman book back in the day under a different name, but never did find out the truth of it.

The Extremist was fun, although saying that I can't remember too much about the story but it had great Ted McKeever art. If you can find any Bad Company, the work he did for 2000AD, that's worth a read. I don't know how good the recent sequel was though.

21:05 / 12.04.02

Extremist mini series was excellent. I recommend it to everyone. The S&M scene portrayed by Milligan and Mckeever is so...scratchy and beautiful. Pick up the Animal Man issues is the quarter bin if you can. Buddy Baker of alternate Earth's meeting the superhero who reads Naked Lunch by Bourroughs...classic. I felt sad for the all powerful teens though. Oh well never drink and read comics! Enigma was an excellent series although I felt after reading it that it did not stand up to all of the hype. Any story that has a character making love fictional reality has got its good points.

02:53 / 13.04.02

I was just remembering the scene where Shade (with George) runs into Lenny (with Lilly) on the streets of New York. And Lenny lays into him, accusing him of being intentionally responsible for the tragedy. And then Lilly turns to her, as Shade is walking away, and says "Wow. Could oyu teach me how to that some day? I mean there might be people that I want to... like... totally alienate forever."

Man, I should re-read those....

05:14 / 19.04.02

I just managed to pick up 51 to 70 cheapish. I abandoned Shade at about 56 or so at the time as it just lost its heart with 50. Having the time and distance from the original run, and not being able to remember half of 1-50, I have to say 51-70 is not a very bad run. Milligan knows the heart of the book has been cut out, he knows he's been half forced to write it, he knows the book should have ended at 50, he knows all this and in it goes. Shade loses his heart. The book starts to comment on itself, little things, I think the Andrea Murdoch thing is a reference to being forced to write the book, there's other stuff I'd have to read back through and pick out, but it is phenomenal. Millign over writes at some points, and the ending is slightly weak in that it still leaves too many loose ends that wouldn't have existed at 50, but it does leave me to ponder if Kathy actually did love Shade. I can't remember 1-50 that well but never got the impression she did. But then again, that was part of what Milligan explored, what is love. Damn, I need to reread all of this again. And again. Collections are a must. That's what amazes me about this industry. Any other industry they'd rush out a collection now Milligan's hot on X-Force. Still, what do I know, I'd just buy the damn thing.