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. Collects SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL #1-6.
SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL is a part of DC's Young Animal--a four-book grassroots
mature-reader imprint, creatively spearheaded by Gerard Way, bridging the gap
between the DC Universe and Vertigo, and focusing on the juxtaposition between
visual and thematic storytelling.
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.
Loma is an interesting character; so determined to follow in the footsteps of Rac Shade that she steals a jacket (which lets her leave her body and possess another’s) and jumps straight to earth to possess somebody just like him. Her chosen body belongs to a horrible human being named Megan, who wound up brain dead thanks to her own thoughtlessness and her “friends” actions (or lack thereof). Needless to say, Loma had no idea what she was in for. Adjusting to a new body would be tough enough without simultaneously adapting to a new planet/culture and old memories from the body you’ve stolen. Based on what we’ve seen of Loma…research and preparation are not her specialty, and man was she not prepared for this trip (despite what she thought). She ends up having to rely heavily on a couple of human friends to get through everything that’s happening, and I’m sure that won’t be changing anytime soon. Especially since she apparently get back to her body (plot for volume two perhaps?). Even if the plot doesn’t really appeal to you, the artwork should. Every page is dazzling and alive with color. The artist uses a mixture of color and shape to represent madness in a truly beautiful manner, which to me heightens the idea of Loma losing herself to the madness. This series kept reminding me of Andy Warhol, to the point that (without having read Shade previously) I thought that Rac Shade was perhaps a clever reference to him (perhaps saying that Rac Shade was possessing Warhol’s body?). Clearly I was wrong, but it was still a fun thought. Will I continue reading this series? Probably. Am I planning on going back and reading through what I apparently missed? I haven’t decided, but I’m leaning towards no, but we’ll see. Anybody that’s read it that thinks I should go back and give it a try, let me know!
