I have a confession to make. I haven't been reading The Shade. Until this week, I hadn't read a single issue of this 12 part limited series. Instead I saved them all, so that I could read them as one. That is how I discovered Starman, after all - when it was all said and done - so I could read it beginning to end with no waiting.
So this week, after all the other comics were read, I read the entire 12-issue run of The Shade. And I loved it. The change in artists didn't bother me, because they all did a bang-up job. The story worked wonderfully for me. It makes me sad that this series was the last gasp for the old DCU. Does Opal City even exist in the New 52? Does The Shade? The O'Dares? Starman? Time will tell, I guess. We've already seen there'll be a Stargirl showing up soon.
For issue 12 in particular, the story and the artwork were both perfect for the final unveiling of The Shade's origin, but what really won it for me is how the unveiling of who Richard Swift was before that fateful night really finalized the journey his character has made. Richard Swift was naive and gullible and easily led. And in Starman, The Shade talks about his early villainy as something he did because it seemed fashionable at the time, and his supervillain team-ups as being initiated by the other party. In that sense, he was still being led by others. Later in Starman, we saw him help others perform heroic deeds, having grown from naive human, to super villain follower, to helper of heroes. But finally, in this series, he becomes a hero in his own right. Without seeing who he was as a human, that full journey is not as apparent, which, to me, was the real meat of this issue.
The only thing that I would have liked more is for this issue to have also closed the story on who The Shade is now. The narration on the last page did a decent job, but it feels like a lot of content was cut. I would have liked to see The Shade return to Opal, reunite with Hope, tell her his adventure was a consequence of abandoning his wife and family in the past, instead of revealing the truth to them, and he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of his past. So then he would tell her this story, his origin, and afterwards they would share their love for each other. It was still a great issue, but something like that would have really helped it to feel concluded.
No matter what, I can't wait to get a hardcover to go with my Starman Omnibuses.
Other highlights from this week -
Avengers vs. X-Men #11 by Marvel's writers and Olivier Coipel - Coipel's art is amazing, and they really amped up the action in this penultimate chapter. But killing Xavier like that? Dislike. If I hadn't read the online articles about it, I wouldn't have even known he was supposed to be dead. Although X-Men Legacy starring Legion, Xavier's son, makes a lot of sense now. Can his son be his legacy?
Batgirl #0 by Gail Simone and Ed Benes - I love when Ed Benes and Gail Simone work together. Benes's art looks great, and the story was fantastic. Unlike some of the other zero issues, the Batman ones this week really helped to firm up some of the timeline aspects of the New52, and the characters too. Babs wasn't above a little manipulation and flirtation, and probably still isn't, and her brother James was creepy and probably killing people even back then.
Batman #0 by James Tynion IV and Andy Clarke - I credit Tynion and Clarke because it was their backup story in this issue that I really enjoyed. Where were you the first time they turned on the Bat-Signal? Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake all remember. I loved it.
Captain America and Black Widow #636 by Cullen Bunn and Francesco Francavilla - The story is really interesting, and I like how Bunn has crafted a continuing story in a team-up book while changing characters. But the art got it on my list of this week's best. Francavilla is amazing. It's not flashy art like Coipel or McGuinness or Jim Lee. It's clean lines and the use of light and shadow, and they way he tells a story. Those 3 pages of Cap's shield bouncing around until he catches it are just perfect. I'd hang them on my wall if I could.
Green Lantern Corps #0 by Peter J. Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin - Any time I've been a Green Lantern fan, I've never been a Guy Gardner fan. Geoff Johns taught me to love Hal Jordan. I grew up with Kyle Rayner and he's still my favourite. But I've never thought much of Guy. This issue changed my mind. I probably still won't love him, but I understand him more, and I think that's the point of these zero issues.
Journey Into Mystery #643 by Kieron Gillen, Matt Fraction, and Carmine di Giandomenico - King Volstagg wasn't as funny as I was hoping it would be. But the issue was still amazing. You know Loki's being written properly when you, as the reader, don't know what he's really up to and whose side he's really on. Personally, I like Giandomenico's art more than Alan Davis's on the Mighty Thor chapters. That splash page of Loki looking evil just looked so damn good.
Graphic Novels and Trade Paperbacks
Dr. Strange Season One Premiere HC by Greg Pak and Emma Rios - This was the last thing I read before The Shade, so all I could think while reading The Shade was, "Wow, Emma Rios would have been perfect for this." I love her artwork. Spider-Island Cloak & Dagger is my favourite project of hers so far, but this hardcover is a close second, and is a really good Dr. Strange story from before he became the Sorcerer Supreme (and before Wong lost all his hair!) Highly recommended.
Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters and Green Arrow: The Archer's Quest trades - DC reprinted these good Green Arrow stories for re-release this week. If I didn't own them already, I'd get them. I love old Green Arrow stories, whether it's Mike Grell's mature audiences stuff, or the Kevin Smith/Brad Meltzer/Judd Winick stuff, with the beard and the supporting cast. The New 52 Green Arrow just isn't my Green Arrow.
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