The ending of Jack Knight’s tale in Starman (vol 2) 80 was bittersweet – that sense of sadness at the conclusion of such a saga was mixed with relief and happiness for Jack as he said farewell to the life of Starman. It is right that no writer – including Robinson – has gone searching for Jack Knight. His story had a fairy-tale ending, and uncovering tarred realism would only dampen such a dreamy ending. Nevertheless, just because Robinson ended Jack Knight’s story in 2001, it didn’t mean that the saga was over. There were still more questions to answer and events to ponder upon. These events were not linked to Jack, but to the Shade. The great anti-hero known as the Shade has been the narrator of the saga, with his journals chronicling events past and present. Even with the revelations about Culp and the Shade’s inner darkness, he remains a mystery. That enigmatic quality – combined with his charm, wit, and devilishness – make him the perfect feature of a maxiseries. That explains why – ten years on from Starman’s conclusion – we return to Opal City and the life of the Shade…
The Shade (vol 2) 1-12 was published from December 2011 to November 2012. Written by James Robinson, artists include Cully Hammer, Javier Pulido, Frazer Irving, Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone, Jill Thompson, and Gene Ha. Released concurrently to DC’s New 52 era, thankfully this maxiseries has nothing to do with it. We return to Opal City without the baggage of a new multiverse – it’s the same characters in the same world.
Adept readers will know that this isn’t the first Shade miniseries. In 1997, Robinson penned a perfect four-issue miniseries detailing the two century-long feuds between the immortal Shade and the grudge-holding Ludlow family. We hopped from era to era, learning about the tragedies of that saga before it came to its amicable end in the fourth issue. The Shade (vol 2) is a quite different beast. Robinson pens a continuous plot for this maxiseries, but really it is a collection of shorter stories and one-off tales. It reads almost more like an ongoing series rather than a limited twelve-issue project.
It's in the first pages of The Shade (vol 2) 1 where it feels like we haven’t been away from Opal for long at all. It’s the Shade and Mikaal talking and reflecting. A lot has changed since Jack departed the city, especially with Mikaal adventuring with the Justice League (written also by Robinson in those pre-New 52 days). Things may have changed, and the tone is certainly different, but it feels as if we haven’t been without these great characters for so long. Robinson establishes a theme of mystery right from the first page – the Shade’s melancholic attitude in October. It is the month of his origin, a tale yet to be uncovered. Robinson has teased at revealing the most teased and enigmatic origin story in DC history for years, and it’s great to see that tradition of the Starman saga continue. Robinson reintroduces us to the Shade by retaining his wit and unique qualities of a personality, but it is mixed in with a few radical changes. One of these – as seen in Starman (vol 2) 81 – is the Shade’s relationship with Hope O’Dare. Despite their chemistry and natural dialogue, it’s a relationship which always seemed slightly odd. I’ve always thought of the Shade as a more insular character – he has many contracts and friends, but a relationship seems like a step too far into the veil of his private character. Witnessing the Shade in love and in a relationship isn’t so much sweet and excitingly new, but just plain odd. Nevertheless, a plot emerges very quickly. The Shade is a marked man, with assassins after him. Robinson – ever a dramatic writer and one to write brilliant cliff-hanger endings – concludes the first issue with a highly memorable moment. The Shade comes face-to-face with Deathstroke. In a matter of a few pages and panels which make for hard-hitting reading, our protagonist is sliced and diced into bloody pieces. Killing off the main character is certainly a creative way of beginning such a series.
Even the most novice of readers would know the Shade isn’t dead, but Robinson’s solution is a creative one. Deathstroke only massacred a facsimile constructed of shadow substance. The first four issues of the maxiseries put the Shade’s assassination conspiracy centre stage. The Shade’s search for his assassin leads him to leave Opal, placing the city back in the hands of Bobo. Bringing back such familiar faces is simply a joy. Even if the quick meeting between the Shade and Bobo lasts a mere two pages, it’s nice to return to see the old faces. But this maxiseries isn’t just a catch-up with familiar faces. Robinson introduces us to William Von Hammer. With a brilliant name and tough demeanour, Von Hammer is a new ally for the Shade, accompanying him in his quest to discover who wants him dead. This storyline is one which truly gets better with time. The second issue is a pretty generic fight scene with a skull-wearing mobster who looks scary but survives for just a few pages. When it’s revealed that the Shade’s assassins want him dead for his blood, that creates more questions.
The slow-building mystery takes us to Australia in the third issue. After the opening pages – whereby Robinson has written even more lore for the Shade’s past and introduced even more characters – the Shade’s path takes him to Darnell Caldecott. This name evokes a reaction from the Shade. In his path to Caldecott is Mangar-kunjer-kunja – literally the giant lizard mythological creature who is massive in size. This only makes sense after Robinson has included a link to the Aboriginal concept of Dreamtime, and how such a connection can led to fantastical beings materialising in the real world. It does feel like a somewhat random and wasted piece of plotting to add in such a miniseries with a much bigger plot, but it’s preferable to the Shade fighting some boring hired muscle. When the Shade comes face-to-face with Caldecott, now an ancient dying old man, his words to the immortal spark shock – ‘Hello, grandfather.’
During Robinson’s Starman saga, with all of its lore and background stories, those one-off tales of Times Past really aided in constructing a romantic and revealing version of the past. Whether it be tales of Ted Knight’s past, or stories about heroes lost in time, Times Past stories were brilliant one-off additions to the saga. It’s wonderful how Robinson manages to resurrect the concept for this maxiseries; it is done seamlessly. The Shade (vol 2) 4 chronicles the story of Darnell Caldecott, a true American patriot during the Second World War, whose ingenuity and help in the war effort has made him a target.
Typical for a tale of war, it revokes around a spy in Caldecott’s midst. Who should be the spy for the enemy, but his very own wife. As a spy for the Nazis, she lured her husband into a trap. Thankfully, the Shade comes to the rescue, but the greatest reveal comes with Caldecott’s personal assistant. An unassuming no-nonsense elderly lady, this guise is shattered at the end, with the true identity being Richard Stanton, an undercover agent. It’s the twists and turns of this miniseries which really make it stand out. Robinson naturally has a feel for the 1940s era of comic book storytelling, and this is energised by the brilliance of Darwyn Cooke. A titan of retro-style artwork, Cooke’s visuals are beautiful and make the fourth issue of the maxiseries a Times Past classic.
Now, back to the present! The Shade (vol 2) 5 – after all the context created in the previous tale – has the Shade meeting his great-grandfather, not ‘grandfather’ as Caldecott called him. It’s revealed that Caldecott hired Von Hammer to locate samples of the Shade’s blood. This is not because Caldecott wants immortality, but because the Caldecott family finances are being used by a mysterious family member for evil purpose. This is where the plot thickens, and where the assassination attempts against the Shade seem to vanish into the background. Caldecott wanted more time in life to solve the mystery of his family, but was he the one who was hired to kill the Shade? That question is never clearly answered. Why would he want to kill his own great-grandfather when he could simply ask him for help? What is interesting is that Robinson uncovers just a thin slice of a tragic mystery surrounding the Shade’s family. Although we learn practically nothing about Caldecott’s family connection to the Shade, the anger from the great-grandson about how this crucial figure left him and never returned to him uncovers some tragedy to the Shade’s long life. Nevertheless, if the hunt for Caldecott is the ongoing storyline of the first four issues of the maxiseries, then The Shade (vol 2) 5-7 begins a different plotline.
The Shade heads to Spain and meets La Sangre, a red-headed vampire who has a knack for collecting the blood of celebrities and historical figures. The problem is that the Shade has become consumed by the dark energy inside him for so long, that is original red blood now no longer exists within him. That is where La Sangre could help, but unfortunately, these middle issues of the maxiseries is where Robinson places us on a rather pointless wild goose chase. La Sangre’s arch-nemesis – the Inquisitor – returns to Barcelona and pledges war on its people. This leads to a Brave and the Bold-style team up between the Shade and La Sangre in a pretty predictable and standard hero vs villain tale. However, especially in The Shade (vol 2) 5, it’s that context of the past which Robinson constructs so brilliantly. La Sangre’s origin – whereby in 1854 her family were all massacred by vampires – explains why she views the Shade as a father-figure, and also how she became a vampire despite the Shade’s best efforts.
Constructing an entire world and set of characters for the heroism of La Sangre makes the Shade (vol 2) 6-7 a very fulsome experience. It seems that page-after-page, new faces emerge as the evil work of the Inquisitor continues. Although readers can appreciate the creativity and originality of Robinson, these middle issues do feel like a rather irritating digression from the story-at-large. Again, this is where the maxiseries feels more like an ongoing title. Digressions and side-paths are more than welcome, but when they knock the course of the main storyline so strongly off course, structurally the story loses its way. Plus, it’s all pointless anyway, for it’s revealed that La Sangre doesn’t have any of the Shade’s blood in storage. Therefore, it would be understandable to disregard these three issues as simple filler, but readers can easily enjoy the Shade’s dialogue, genuinely interesting characters, and a villain with enough mystery to hook the reader. It just distracts too much from the main story at hand.
Just after complaining that Robinson has removed us too much from the main storyline, I am pleased to reveal that The Shade (vol 2) 8 is another Times Past. While these tales do naturally break up the main story, they use the past to contextualise the present. Its Paris, 1910, and the Shade comes into contact with another Caldecott named Albert. The chance meeting between the pair leads to a recovery in their family connection, ending with the Shade witnessing Albert returning to his grandmother – known to the Shade as his wife. The Shade refuses to return to that life, but as he watches his former wife from afar, there is a sad sense of resignation – a feeling that the Shade could never return to that old life. This feeling – alongside witnessing the Shade as a very different character with a family – makes for a tragic but fulfilling Times Past tale. Even with a mystery plot of murder and demons, it is that tragic ending that makes it memorable.
The Shade (vol 2) 9-11 is what Robinson has been building up to. The Shade heads back to London to discover what Dudley Caldecott has been using the family finances for. Secret corruption spreads across the UK government with the likes of assassinations and weapons trafficking, but even they pale in comparison to the guised demonic rituals which today’s Caldecott takes part in. Dudley Caldecott – in association with Miles St. Aubrey – are privy to a dark secret. Most writers have toyed with conspiracy theories in their works, but none of them as creatively or surprisingly as Robinson has done here. The Shade confronts the duo deep under Whitehall, discovering that these meek civil servants have captured and harnessed the powers of two Egyptian gods…
These Egyptian gods were once tyrants, but now they have become playthings of those in power. Although these gods had been evil and have the ability to take his powers away from him instantly, the Shade empathises with them. Both he and they are immortals and have become playthings of their captors. Through sacrifices, Caldecott can keep the gods at bay, but the power of mortal souls cannot stop the Shade. With the Shade (vol 2) 11, he frees the Egyptian gods, and they go on to completely destroy and wreck London. Empathising with them yet again, the Shade manages to calm the gods and simply allow them to return to their home planet. This is all well and good, but Robinson doesn’t go into the consequences of this story. London has been wrecked – what is the death toll? How will humanity cope after witnessing such awesome gods tearing apart their homes? Robinson doesn’t go into that, although we do see the ending to the Caldecott story. Despite their family ties, the evil of Dudley Caldecott cannot go unpunished – the Shade simply kills him. These three issues make for some of my favourite in the series. With all its twists, turns, and originality, it’s a great shame that Robinson didn’t focus on this storyline much earlier – the pacing here is incredibly quick, but it feels like we need to take some time to digest events. In the grand scheme of things – with a main theme of this maxiseries being the Shade and the Caldecott family – those middle issues in Spain have little relevance. If only we had more time and pages for the Ehyptian god saga and the tragic fall of Dudley Caldecott.
The events of the present end in the eleventh issue, but The Shade (vol 2) 12 is the ultimate prize not just of this maxiseries, but of the entire Starman saga. It’s been teased for years, but here it finally is – the origin of the Shade. These are events that I won’t disclose to you – it’s best you read them yourself after reading the entirety of the Starman saga. However, you realise that Robinson has so cleverly been dropping hints of the grisly details of 1838 for nearly two decades. The moment of origin is an occasion of every emotion, but the pages leading up to it leave a deep impact. Witnessing Shade not as the immortal and all-powerful, but a normal human being with a family and natural emotions like fear makes us view him differently. The emerging rivalry between Richard Swift and Culp seems trivial at first, but when readers realise the weight of the history that followed, it is a duel which comes to define the Shade just as deeply as his links to the Caldecotts, his hatred of the Ludlows, and connection with the Knights. Although there is a sadness that the great mystery of the Starman saga has been revealed, it has been worth the long wait. It’s been made better not just by Robinson’s brilliance as a writer, but because over the years we have slowly learned more about the Shade, and this truly feels like the ultimate prize.
In some senses, this 12-issue maxiseries isn’t too different from its 4-issue predecessor. The relationship between the Shade and the Ludlows went from intense hatred to acceptance and peace. Here, the Shade’s relationship with the Caldecotts begins warm and ends tragically, with the protagonist having to kill one of his own. Although I think Robinson has a tendency to over-complicate the story, especially over the assassination plot – which does lead to several quite glaring plot holes – the adventure is made better because of how personal it is. The life of the Shade is uncovered in a way unseen before, and although Robinson may cram far too much into just twelve issues, reading the maxiseries is a rewarding experience and makes a beautiful end to the Starman saga.
Artwork always plays a crucial role in any comic book, but it’s role in these twelve issues cannot be understated. I have already said just how brilliant Darwyn Cooke’s work is in that fourth issue, and that applies too to the other tales of Times Past. Gene Ha’s grey and Victorian artwork – with its drama and impact – is flawlessly suited to that all-so important twelfth issue.
Meanwhile, the smooth style of Jill Thompson for the 1901 Times Past story may be more standard, but it is certainly attractive. For the three storylines of the maxiseries – Shade vs the assassins, La Sangre vs the Inquisitor, and Shade vs Dudley Caldecott – each one has its own artist. The first three issues are drawn by Cully Hammer, whose darker lighting suits stories for the Shade, but the jagged style may not be to everyone’s taste. For issues five through seven, we get Jacier Pulido’s pretty plain and flat artwork, but then for issues nine to eleven, it is saved by Frazer Irving and his idiosyncratic use of colours and shades, creating a truly memorable experience featuring the Egyptian gods. Including such diverse styles corresponds to the different kind of stories Robinson tells, and they all bring something to unique to each tale.
VERDICT
Overall, the Shade (vol 2) 1-12 bookends the Starman saga suitably. After years of waiting, more of the mystery of the saga’s anti-hero is cleared up. Although it’s easy to question the quantity of content that Robinson crams into this series and it has to be said that some aspects should have been given more time under the spotlight, it is a brilliant adventure. Those Times Pasts tales add depth to the story of the Caldecott family, and it builds up nicely to the revelation of the most hyped-origin story in comic book history. The maxiseries may have its problems, but with its star character and powerful artwork, it makes for a fitting and fun end to the Starman saga…
Next Week: TBC
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