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A review by mschlat
Shade, the Changing Man: The American Scream by Steve Ditko, Mark Pennington, Peter Milligan, Chris Bachalo
3.0
On the one hand, this doesn't feel weird enough. This is (like early Sandman) a pre-Vertigo reimagining of a minor DC character, and Milligan is clearly in the superhero genre with Shade going up against a "big bad" who manifests in different ways across the US. There are obvious callbacks to the original Steve Ditko series, and Shade's friend (Kathy George) feels like a character who is only halfway realized; half of her is a tragic (yet funny) character dealing with massive personal loss and mental issues, while the other half is there to give Shade a reason "to keep on going". It is, at least in this early volume, much more standard than Gaiman's early Sandman issues.
On the other hand, an early "villain" (or manifestation of the American Scream big bad) is a giant head of John Kennedy formed from the concrete of Dealey Plaza who goes around yelling "Who killed JFK?" and swallows people whole. So, maybe there's enough weird. Or more accurately, the overarching plot is not weird but all of the notes within the plot are.
The Bachalo/Pennington art is usually good, occasionally confusing, and almost always on the edge of being too scratchy for me. And while I often like Milligan, this is another example of a British author working for DC commenting on the troubles of America, and I'm not sure Milligan does it better than Moore or Gaiman.
As I start this reread, I recall better days ahead for this title. I hope that's true.
On the other hand, an early "villain" (or manifestation of the American Scream big bad) is a giant head of John Kennedy formed from the concrete of Dealey Plaza who goes around yelling "Who killed JFK?" and swallows people whole. So, maybe there's enough weird. Or more accurately, the overarching plot is not weird but all of the notes within the plot are.
The Bachalo/Pennington art is usually good, occasionally confusing, and almost always on the edge of being too scratchy for me. And while I often like Milligan, this is another example of a British author working for DC commenting on the troubles of America, and I'm not sure Milligan does it better than Moore or Gaiman.
As I start this reread, I recall better days ahead for this title. I hope that's true.