Shade the Changing Man
Shade the Changing Man No. 1
June-July 1977
Cover: Shade the Changing Man and Zokag; Shade vs. crook (four vignettes)
//Steve Ditko
Story: "Escape to Battleground Earth" (18 pages)
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Plotter, artist: Steve Ditko
Scripter: Michael Fleisher
Letterer: Bill Morse
Colorist: Liz Berube
Feature Character: Shade the Changing Man (Rac Shade; intro; origin
(in part); last chronological appearance in flashback in next issue; see
Chronology below)
Supporting Characters: Mellu Loron (first appearance; last chronological
appearance in flashback next issue), Wizor, Leno (first appearance for
both), President Olon (first appearance; last chronological appearance
in issue #3)
Villains: Zokag (first appearance; dies in this story), Form, the Crime
Council, Lt. Emp (alias Ike Kempo), Big Jake Gole and his gang (including
Tony), various Meta criminals (first appearance for all), Lt. Emp (alias
Ike Kempo; first appearance; last chronological appearance in flashback
in next issue and issue #3)
Comment: This story continues in the next issue.
Due to the many flashbacks in issues #2-8, we have made a timeline
of them here:
Dr. Miraco creates a force field suit for miners in the Meta-Zone
(issue #7, pg. 5, panels 2-4)
Col. Kross contacts Dr. Miraco about the force field vest (issue
#7, pg. 6, panel 8-pg. 7, panel 4)
Col. Kross reveals the existence of the vest to Shade and others
(issue #7, pg. 12, panels 3-5)
Shade trains Mellu (issue #3, pg. 2, panel 1-pg. 3, panel 2)
Mellu agrees to marry Shade (issue #2, pg. 10, panel 5)
Shade and Mellu announce their wedding plans to Mellu's parents
(issue #3, pg. 3, panel 3)
The president of Meta confides to Shade that he suspects treason
in government (issue #3, pg. 3, panel 4)
Dr. Miraco is killed, Gola Zae is jailed, the M-Vest is stolen
by Sude and then re-stolen by a creature from the Zero-Zone, Shade battles
and defeats Madzu in the Zero-Zone and meets Xexlo (issue #8, pg. 3, panel
5-pg. 6, panel 5)
The M-Vest is stolen again, Shade recovers it and takes it to
the Earth-Zone, where he sets up a home base, then goes back to Meta (issue
#8, pg. 8, panel 5-pg. 10, panel 1)
Shade investigates the treason plot (issue #8, pg. 11, panel
6-pg. 12, panel 4)
Lt. Emp, Capt. Majan, and Sude frame Shade (issue #2, pg. 9,
panel 1)
Issue #3, pg. 3, panel 4
A bomb injures Mr. and Mrs. Agam Loron, Mellu's parents (issue
#3, pg. 3, spanels 5-9)
Mellu and Shade find Mellu's injured parents (issue #2, pg. 10,
panel 5)
Shade is arrested (issue #3, pg. 4, panel 1)
Testimony is made against Shade (issue #3, pg. 4, panel 2)
Shade is sentenced to prison (issue #2, pg. 9, panel 1)
Issue #3, pg. 4, panel 3
Mellu accuses a chained Shade of treason before her mother and
father (issue #2, pg. 3, panel 2)
Issue #3, pg. 4, panel 4
Synopsis: Rac Shade, a secret agent of the world in the Meta-Zone,
a dimension near that of Earth, has been falsely framed for treason and
sentenced to death. But a freak accident teleports him and other
Meta criminals into the Zero-Zone between Meta and Earth, and he uses a
sensor to enter Earth's plane. There, he uses the illusion-creating
and body-defending illegal M-Vest to spearhead his drive to find another
agent, Lt. Emp, who may be able to clear his name. But his former
lover, Mellu, has come to Earth in search of him, hoping to execute him
in revenge for the crippling of her family. And another Meta criminal
is already loose on the planet, Zokag the Demolisher.
Shade the Changing Man No. 2
August-September 1977
Cover: Shade vs. Form, Lt. Emp, and Mellu; three Shade vignettes //Steve
Ditko
Story: "The Forms of Destruction" (17 pages)
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Plotter, artist: Steve Ditko
Scripter: Michael Fleisher
Colorist: Liz Berube
Feature Character: Shade the Changing Man
Origin: Shade (details; in flashback)
Supporting Characters: Mellu Loron, Wizor, Leno, President Olon, Agam
Loron (Mellu's father; in flashback; first appearance; see Comment for
issue #1 for chronology)
Cameo: Zokag (in flashback)
Villains: Form (dies in this story), Ernie (first appearance; dies
in this story), Capt. Mahan (in flashback; first appearance), Radak, Ben,
Dora, Morge Kale and his gang (first and only appearance for all), the
Supreme Decider (aka Sude; Mira Loron; first appearance), Lt. Emp and his
gang (first appearance for latter), Big Jake Gole and his gang, Meta criminals,
the Crime Council
Comment: Story continues in next issue.
Synopsis: While Mellu comes to Earth to negate the gaseous Metan criminal
Form, Shade battles Lt. Emp, the one man who can clear him of treason charges.
Shade the Changing Man No. 3
October-November 1977
Cover: Shade vs. Cloak; three Shade vignettes //Steve Ditko
Story: "Escape Into the Trap" (17 pages)
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Plotter, artist: Steve Ditko
Scripter: Michael Fleisher
Letterer: Bill Morse
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Feature Character: Shade the Changing Man (origin details revealed
in flashback)
Supporting Characters: Sgt. Barak, Dr. Sagan (first appearance for
both), Col. Kabe Kross (first appearance; last chronological appearance
in flashback in issue #8), Agam Loron, Mellu Loron, Wizor
Villains: Supreme Decider, Lt. Emp, Crime Council, Capt. Majan (first
appearance; dies in this story), Goens (first and only appearance), the
Cloak (first appearance; next appears in issue #7)
Comment: Story continues in next issue.
Synopsis: While Shade tries to force Capt. Majan to confess to framing
him for treason, both are attacked by Cloak, an invisible minion of Sude.
Shade the Changing Man No. 4
December 1977 / January 1978
Cover: Shade rescuing trapped Mellu (in tube) from Gola Zae and Ogaf
//Steve Ditko
Story: "To Rescue My Destroyer" (17 pages)
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Plotter, artist: Steve Ditko
Scripter: Michael Fleisher
Letterer: Bill Morse
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Feature Character: Shade the Changing Man
Supporting Characters: Col. Kross, Mellu Loron, Dr. Sagan, Sgt. Barak
Villains: Supreme Decider, Crime Council, Gola Zae (first appearance;
last chronological appearance in flashback in issue #8), Ogaf (first appearance;
dies in this story)
Comment: Story continues in next issue.
Synopsis: When Gola Zae teleports Mellu into the Zone of Madness, Shade
must rescue her and then fight a desperate battle with the help of Dr.
Sagan to preserve her sanity and her life.
Shade the Changing Man No. 5
February-March 1978
Cover: Shade vs. Supreme Decider and Crime Council //Steve Ditko
Story: "The Captive of Changing Captors" (17 pages)
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Plotter, artist: Steve Ditko
Scripter: Michael Fleisher
Letterer: Bill Morse
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Feature Character: Shade the Changing Man
Supporting Characters: Mellu Loron, Dr. Sagan, Col. Kross, Sgt. Barak,
Agam Loron, Col. Lopak (first appearance)
Intro: Capt. Kel (only appearance)
Villains: Supreme Decider, Crime Council, Khaos (first appearance)
Comment: Story continues in next issue.
Synopsis: Mellu learns that Shade risked his life to save her, and
joins Shade's secret allies in an attempt to break him out of government
custody, while one of the Supreme Decider's rivals, Khaos, breaks away
from the Crime Council to attempt to conquer Meta on his own.
Shade the Changing Man No. 6
April-May 1978
Cover: Shave vs. Khaos //Steve Ditko
Story: "Khaos, the Lord of Terror" (17 pages)
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Plotter, artist: Steve Ditko
Scripter: Michael Fleisher
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Feature Character: Shade the Changing Man
Supporting Characters: Mellu Loron, Sgt. Barak, Col. Lopak, President
Olon, Col. Kross
Intro: A Metan councilman (dies in this story), Dr. Kozen (next appears
in issue #8)
Villains: Supreme Decider, Crime Council, Khaos (probably dies in this
story), Dr. Z. Z. (first appearance)
Comment: Story continues in next issue.
Synopsis: The Supreme Decider is injured, and Khaos makes his play
for control of Meta by attempting to kill President Olon, with only Shade
standing in his way.
Shade the Changing Man No. 7
June-July 1978
Cover: Cloak, Shade, and Mellu //Steve Ditko
Story: "The Color Coma" (17 pages)
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Plotter, artist: Steve Ditko
Scripter: Michael Fleisher
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Feature Character: Shade the Changing Man
Supporting Characters: President Olon, Col. Kross (also appears in
flashback, his first chronological appearance), Col. Lopak, Dr. Sagan,
Mellu Loron, Agam Loron, Sgt. Barak, Wizor
Intro: Sen, Dr. Eler (only appearance for both), Dr. Miraco (in flashback)
Villains: Supreme Decider, Dr. Z. Z., Crime Council, Coru (first appearance),
Odar (first and only appearance), the Cloak (last appearance in issue #3;
last appearance)
Comment: Story continues in next issue.
Synopsis: Shade suffers a "color coma" after having destroyed Khaos,
while Mellu and Sgt. Barak go after the Cloak to prove him the killer of
Capt. Majan, and Dr. Z. Z. prepares to strike at Earth.
Shade the Changing Man No. 8
August-September 1978
Cover: Shade, Col. Kross, President Olon, and Dr. Sagan facing Meta
troops //Steve Ditko
Story: "The Gambles" (17 pages)
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Plotter, artist: Steve Ditko
Scripter: Michael Fleisher
Letterer: Clem Robins
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Feature Character: Shade the Changing Man (next appears in CANCELLED
COMIC CAVALCADE #2; also appears in flashback; see Comment under issue
#1 for chronology; origin details revealed in flashback)
Supporting Characters: Col. Kross, President Olon, Dr. Sagan, Wizor
(all next appear in CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2), Leno, Col. Lopak, Agam
Loron, Mellu Loron, Sgt. Barak (last appearance for all)
Cameo appearances: Khaos (in flashback)
Other Characters: Dr. Miraco (in flashback; dies in this story), Dr.
Kozen (last appearance in issue #6; last appearance)
Villains: Dr. Z. Z., Crime Council (both next appear in CANCELLED COMIC
CAVALCADE #2), Coru (last appearance), Gola Zae (in flashback; earliest
chronological appearance; next chronological appearance in issue #4), Capt.
Mahan, Lt. Emp (both in flashback; see Comment under issue #1 for chronology),
Supreme Decider (also in flashback; last appearance), Oga, Ezak, Madzu,
Rega, a Zero-Zone scavenger (all five in flashback; first and only appearance
for all five), Xexlo (in flashback; first appearance; next appears in CANCELLED
COMIC CAVALCADE #2)
Comment: Story continues in CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2.
Synopsis: Shade reveals the truth of his last assignment as a government
agent to President Olon, Col. Kross, and Dr. Sagan, as Col. Lopak prepares
to send troops into the presidential palace to see if Shade is within.
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade No. 2
Fall 1978
Cover: Shade vs. Zekie and his hordes; Odd Man vignette //Steve Ditko
Story: "The Deadly Ally" (17 pages)
Editor: Jack C. Harris
Plotter, artist: Steve Ditko
Scripter: Michael Fleisher
Letterer: Ben Oda
Feature Character: Shade the Changing Man (last appearance in SHADE
THE CHANGING MAN #8; next appears in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #12)
Supporting Characters: Mellu Loron, President Olon, Col. Kross, Sgt.
Barak
Intro: An N-Agent (in flashback; dies in this story)
Villains: Zekie and his hordes, the Klugs (first and only appearance
for all), Xexlo, Dr. Z. Z., Crime Council (last appearance for all in SHADE
THE CHANGING MAN #8; last appearance for all), Ozar, a spy and his master
(first and only appearance for all three), Lt. Emp (in flashback)
Comments: This story was originally intended for SHADE THE CHANGING
MAN #9, but the cancellation of that title caused it to be printed in the
black-and-white, low-circulation CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE.
Most of this storyline is not resolved. Shade next appears
to aid the heroes of Earth against the Anti-Monitor in CRISIS ON INFINITE
EARTHS #12. The New Earth Shade first appears in SUICIDE SQUAD #16.
Synopsis: On his way to help fight Dr. Z. Z. on Earth, Shade falls
victim in the Zero-Zone to Zekie, a conqueror who has already beaten Xexlo.