Shade (comics)

Superherobox|

caption=The Shade on the cover of "Starman" #6 (1995).
Art by Tony Harris.
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=The Shade
real_name=Richard Swift
publisher=DC Comics
debut="Flash Comics" #33
creators= E E Hibbard/James Robinson
alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
alliances=Injustice Society Crime Champions
aliases="Dicky", "Mr. Black", "Louie"
powers= Shadow manipulation(ability to control darkness) - ability to travel great distances in short amounts of time, and create constructs out of shadows; does not age; virtually immortal.|

The Shade is a fictional character developed in the 1940's for National Comics. Debuted as a villain, Shade was best known in story line for fighting against two generations of superheroes, most notably the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the Flash cite web|url=http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/shade.html |title=The Shade |accessdate=2008-03-19 |last=Vibber |first=Kelson |date=May 16, 2007 ] . He eventually became a mentor for Jack Knight, the son of the Golden Age Starman Ted Knight whom Shade had also fought in the comic's history [Harrison, Tony, Starman, DC Comics, 1994] .

Though initially portrayed in the Golden Age comics as a thief with a cane that could manipulate shadows, the character was reinvented in 1994 as a morally ambiguous Victorian era immortal who gained the ability manipulate shadows and his immortality from an unexplained mystical event.

History

Pre-Crisis

The Shade was introduced in "Flash Comics" #33, as a villain for the original Golden Age Flash. He was portrayed as a thief who could manipulate the shadows with a magical cane. He fought both the Golden Age Flash and his Silver Age counterpart Barry Allen. He was member of several supervillain teams, including the Injustice Society of America. Shade was the villain used for the first meeting of the two heroes in the famous Flash of Two Worlds [ cite web|url=http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/shade.html |title=The Shade |accessdate=2008-03-19 |last=Vibber |first=Kelson |date=May 16, 2007 ] story, which reintroduced the Golden Age Flash to the Silver Age.

Post-Crisis

Shade returned in print in 1986, as a member of the Wizard's new incarnation of the Injustice Society. The Shade's next appearance was in a flashback story in "Secret Origins" #50 (1989), which explained the story of the post-Crisis first meeting of Jay Garrick and Barry Allen. This story was later retconned after the events of Zero Hour.

Post Zero-Hour

After Zero Hour, The Shade's origin was changed drastically. The Shade was retconned to a English gentleman named Richard Swift, a young man in the year 1838. One night in London, Swift was trapped amidst an unexplained mystical tragedy, which killed 104 people. The most immediate of effects upon him was the permanent loss of all memory before the incident; fortunately, a carriage appeared and took him in. The gentleman who had picked him up gave him the name Piers Ludlow, and offered to help him re-encounter his past. Accepting his "kindness", Swift was taken to Ludlow's house and was taken to a house the next evening. However, the whole affair was a setup; the whole Ludlow family was in fact a band of killers and swindlers, and they had perpetuated a scheme many times over: to kill one of their wealthy, reclusive clients and have a vagrant killed in his vicinity to give the impression of a failed robbery/homicide. However, when they intended to repeat the scheme with Swift as the scapegoat, he reflexively unleashed his shadows, killing all the present Ludlows. Only a young pair of twins, absent from the excursion, survived. The following evening, Swift met one of his true friends, the author Charles Dickens. ["The Shade" miniseries #1, DC Comics, 1997]

For the following decades, Swift lived a relatively normal life, one which changed when Rupert Ludlow, one of the surviving twins, appeared and ambushed him along with a band of hired killers, informing his of the murderous intent of the family and of its exponential growth. Though grievously injured, Swift still managed to kill Ludlow, (by then he had already discovered his immortality). Afterward, he left England and started a career as an adventurer/assassin/observer on life, which spanned whole continents and led him to many adventures. While traveling, he met Brian Savage (Scalphunter) and visited Opal City for the first time. He established himself in Opal, acquiring real estate and generally living well, even encountering Oscar Wilde, although he never quit the adventuring life, ensuring he would always have a considerable fortune waiting for him. However, during his journeys, he also met a similar immortal with his same powers: a dwarf by the name of Culp, who would become his mortal adversary. ["The Shade" miniseries #2, DC Comics, 1997]

During all of the Shade's escapades, he had been pursued quite actively by the Ludlows, whom he abated with little remorse, killing dozens of the family before meeting Marguerite Croft, a young lady, with whom he fell in love and established with in Paris during the thirties. Unfortunately, she proved to be a Ludlow, and again tried to kill Shade by poisoning. The immortal washed away the toxin and killed his love upon learning she would again try to kill him, leaving him with a sense of general depression and the feeling he could never love again. Because of this and the death of Brian Savage, he resumed his activities as an assassin. ["The Shade" miniseries #3, DC Comics, 1997]

During World War II, he left America to defend his country from the bombing raids, and fought Culp again. A bomb blast, falling on top of them, sent Culp into Shade's body. Unaware of this, Shade returned to America and to Keystone City. This was the time of the Golden Age of Heroes, and of them all he chose one as his adversary: Jay Garrick, the first Flash. For him, it was little more than a game, posing as a gimmicky villain (influenced by Culp) to get away with his truly important crimes unnoticed, and felt genuinely disappointed with the retirement of Garrick. This lasted until another "superhero", the Spider, came along. Shade, feeling curiosity as for the Spider's motives, discovered he was in fact a criminal, getting rid of the competition, and a Ludlow by birth. Shade defended Keystone by killing the Spider and rescuing Flash and his wife from a murder attempt. When asked as to his own motives, he responded he truly enjoyed Garrick for his wit and humor, and that he already had a city to love and devote to (he protected Opal from harm several times, even saving Starman from a murder attempt ["Starman" v2 series #46, DC Comics, 1997] and avoiding to commit even a single crime within its limits).

During the sixties, he briefly teamed up with Dr. Fate to take down what was apparently one of Culp's criminal ventures, a mystic organization of madmen, the Wise Fools, who wished to repeat the ritual that created him by apparently summoning a wild, uncontrolled bubble of shadow (actually Culp's shadow, separated from Shade by Culp). Unaware that Culp's consciousness was actually within Shade, he and Dr. Fate destroyed the Wise Fools operation and threw the bubble into an empty dimension (where it continued to immensely grow in power and size), unaware that Culp had foreseen all of it and that it was only a step in a much larger plan, one which almost culminated in the destruction of Opal City. [ "Showcase" #4-5, DC Comics, 1996]

tarman

James Robinson decided to use Shade, giving the character a starring role in his new Starman series in 1994. In the first story arc, "Sins of the Father", Jack apparently found an enemy in Shade when he kidnapped his father, the elderly scientist and retired Starman Ted Knight on the orders of the decrepit, senile Mist, who wished for a final showdown. Shade later betrayed the Mist by allying himself with the O'Dare Family, a clan of police officers who assisted Jack in memory of their father, once a brave, fearless cop who often assisted the elder Starman. Shade, with the O'Dares, assaulted the Mist's hideout and rescued Ted Knight. Out of the O'Dares, he befriended the family's "black sheep", Matt O'Dare. ["Starman" v2 series #0-6, DC Comics, 1997]

Later, Jack and the reader would be privy to the Shade's journals, learning much of his life and experiences. Some of these journal entries were told in flashback issues of the comic called "Times Past". They often dealt with different Starmen, including Jack's father Ted, as well as other characters from the Starman mythos such as Brian Savage. There were a total of 10 "Times Past" issues in the 80 issue series. Other "excerpts" were alternated with the comic's letters column, often giving additional background related to the story or background into Shade's motivations. These excerpts were written as prose, as opposed to a more traditional comic style, with occasional illustrations, and as journal entries being written by the Shade himself at different points of his existence. ["Starman" v2 series #11, #18, #28, #36, #42, #44, #46, #54, #74, DC Comics, 1997]

Shade had an active part in a special adventure of Jack's-one which involved a demon hidden within a portal resembling a poster that could snatch innocent people and drag them into Hell. Shade, as always, wished peace for Opal, and the fact he did not like Merritt, the human guardian of the poster, who had gained immortality for guardianship of it, and consequently had been used as inspiration for Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray", helped ease his decision. In a fight for possession of the portal, Matt O'Dare was dragged within and Shade followed, musing it was a hero's way, not his. Within the poster, Shade agreed to sell his soul in exchange for the liberation of all the souls contained within (something that, unknowing to Shade, Jack Knight and Matt O'Dare had also agreed to do), but the demon, unable to accept a selfless deal, released all of them. Following this, Matt decided to turn a new leaf and put his crooked past behind him. Shade assisted him in his efforts, saying it was to put another good cop in the city that he loved, partly influenced in his choice by the revelation O'Dare was, in fact, the resurrected Scalphunter. ["Starman" v2 series #24-26, #41, DC Comics, 1997]

A particularly important point in the life of Shade came when he met the demon-lord Neron. Neron offered, as he had to many supervillains before, to augment his power. However, Shade saw little use in Neron's offer, as he saw no need to increase his already substantial wealth, was already immortal, and saw little opportunity to increase his powers, seeing as how he could eventually learn to fine tune his abilities to the point he could be practically indestructible in the battlefield. Neron, angered by his rebuttal, swore vengeance against Shade. [ "Showcase" #12, DC Comics, 1995]

Through all of Shade's years, the Ludlows apparently had ceased to attack him, which Shade saw as a respite. This lasted until the wife of the last Ludlow by blood called him to the city of Ludlow to talk her husband out of attempting an attack on him that would certainly cost him his life. Shade answered the summons and talked Ludlow out of his silly vendetta, apparently burying a legacy of hate that had lasted more than a one and a half hundred years. ["The Shade" miniseries #4, DC Comics, 1997]

Another notable point during the series' run came when the Godwave struck the DC universe, depowering almost all superheroes. In a confrontation between Starman, Matt O'Dare, Green Lantern, and The Infernal Doctor Pip, in which Pip almost blew up a large section of an Opal skyscraper, Shade appeared at the last minute and drew Pip into the Darklands, which serve as his power source, before the bomb could explode. The important plot twist was that his powers were unaffected by the depowerment, with a note indicating there were powers not even God wanted to have anything to do with, referencing the dark origins of the Shade's massive powers. ["Starman" v2 series #30-33, DC Comics, 1997]

At various times, Culp occasionally was able to take control or subtly influence The Shade, as he did when he was fighting the Flashes. At one specific point, Culp takes momentary full control to talk to Jack, in the process making a mistake about the name of a Wilde story. Around the time Jack returns from space in the "Stars, My Destination" story arc, Culp was able to assume full control over Shade's body for an extended period of time and imprison or neutralize most of Opal City's heroes, in a bid to loot and destroy Opal with no other motive than to destroy what Shade loved most. Gathering an army of villains whom Jack had battled over the course of the series, Culp absorbed Shade's and his own powers, in addition to the ever-growing and tremendously powerful shadow force Shade and Dr. Fate had exiled decades before, to cast a spell that allowed him to trap Opal City in an impenetrable bubble of shadow and force a confrontation with the city's heroes. Many of the supervillains helping Culp had been gathered by either Neron, who wished revenge upon Shade, the still-vengeful daughter of the Mist, or one of the last Ludlows in existence, the son of the false hero the Spider. The story was the climax of the series, told in the "Grand Guignol" arc. Shade eventually was able to cast out Culp, losing his shadow powers in the process. However, Culp underestimated the Shade, and was tricked into allowing a small shadow imp loyal to Shade to be absorbed into his own shadow, leading to a battle of wills in which Shade drew all his darkness into himself (adding Culp's shadow's might to it, augmented by the Wise Fools ritual), leaving Culp powerless. Shortly later, Culp attempted to buy his ticket to freedom by threatening the younger Mist, but was killed in the process by the elder Mist. This ended up being a turning point for Shade, as he now truly had freedom of choice, and was able to discern right from wrong, and therefore, able to decide whether he wished to remain a villain or became a true hero, protecting his city. Later, he was present at the final showdown with the Mist and left the building with Ralph Dibny and Jack and Theo Kyle Knight. ["Starman" v2 series #61-73, DC Comics, 1997]

Post-Starman

Since the end of the Starman series, The Shade has made cameo appearances in several comic series, including Green Arrow, JSA, and Birds of Prey, and was listed alongside magical-based villains such as Felix Faust and Circe. He also had a brief appearance in DC's "Brave New World" in 2006.

Possible Futures

During the "Starman" story arc "Stars, My Destination" Jack is thrown by a shadowy corridor created by a future Shade across time and space into a future where Shade's powers overtook him due to a disease that Culp had infected him with during their final battle (the absorption of Culp's shadow, along with the mystical enhancements brought as a consequence of the Wise Fools ritual). His shadow began expanding into the universe and began threatening areas protected by the Legion. Rescuing him, the future Shade explained how Jack may be able to stop it from ever happening by using his cosmic rod on him in the past. He later opened another time portal to allow Jack to journey across time again to reach his destination, Throneworld. In the final issue of "Starman" Jack apparently was able stop the disease before it had the chance to affect Shade, apparently changing the future that he had seen on his space voyage.

"Starman Annual #1" shows a possible future for Shade, as the protector of a Utopian planet thousands of years from the present. As with the current Shade, he enjoys telling tales of his past. The planet's technology and possibly the planet itself seemed to made almost entirely out of Cosmic Rod technology inspired by Starman and his legacy.

Powers and Abilities

Shade is at present one of the best, if not the ultimate, channeler of the power of the Darklands, a quasi-sentient, extra-dimensional mass of darkness which he can channel to various effects: he can summon and control "demons" from there, summon and dispel shields and areas of complete darkness, create all kinds constructs out of shadows (in a similar manner to a Green Lantern, with the exception of the color of the constructs), transport himself and others through it through massive amounts of distance, and eventually, his experience with the shadows allows him to create corridors through time (the most dramatic instance being when he sent Jack Knight's spaceship from a point in space in late twentieth century to the neighborhood of Xanthu in the Legion of Super-Heroes' era and from there to Krypton, several decades before its destruction), and if necessary, can be used as a last-ditch prison dimension. These powers have also granted his agelessness and immortality, and overall his powers are formidable to the point that Dr. Fate once remarked even The Spectre would have serious difficulty dealing with him, possibly due to the origin of his powers (the former realm of a divine entity on par with God). He is heavily resistant to damage, as seen when a demolition bomb fell on him and he was only slightly dazed.

His only weakness (if it can be called such) is the fact that if he loses his shadow, he shall be vulnerable. However, this would either require a survivor from the same event in 1838 to encounter and drain him of it, or a fire strong enough, completely surrounding him to the point he could not cast a shadow. As the last survivor of the event aside from him, Simon Culp, had long since been killed, he no longer appears to have this weakness, and he is smart and wily enough never to be actually trapped in a situation where he could be trapped in fire thusly. He is knowledgeable and has a keen sense of danger.

Character Inspiration

It is likely that The Shade's post-Zero Hour origin is influenced by Charles Dickens' story "The Old Curiosity Shop", which featured an English Rake also named Richard, and a dwarf named Quilp. In continuity, it is suggested that Shade's story instead inspired Dickens to write "The Old Curiosity Shop". James Robinson has stated that he drew some inspiration for the Shade's mannerisms and speech patterns from the British stage and screen actor Jonathan Pryce.

Other Versions

*On Earth-33, there is a magician called Shade, with all his powers. He is a member of the League of Shamans.
* The Shade(Possibly of Earth-3). An alternate version of the heroine Nightshade, she shares with him his namesake and all his powers, and she wears a top hat and a cane. She's killed by "Eve of the Shadows", another Nightshade counterpart.

Other media

The Shade has also appeared in the "Justice League" animated series, where he has appeared as a member of Lex Luthor's Injustice Gang and Aresia's Injustice Gang. He was later recruited into Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society, although, by this time he was skeptical of its success due to seeing such efforts fail twice in the past.

When Grodd's Secret Society was defeated by the Justice League in a football field in front of thousands of people, Shade stated "I knew this wouldn't work." before attempting to flee and being stopped by Batman.

In the "Justice League Unlimited" series, Shade joins a fourth anti-Justice League organization, Gorilla Grodd's new Secret Society, later taken over by Lex Luthor. The Shade is prominently shown for the last time in the series in the episode "Alive", where he sided against Luthor during the mutiny led by Grodd, who was freed by Tala. During the mutiny, Shade, and all other villains that opposed Luthor, were frozen by Killer Frost. The Shade is voiced by Stephen McHattie. In both series, his powers are a product of his staff, which he calls the "nightstick," much like that of his pre-Robinson years. When he first joined Grodd's group, he was attracted to Giganta, who seemed to return his affection. When he found out that she had once been a gorilla he is shocked, but then looks at her and shrugs with a smile on his face indicating he didn't seem to care.

=See also=
*List of fictional characters who can manipulate darkness or shadow

Notes