Shade the Changing Girl is published by DC Comics under their Young Animal imprint. It is written by Cecil Castellucci with art by Marley Zarcone.

So Shade the Changing Girl is a story about...Umm...I...I honestly am not 100% sure yet. What I do know it that there is an alien, from the planet Meta, named Loma and she stole an item called, “the madness coat”. It's a super colorful, 70s looking, article of clothing. Like, I could totally see a hippie wearing it. And, well, as you can probably guess from its name, it makes you go mad. Loma's idol, a poet named Rac Shade, was the owner of the coat. As is a trend with many creative minds, Loma has grown bored with the norms of her life. So, she did the completely rational thing: she dropped out of school, dumped her boyfriend, stole a priceless garment from a museum, and flew across the galaxies only to land safely in the body of a teenage girl, Megan Boyer, on Earth. Megan has been in a coma on the edge of death, a place where many in her life (parents included) were happy about. Megan was a bully. She was popular, spoiled, rude, and pretty. But Loma doesn't know any of this. Loma just knows she's on this primitive (to her, at least), new planet, where she can experience a new life with a dash of madness. If you have ever been a teenage girl or you have ever seen the movie, Mean Girls, then you know that the life she has just taken over is not going to be the sunshine and rainbows she's hoping for. Oh, also there are very important people looking for the coat and who knows what will happen if they find her.

* WARNING * - FROM HERE ON, THIS ARTICLE WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ISSUES 1 OR 2

So what we know so far is that Megan, who is actually Loma, who now wants to be called, “Shade”, has started Earth school. Due to Megan's subconscious responses when she sees people and the vague memories Loma can see, she realizes that she is inhabiting the body of someone who was dark and cruel. That's not what Loma wants to be, though. Despite her negligence and erratic behavior, Loma isn't mean. At least, not intentionally. But with this issue, as Loma wants to fit in and take over this new life, to truly be Megan, that may change. Loma is aware people hate her and she doesn't like it. She doesn't understand it because, well, people hate her and you don't just take the time to explain to someone you hate, why you hate them. Loma is also still getting used to Megan's body. Megan, who was captain of the swim, and Loma, who doesn't know how to swim. Not as a human, at least. Loma has no one to turn to except her neighbor, a boy, River, who also attends her school, but didn't start until after Megan was in her coma. Because he has no feelings towards Megan, he is the only person Loma can talk to. Meanwhile, on Meta, Lepuck is trying to keep Loma's body with the madness coat on it safe and hidden from the authorities. He doesn't know how to bring her back and time is of the essence, it won't be long until the authorities find where he's keeping her.

Pros: As usual, the issue is bright and colorful. Even though Earth is vibrant and colorful, the madness is even more so. It's always evident what is real and what is madness, what Loma can see vs what everyone else can see. The trippy-ness of this story just gets me every time. I think it's such a cool way to tell a story, so much is going on, but the writer manages to hone you in on what you need to know. Although the world is a mess, Loma's thoughts are coherent. It's as if she is sane and everything else is the madness. I also really enjoy her digging deeper into Megan's mind, trying to understand, trying to adapt. She doesn't like how cruel Megan was, but at the same time, she feels the need to act more like Megan in order to fully integrate into her life. Should she change Megan or should she BE Megan? Oh, final note, I LOVE the little stories at the end. The one at the end of this issue is my favorite so far, though. I hope it becomes something more.

Cons: Although I love the crazy colors and all the trippy nonsense happening all around, there are times where you just think, “what the actual fuck is happening in the background? Does Loma see this? She's acting pretty normal and not distracted at all for someone seeing colors melting into people's faces”. Then again, she is wearing a MADNESS coat, so, I guess maybe that's the point. That it is all normal because she's going more and more insane. I also don't like that Loma is doing the whole “what would Megan do?” the “charm and harm” as she puts it. I liked that Loma was clueless and just trying to live a new life, not conform to someone else's. Isn't that why she ran away? Isn't that the story we're supposed to see unfold? Loma's.

OVERALL SCORE: 8.5 / 10

I'm still loving this story. I'm loving the vibe. But I didn't like the direction this issue started to take. I hope they reel it back in issue 4. Ultimately, though, I recommend it. So stop by your local comic shop and grab a copy! Happy reading!