Shade, the Changing Man (1977) 5

Shade, the Changing Man (1977) 5

Mar 1978

The Captive of Changing Captors!

by Steve Ditko, Michael Fleischer, Carl Gafford, Bill Morse, Jack C. Harris

Rac Shade is taken into custody. Mellu is triumphant and eagerly looks forward to the execution of her former lover. Barak and Dr. Sagan try to share what they know about how Shade saved Barak and then later saved Mellu but Shade discourages them from interfering so they back off.

The Supreme Decider gathers his men and makes plans to break Shade out of jail. He wants the Miraco Vest. Shade is still wearing it because attempting to remove it might cause it to detonate. 

Barak catches up to Mellu and explains how Shade saved her life. She doesn’t believe him until Dr. Sagan shows her the video of the procedure that Shade underwent to help her heal, after she went through the Area of Madness in the Zero Zone. Mellu realizes how wrong she was and works with Barak to try and break Shade out of the security cell where he is being held.

Shade breaks out of detention under his own power. He meets someone whose identity is concealed by a protective suit. Soon after that Shade is captured by the Supreme Decider’s henchmen and taken to see him. Mellu and Barak arrive a little too late to help Shade escape and are also taken prisoner.

Colonel Kross is replaced by Colonel Lopak who has been given the orders and the authority to find any and all traitors who might have helped Shade to escape captivity.

The issue ends with a fight between Shade and the Supreme Decider, who is revealed to the readers (but not to Shade), to be Mellu’s mother.

Thoughts

It looks like Colonel Kross was the man in the protective suit. I was stunned to discover that SuDe is really Mellu’s mother. At one point in the story I thought that it was Mellu’s father who was the Supreme Decider. That possibility was equally stunning to me.

What now? Will Shade kill Mellu’s mother without realizing who is inside the armor of the Supreme Decider? What will Colonel Kross’s next move be? What will happen to Mellu and Barak? How will Colonel Lopak figure into the next issue?

It’s been about two-and-a-half months since I read the previous issue. This series is still good, still a little crazy, and I am still enjoying. It’s a shame that it only ran for a few more issues.