Review: Shade the Changing Girl Vol. 1- Earth Girl Made Easy

Quick Summary

Pros: The concept here is unique and makes the story feel fresh and interesting. The examination into humanity is compelling. The book takes plenty of time to develop drama and suspense. The artwork looks fantastic and perfectly complements the book’s themes.

Cons: Though not necessarily a negative for everyone, some readers may not appreciate the book’s weird nature.

Overall: This is not your average comic book. It is a book that dives into the world of the weird and uses this world to tell a wonderfully compelling story. The story is filled with character driven drama, metaphysical suspense, and even a wholesome story about growing up. Those with an appreciation for atypical narratives should pick this book up, as they will find plenty to love within its pages.

Story

Shade the Changing Girl Vol. 1: Earth Girl Made Easy, by Cecil Castellucci, is a wonderfully bizarre book that fully embraces its own unique take on madness. It follows Shade, an alien consciousness trapped in the body of a teenage girl, as she adjusts to the often difficult concept of life on Earth. This refreshingly different concept allows the story to be as trippy and bizarre as it desires, often making the volume feel like a trip through Wonderland. Hoverer, at its core, this book is really all about finding your place in this world, which is something everyone can relate to. Plus, there are plenty of more standard moments of drama and suspense that keep things engaging the entire way through. Overall, this is a solid volume and a promising start to a new series.

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Earth Girl Made Easy truly stands out in the way it revels in its own peculiar nature. This is a book that understands it is different and refuses to back down from this standpoint. Even the very concept behind this entire series, an alien bird inhabiting the body of a teenage bully, is unique and immediately demands attention. These factors make the book enticing but may ward off readers looking for a more traditional reading experience. However, all of this helps the book stand out among its peers and makes it more interesting from start to finish.

The bizarre nature of the book also helps in establishing a base upon which a unique examination of humanity is accomplished. Shade’s struggles on Earth mirror some of the same struggles humans go through in the journey past adolescence. This can be seen in Shade’s attempts to make friends, her desire to fit in, her need to break away from monotony, and the way in which she feels uncomfortable with her own body. All of these feelings are feelings associated with growing up and will be instantly relatable for the majority of readers. This metaphor provides a wonderful reflection on the human condition without being so direct that the comparison is spoiled.

Earth Girl Made Easy‘s positives are not solely derived from its weirdness, as there are also plenty of well-written moments of drama and suspense throughout. The drama comes from Shade’s struggle to fit in on Earth, specifically with the teenagers in high school. Meanwhile, the suspense comes from Megan’s attempt to return to her own body, which culminates in a tremendously satisfying metaphysical battle between Megan and Shade. All of this significantly contributes to the overall appeal of the book and ensures that the collection is filled with solid storytelling.

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Art

The artwork throughout Earth Girl Made Easy is perfectly suited for the unique nature of this particular story. Marley Zarcone’s pencils are incredibly imaginative and bring Shade’s world, both on Earth and on Meta, to life. The stylized artwork does well in letting the weird nature of the book shine through. In this way, erratic structures and increasingly creative depictions of Shade’s M-Vest don’t just look good, they make the story better. All of this is then enhanced by Kelly Fitzpatrick’s colors, which bath the entire collection in a psychedelic array of colors. Overall, this is a good looking book that matches the tone of the story.

Continuity

Shade the Changing Girl Vol. 1: Earth Girl Made Easy starts the Shade the Changing Girl series.

The story started here continues in Shade the Changing Girl Vol. 2: Little Runaway (Review).

This volume also references stories from other comic books, detailed below.

• The character Rac Shade is brought up a number of times. The version of the character mentioned here is the version from the Shade the Changing Man series from Vertigo, which is collected starting in Shade the Changing Man Vol. 1: The American Scream.
• The most recent appearance of Rac Shade began with Justice League Dark Vol. 1: In the Dark (Review). This version of the character disappeared in Justice League Dark Vol. 2: The Books of Magic (Review).