After two series, Young Animal is well on its way to becoming the line to keep your eye on. With so much convoluted New 52, Convergence, Rebirth bombardment, its great to see DC truly do reinvention and rebooting the right way. Read Full Review

Shade, the Changing Girl is a comic you should be reading. Its interesting in a really weird, out there way, the mystery makes me wonder who the Changing Girl can trust, and the Madness is definitely going to have consequences somewhere down the line. What are you even doing reading my article? Go read Shade, the Changing Girl already! Read Full Review

At its best, the Milligan series used Shade, The Changing Man to explore notions of identity. Castelucci seems inclined in the same direction with this series. Its a great start, and I am eager to see where the creative team goes with it. Read Full Review

The comic earns its very subtle "mature readers" warning (it lacks the more obvious all-caps "NOT FOR KIDS!" gracing the cover to this week's Jessica Jones #1), with some illustrated alien coitus and some definite teenage drug use, so to be quite honest, it's right up the alley of the average high schooler. So far, this is the second (of two) Young Animal releases to really floor me. They both have the perfect amount of old-school Vertigo aesthetic mixed with a plethora of modern twists, then realized by some extremely talented people. And, no lie, Shade: The Changing Girl #1 read like it was specifically made for me. This is great comics right here, and you need to be reading it. Read Full Review

Young Animals central conceit seems to be moving forward while looking back specifically at the old, weird corners of the DC Universe (the ones Grant Morrison has always liked). Their efforts seem to be succeeding, at least so far. In Shade, the Changing Girl #1, there is great deal of originality and energy. Castellucci and Zarcone manage the tricky task of telling a relatable story that is also very inventive. There are many new series that start slowly and gradually get a little better with each issue. This is not one of them.Shade, the Changing Girl #1 comes out full force with an impressive first issue. Hopefully, Castellucci and Zarcone can sustain the relatable parts of the Earth story while exploring the unusual elements of Shade and Meta. Read Full Review

My Fears? It will be interesting to see where the story leads us as one mind takes control of another. I just hope that Castellucci does not lead us in the direction of the CW. Read Full Review

Though its approach to its story is much more direct than expected Shade the Changing Girl #1 keeps Young Animal's 1990s Vertigo approach to comic book going with another strong debut. More than that Cecil Castellucci delivers a very real and respectful female focused debut that cuts to the heart of issues that readers could be dealing with. Couple that humanist approach with Marley Zarcone and Kelly Fitzpatrick dynamic visuals and vibrant colors and you have another high point for the fledgling imprint. Being a teenager is rough no matter what world you live on and as Shade the Changing Girl #1 shows, sometimes you have to embrace the madness in order to find who you really are. Read Full Review

Featuring great art by Marley Zarcone and Kelly Fitzpatrick, Shade the Changing Girl is a very stylish comic book. While it seems that the book doesn't try to adapt to appeal to new readers who might not be familiar with the Shade mythos, this first issue is a worthwile read just because of the creative's team attention to detail in art and story. Read Full Review

Once you adjust to the kinesis of Shade the Changing Girl #1, its oddity leaves a rainbow of curiosity for the issues to come. Read Full Review

“Shade, The Changing Girl” #1makes the Young Animal imprint 2 for 2 so far. This is a beautiful book from beginning to end and the story delivers an interesting mystery while keeping the alien nature of the Madness Vest at the forefront. I'm eager to read more. Read Full Review

Overall, I was very much more impressed withShade the Changing Girl.It's given me a bit more faith in the Young Animal line, and is definitely a title I'll be checking out in the future. While it'll take a while to get into this issue, once it clicks with you, it'll click hard and leave you excited for the story ahead. This one's for the outsiders, and man is it good to have a comic like this again. Read Full Review

This issue offers a very surreal revamp of the already surreal Shade: The Changing Man. It takes a while for the story to truly click and reveal its hand, but by the end writer Cecil Castellucci crafts a compelling portrait of an free-spirited alien inhabiting the body of a high school girl. Read Full Review

A strong start to the series that is both reverent to its past and blazing towards an unknown future. Read Full Review

I'm hopeful for this book. The art is almost a sensory treat... the mix of psychedelic imagery and its wonderful colorpalette make it easy to get lost in the world of Madness. There may be critics that pull out the old "weird for weirdness sake" card... and, I can't really contest that. This was weird, and without its full context... this is a difficult one to fairly judge. For what it was, I enjoyed it... if you're a weirdo like me, I think you'll dig it too. Read Full Review

This issue definitely didn't grab me as much as Doom Patrol did, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I had never read anything with the character Shade, but I was also given the impression that it wasn't worth my time either. With this new version, I'm curious. I want to read more. Also, this is still exactly what I want to see from this line. Sure this one didn't knock my socks off, but it's the best thing I've read this week. I hope that the rest of the line continues to be strong and that DC and the creators promote their work so that these stories can thrive in single issue sales and the stories can continue to develop and mature. This title already has a special feel to it, but I worry that DC will get nervous and pull the plug too soon and it'll never fully realize it's potential. Here's to the continued madness. Read Full Review

With a book like Shade, the Changing Girl, you really have no idea what to expect. I don't recall much of the previous series but I recall really strong positive memories toward it and the surreal nature of it all. The team here has captured it in their own form and are making it their own while also keeping what happened in the past a part of things instead of a wholesale reinvention, which I can definitely appreciate. Castelluci's script is solid here as we get the slow teases and reveals and I really like what Zarcone brings to the page in trying to capture this flavor of madness. It's hard to tell where a book like this will go but it's exactly the kind of book that will keep you intrigued if you like the unexpected and the weird. This team looks to deliver handily with this and I can see it being a strong overall work once we get a handle on what it wants to do. Read Full Review

It took me quite a while to get into the first issue, but when I got to the end I really enjoyed it. I'm still not 100% sold, but the issue has an interesting thing going on and where it goes from here, I honestly have no idea. With so many options, I'm intrigued more than anything and want to see what comes next. Read Full Review

A good start for the series that definitely shows promise. The big questions this series raises are applicable for the main character as well as us humans. The mature reader tag might keep some teens from this title, but it feels like a book with a lot of appeal to teens. Read Full Review

While I really enjoyed Doom Patrol, Young Animal's second book just didn't win me over. This isn't the worst comic I have ever read, but it felt very middle of the road. In a crowded marketplace, there wasn't enough here to keep me engaged as a customer. Read Full Review

This comic had a lot going for it. Stunning psychedelic artwork, both visionary and very peculiar gave a certain richness to a the dialogue of the piece. Yet, this book has a legitimate story, told in a fascinating way - exploring themes of duality, human fragility and alienation with an interesting narrative plot. All this without being too incoherent and difficult to follow. Add that up to the cliffhanger, and there is plenty of intrigue and momentum for this series going forward. The challenge now will be to keep it as fresh and rich as this first issue for the rest of the arc; to see it devolve into just a typical teen story would be a real shame. Overall though, with the creative team's efforts this issue - things are looking very promising for this, and the Young Animal imprint as a whole. more

Cecil Castellucchi obviously spent mass amounts of time hashing out the ideas and themes of this comic. Because it goes far beyond my expecatations of a Sabrina the Teenage Witch style supernatural identity-crisis. The concept actually plays out in a very interesting way. Not to mention the art is excellent.
It sometimes feels over sexualized, and maybe a bit clichè, with the love interest dynamic and hormonal melodrama. But all things considered, pretty darn good, I reckon.