Shade, the Changing Man #2

Shade, the Changing Man #2 was published in 1990 as part of the initial launch of the Vertigo imprint under DC Comics. The series was spearheaded by writer Peter Milligan and artist Chris Bachalo, who were tasked with reinventing Steve Ditko's original 1977 character for a more mature, counter-cultural audience. This issue continues the story of Rac Shade, an alien from the dimension of Meta, as he navigates the bizarre and often surreal landscapes of American pop culture and human madness.

The design and artistic direction of this issue are notable for Bachalo's distinctively fluid, chaotic, and dreamlike style, which perfectly mirrored the existential themes Milligan injected into the script. The series was critically lauded for its psychological depth and willingness to experiment with the medium of comic book storytelling. By deviating from traditional superhero archetypes, Shade, the Changing Man helped solidify the Vertigo label's reputation as a home for transgressive and philosophically complex narratives during the early 1990s.