The Flash – Bad Moon Rising Special #1: Who is The Shade?

The Flash – Bad Moon Rising Special #1 is part four of the current ongoing arc of the main Flash series. To say this book feels weird and out of place in an understatement. First of all, this special issue serves as a part four to an arc that has been entirely kept within the confines of the main series. This would make sense if it was an annual but typically annual issues come out in the fifth week of a month, not in the dead middle. Secondly, the issue forgoes the main series creative team, having Alex Paknedal and Daniel Bayliss take over. And finally, this is barely a Flash book.

Now, why would DC publish a chapter of their current ongoing Flash series that barely features the Flash? Well, that is only the tip of the iceberg. As it turns out, the protagonist of this issue is The Shade. Have you heard of The Shade? Well, if not, this book is going to be very confusing. To contextualize this issue within the ongoing arc, just know that the purpose of the story is to show how it is that The Shade came to be a part of Eclipso’s forces on the moon where the Flash is currently raging war. But that is only really a third of what this issue covers. Instead, the book is a very lore heavy look into the history of The Shade and a current predicament he is facing. If you have never heard of this character or know very little of him, get ready to open Wikipedia.

While countless gripes can be made as to exactly why this issue exists in the first place, it is thankfully well written. Paknedal clearly has a lot of reverence for this character, and it really is a shame that he is not able to tell this personal Shade story in the way of a DC Black label book or even just a standard miniseries. The story itself seems like it has so much potential if it was relegated to its own thing, and sadly that is not the case here.

Daniel Bayliss also does a great job with the art, giving The Shade’s creepy powers and outlook on the world a distinct view. Bayliss is an artist that some may not be familiar with but someone who should be put on your radar. This book is a great example of how he captures the heart and emotionality of the characters while enrapturing them within distinct worlds.