Cecil Castellucci, Marley Zarcone and Kelly Fitzpatrick all make their long awaited return after their hiatus following Shade the Changing Girl issue twelve last year. The team picks this issue up right where they left the title without missing a beat, although reading more like an issue thirteen rather than an issue one. The reader is brought up to speed on small aspects of the run but, overall, a lot of the nuances are lost for those looking to jump into the title. On the other hand, those following Loma’s adventures from the beginning are not bogged down by retreading the past but rather immediately moving forward.

Loma, with her new body, is dealing with her own existential crisis as she comes to grips with now having to find an identity of her own. With the help of Roc Shade, Loma is determined to create her place in this world as she copes with the struggles from her new found humanity. Although touching base with a few side characters from the last volume, this issue mostly take place within The Madness; a Technicolor dreamscape, with Roc Shade and Loma Shade discussing the trials of existence.

Marley Zarcone helms both pencils and inks, bringing back the signature look and style for this current iteration of Shade. At this point, it's hard to imagine another artist attempting to handle this title the way Zarcone has proven to make it her own. While traveling through The Madness, Zarcone makes each page speak volumes, taking Castellucci’s script to a higher plane. Zarcone's signature style, reminiscent of Steve Yeowell at times, manages to continue to stay simple while not losing any intricacy of the psychedelic nature of the title.

The vibrant colors of Kelly Fitzpatrick is the perfect match for Zarcone's pencils, as the reader is immediately brought back into The Madness. Each pages pops with immense colors from one panel to the next, dramatically changing from each page displaying the Madness as it bursts with colors.

Shade the Changing Woman brings readers who are returning right back to where the title left off last year while leaving new readers in the metaphoric dust. While it fails as a jumping on point, the team stays true to form, keeping all of the signature aspects of Shade readers have grown to love while continuing Loma’s journey forward. Young Animal continues to pump out one great title after another, and this second wave of new titles is off to an amazing start.

Grade: A-