70s DC Hero Is Absolute Green Lantern’s Newest Villain

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The Absolute Green Lantern series is perhaps the most unique in DC’s new Absolute Universe line. It takes a surprising approach to the classic Green Lantern concept, linking the powers of the different lantern corps to stages of enlightenment instead of emotions. Recently, the series reimagined a particularly mind-bending superhero from the 1970s as a villain.

Absolute Green Lantern #13, written by Al Ewing and illustrated by Eleonora Carlini, begins on the planet Rann. The planet is currently ruled by the Blackstars, a dangerous organization that opposes the OAns – the original creators of the Green Lantern Corps. The story opens with a Blackstar Overseer receiving a warning from his Controller about an approaching enemy ship.

As preparations continue, the Overseer questions a scientist from Rannia who was developing prohibited technologies. The Overseer, identifying himself as Rac Shade, uses a device called the M-Vest to torment the scientist. This establishes that the villain known as the Absolute Green Lantern is a corrupted version of Shade the Changing Man.

Who is Shade the Changing Man?

As a longtime comic fan, I’ve always been fascinated by Shade the Changing Man. Created by Steve Ditko back in 1977, the character and his story are wonderfully bizarre. Basically, Rac Shade is an alien refugee from another dimension – the planet Meta. He escaped to Earth with this incredible piece of tech called the M-Vest. It not only protects him with a force field, but also projects an illusion, making him appear as this huge, warped version of himself. It’s a really unique concept!

Shade’s time as a solo hero didn’t last long – his comic series was cancelled after just eight issues. He had a short stint with the Suicide Squad following the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, but ultimately went back to his original dimension.

In 1990, the comic book series Shade the Changing Man was reimagined and moved to the Vertigo Comics imprint. The updated story introduced Rac Shade as an alien poet tasked with preventing a surge of insanity on Earth. He possessed a unique suit, the M-Vest, which wasn’t just protective gear—it could actually bend reality.

Rac Shade, as the Absolute Green Lantern, combines the traits of his earlier forms. While he claims to be a poet, his M-Vest actually generates terrifying illusions. These illusions are reportedly how the Blackstars find people who are planning to oppose them.

Absolute Green Lantern #13 is now available at comic shops everywhere.

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2026-04-09 00:36