Shad (Wild Cards)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shad | |
 If this infobox is not supposed to have an image, please add "|noimage=yes". |
|
| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | George R. R. Martin |
| First appearance | Wild Cards (book) (1987) |
| Created by | Walter Jon Williams |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Neil Carton Langford |
| Team affiliations | Croyd Crenson, Dr. Tachyon, Chalktalk, Bloat, Sen. Gregg Hartman |
| Notable aliases | Black Shadow, Mr. Gravemold, Wall Walker, No Dice |
| Abilities | absorbs photons, super strength, wall walking |
Shad is a fictional vigilante from the Wild Cards series of books, and was created by Walter Jon Williams. Better known as Black Shadow he first appeared in the short story "Strings" in the first Wild Cards anthology, and has played a pivotal role in several of the later books of the series.
Black Shadow is an ace, a victim of the alien Wild Card virus who has manifested superhuman powers, without visible deformities. He can absorb photons in the form of heat and light, leaving only a cloud-like void of blackness visible, and can incapacitate his foes with hypothermia. Shadow can use the absorbed energy to boost his strength and speed to superhuman levels, and can "see" in the dark using thermal imaging. He can also absorb other frequencies of energy such as radar microwaves, but this requires a greater effort. Since most of his body's energy comes from heat absorption, he needs very little food. He can also cling to walls and ceilings, like the comic-book hero Spider-Man. Combining these powers with his ruthless attitude and criminal skills makes him one of the most effective Aces in the Wild Cards series.
Shad is the internal name of an ace who adopts multiple identities. Born Neil Langford, Shad was a mild mannered graduate student on his way to a physics PhD. Unknown to the general public, he was also an ace with a variety of powers. When Puppetman caused a riot during the 1976 Democratic National Convention, Langford became consumed with rage and murdered two criminals, stringing them up from a lamp post. After this Langford dropped out of school and began pursuing a career as a vigilante. He spent some time in prison, developed a drug habit, and became best known as the super powered vigilante Black Shadow. However, he also adopted various other identities, some once and others on a more regular basis. Somewhere along the line he began to think of himself as "Shad." In the late 80s Shad was responsible for capturing Typhoid Croyd/The Sleeper and Snotman. In the early 90s Shad interacted with the Jokers on the Rox and was eventually imprisoned on Governors Island by the Card Sharks conspiracy. After escaping with fellow Ace Croyd Crenson he sought revenge. Shad and Croyd were able to destroy the Card Sharks conspiracy, murdering the Jumpers as well as several of the Card Sharks members and allies including Howard Hughes, and orchestrated the imprisonment of others. Shad also tortured to death Gregg Hartmann who he believed to be Puppetman. In fact it was merely Hartmanns body into which Card Sharks agent George Gordon Battle had been jumped. When last seen Shad was contemplating travelling to Central Asia in order to kill the last remaining Card Sharks.
The most notable feature of Shad's character is his multiple personas. Some of these are adopted on the spur of the moment and quickly abandoned. Others involved a long term commitment from Shad. By the time he appears in the books he apparently no longer maintains an identity as Neil Langford. His identities include:
- Black Shadow, a violent vigilante known for stringing criminals up from lamp posts.
- Mr Diamond, a wealthy diamond merchant who owns several properties. Diamond is a Nat (non-Wild Card) and seems to exist mostly to allow Shad to launder money and maintain property free from police interference.
- Wall Walker, a Jamaican Ace who can walk up walls but possesses none of Shads other powers.
- Mr Gravemold, a Joker who can project cold. Shad masquerades as a joker by wearing a mask which supposedly covers a facial deformity and smothering himself in formaldehyde in order to produce a pungent smell. As he explains to Croyd he is able to tolerate the smell because he snorts small amounts of cocaine before adopting the Gravemold persona.
- No Dice, a drug dealing "gangsta" that employed Shad's ability to absorb heat and induce hypothermia to eliminate his competition and terrorize local pimps. Something of a vigilante in his own right and more of a cover identity than a true personality. No Dice emerged as Shad's personalities were beginning to fuse together once more.
