On sale this week from DC Comics is The Shade #7, concluding a three-issue run drawn by the great Javier Pulido. Known for his work on Human Target, The Amazing Spider-Man and Robin: Year One, Pulido joined Shade writer James Robinson for the 12-issue series' latest arc which takes place in the artist's home country of Spain -- specifically, Barcelona, where the titular and enigmatic antihero crossed paths with La Sangre, a new vampiric super-heroine, and the Inquistor, a Satan-worshipping villain who wants every soul in the entire city so he can unleash Hell on Earth.


"I'm excited for issue #7 to come out for a lot of reasons," Robinson told DC's The Source blog. "It wraps up the Barcelona arc with Javier Pulido, a story that I've loved working on, and which I'm really gratified to see readers have enjoyed along with the introduction of the vampire super-heroine La Sangre. Here in this final issue we finally learn the Inquisitor's grand scheme and see the Shade using his powers to the Nth degree, both important pieces of what will eventually combine into the overall grand story line of all 12 issues."

A spinoff of the classic Starman series created by Robinson and artist Tony Harris, The Shade has been something of an embarrassment of riches in the art department. Continuing Robinson's Starman tradition of tailoring storyllines for specific artists, The Shade launched with three issues of Cully Hamner art that was followed by a one-off by Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone. Along with color artist Hilary Sycamore and letterer Todd Klein, Pulido finishes his run this week, and next month will see one issue drawn by Jill Thompson before Frazer Irving steps in for the climactic arc. What's more, every issue comes with a painted cover by Harris. The book rivals DC's other artistic standout, Batwoman by JH Williams III, Amy Reeder & Richard Friend and Dave Stewart, and needless to say, The Shade is going to make an uncommonly handsome collected edition that should sit quite well next to DC's six-volume series of Starman omnibuses. Except for the logo incongruity, of course.

Javier Pulido's final issue, The Shade #7 goes on sale Wednesday in finer comics stores and digitally from comiXology.