Cast - in order of appearance
Welcome to the cast list for BVC's online graphic novel Shades. This page will feature the characters more or less in the order they first appear in the story. To save you having to scroll all the way down, you can check a character's position by referring to the Cast List in the centre box on the left. If the character you're looking for isn't listed there, try the alphabetical list of alternative names in the Full Index (the box beneath that). Now, if you're ready ... come on in and meet the cast!

Dominion
Genetically enhanced, Dominion is leader of a band of mercenaries. A professional soldier through and through. As such, he takes considerable pride in the professionalism of his men. Whilst quite prepared to kill if that's what it takes to get the job done, some would argue he's more amoral than truly villainous. Of course, they could be wrong!

Full name: Dominion
Other names: Real name unknown
First appearance: Prologue
Background info: Prologue

Stan
Now retired, Stan was a tailor, renowned in certain circles for having made costumes for people we would call heroes. Or, as it is put by his abductors in Chapter 1, people "the popular press would call super heroes". Father to Jill and grandfather to her son, Sunil.

Full name: Stanley Miller
Other names: Usually abbreviated to Stan (what else!?)
First appearance: Chapter 1
Background info: Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Chapter 6

Frank
Although strictly speaking a supporting character, Frank has two important roles in "Shades". Firstly, he was once part of Doug's support network. And secondly ... well, he's clearly linked to Stan's abductors in some way but I can't go into that yet without dropping a plot spoiler or two! He's a London taxi driver. That's probably all you need to know for now!

Full name: Francis [no surname given ... tsk! supporting characters, eh?]
Other names: Usually abbreviated to Frank or Frankie. (No surprise there, then!)
First appearance: Chapter 1
Background info: None. Sorry - that's what you get with a minor character!

Jill
Stan's daughter, Jill, has an uneasy relationship with her father. Resentful of the time he spent away from home "tailoring" when she was younger, she now believes him to be disapproving of her various failed attempts to form relationships. Mother of Sunil.

Full name: Gillian (nee Miller)
Other names: Usually addressed simply as Jill.
First appearance: Chapter 1
Background info: Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Chapter 6

Sunil
Jill's young son from a relationship she had while still very young, Sunil is Stan's grandson. As Jill leaves him with her father for the weekend, Sunil is about to be dragged into the murky world of Stan's past and to see first-hand what can happen when it catches up with you!

Full name: Sunil
Other names: None.
First appearance: Chapter 1
Background info: Oh come on - he's far too young to have a past!

Doug
WW2 fighter pilot, Doug Chamberlain is a war hero, having successfully led an attack against a German super-bomber known as the "Leviathan". Most of his squadron were killed in the action but, somehow, Doug mysteriously survived and has barely aged since. Finished the war in active service with the SOE. Became less active after the war but occasionally carried out missions for various arms of British intelligence.

Full name: Douglas Chamberlain
Other names: Agent Spitfire (WW2 codename during his time with SOE) and, later, just Spitfire.
First appearance: Chapter 2
Background info: Chapter 2, Chapter 5, Chapter 10

Starflare and Starflower
The Shaman's "disciples" are a mystical order dedicated to a better understanding of the natural and spiritual worlds. Although there is no strict "rank" between disciples, Starflare is among the Shaman's longest-serving followers and Starflower is one of the most devoted.

Full name: Not known. On becoming a follower of the Shaman, each disciple chooses a new name and their old names are never used again.
Other names: None.
First appearance: Chapter 2
Background info: Chapter 3

The Shaman
Believed to be more than five thousand years old, the Shaman is one of the few remaining survivors of a neolithic order which was eventually superceded by several later sects and religions, including the druids. He is able to "walk the spirit world" where he communes with spirits. Prolonged exposure to the spirit world is dangerous as the spirits feed on the souls of those who are not of their world.

Full name: The Shaman's original name has not been used for many centuries and is unknown to anyone now living.
Other names: Often just called "Shaman". Stan is wont to call him Jim. Boo occasionally calls him Blaenor (guide/father/leader) and his disciples simply know him as "Master".
First appearance: Chapter 3
Background info: Chapter 3, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Boo
Fiery and quick to leap to the defence of the defenceless, Boo is approximately two thousand years old. Formerly the warrior queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, she has been kept alive by a spirit which has fused with her own. She now runs a "Women-in-Crisis" centre in the East End of London where she and a number of other women provide support and protection for abused and vulnerable women.

Full name: Boudicca
Other names: Ellie Sansom
First appearance: Chapter 4
Background info: Chapter 4, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

Becky
Seventeen year old younger sister of Ryan and Craig Allen. Niece of Frank who has been responsible for her and her brothers since the death of their mother. Uses belt-mounted rockets to propel herself skywards and wrist "bracelets" which fire a concentrated blast of air. More on this after it's been explained in the comic!

Full name: Rebecca Allen
Other names: Uses the code name Gale Force. Often addressed by her brothers as Becks.
First appearance: Chapter 5
Background info:

Ryan
Nineteen year old elder brother of Becky and Craig Allen. Nephew of Frank who has been responsible for the three of them since the death of their mother. Uses a jet-pack to fly at furious speeds. More on this after it's been explained in the comic!

Full name: Ryan Allen
Other names: Uses the code name Harrier
First appearance: Chapter 5
Background info:

Craig
Eighteen year old brother of Becky and Ryan Allen. Nephew of Frank who has been responsible for the three of them since the death of their mother. Uses a chair mounted on mechanical legs which can travel at great speeds, can climb almost sheer surfaces and is equipped with a variety of gadgets. More on this after it's been explained in the comic!

Full name: Craig Allen
Other names: Uses the code name Spyder
First appearance: Chapter 5
Background info:

Credo
Background information to be added later. As his name would suggest, however, there is a certain religious zeal about his particular brand of villainy!

Full name: John Creade
Other names: None
First appearance: Chapter 6
Background info:

Bedlam
Member of the same neolithic order as the Shaman. Further information to be added later.

Full name: Not known.
Other names: None of his own choosing although, at various times in history, others have devised names for him. In the late Nineteenth Century, for example, a number of grisly murders for which he was responsible were attributed to a certain "Jack".
First appearance: Chapter 7
Background info: