So ... you've seen what Stan's old friend Brain Storm had to say about Doug's transformation. Now you've got the Shaman's take on it, too!

Actually, the whole idea of abstract spirits "fusing" with a person's own spirit is quite important to the story. Even the most casual of comic book fans are familiar with the fact that the super heroes who populate the DC and Marvel universes never age. Many have been around since the 1940s or 1960s and yet they're still in their prime half a century later. DC and Marvel usually address this by periodically re-writing a character's past and that always seemed like a bit of a cheat to me.

When planning "Shades" I felt that a story which is about super heroes (rather than just starring them) should address the question of why they never age. Fusing the characters' own personal spirits with something greater seemed logical in a book which is also about the spirit of a nation. (Have I mentioned that the original working title for "Shades" was "Spirit of Britain"?)

Anyway, there'll be more on this in Chapter 6 (no, don't click that link. it's not online yet!) when we learn something about Boo's past. Stay with us!