Checkmate: A King's Game

Readers that have been following my reviews on a regular basis know I'm a fan of action novels, espionage fiction, and superhero comic books. I'm just omnivorous that way. One of my favorite writers, Greg Rucka, also has an interest in those things. He's written the Atticus Kodiak bodyguard novel series, the Queen & Country comics and novels, and nearly every major superhero character you can name. His run on WONDER WOMAN was fantastic, and the pairing of Batman and Wonder Woman in THE HIKETEIA was amazing. In the wake of the latest crisis in the DC universe, Checkmate was created. The organization has its basis in another old comic book back-up feature starring a spy. Rucka gutted a lot of the old idea but kept the best parts for this new series. The new Checkmate agency consists of humans and metahumans, perfectly balanced - maybe - to deal with emerging political threats that may involve metahuman (read: supervillain, super-terrorists, etc.). I thought the idea was good and definitely interesting. Given that Rucka has written several dozen issues of QUEEN & COUNTRY, the comic he created that focuses on British intelligence agents with a license to kill, I figured he'd be a natural at this kind of storytelling. He is. However, the comic title can be somewhat daunting. Rucka doesn't pull any punches. He doesn't just write about a superspy or even a team of superspies. He writes about the whole enchilada: espionage of the James Bond type, super-powered espionage, as well as political threats within the organization and international frictions. His stories don't just revolve around missions and the agents that go on them. The stories also delineate what goes on back at mission control, all the mistrust, the jockeying for control, the desire of some of the key players to keep certain ops or assets to themselves. I found myself getting just as involved in the bickering, secrets, and political maneuvering within the Checkmate organization as I did with the actions of the agents in the field. Jesus Saiz's art is tremendous and suits Rucka's storytelling perfectly. The first few frames of the Checkmate operatives rising from the sea immediately brought up great memories of DR. NO, the lead movie in the long-running James Bond franchise. Saiz moves back and forth from the physical action to the cerebral action, from the battleground to the headquarters posturing, without missing a beat. The action, on both fronts, is tense and reflects the story easily. Saiz's women are sexy and his warriors are fierce. The technology looks great and it's easy to lose the frame sequencing and sink into the movie this book would so effortlessly make. Long-time DC Comics readers will relish seeing some of the old characters (like King Farraday) come out of mothballs and join in the action. This is a perfect venue for the spies that first appeared in various SHOWCASE issues. This first graphic novels sets the tone for the rest of the series.

I think I must have forgotten just how good a writer Greg Rucka is, which is maybe why I was so generally surprised after reading the first TPB of Checkmate. Taking place after the events of OMAC Project and Infinite Crisis in particular, the covert government operation known as Checkmate is reassembled and rebooted with some new blood at the helm. Justice Society of America teammates Mr. Teriffic and original Green Lantern Alan Scott are among them, as are former Batman flame and former OMAC tool Sasha Bordeux, and the seemingly always scheming Amanda Waller. Without giving too much away, the first collected volume of Checkmate revolves around the new direction and purpose laid before them, which is made even better by Rucka's underlining political and social commentary that while somewhat slight, is present. Rucka's OMAC Project partner Jesus Saiz provides excellent artwork as usual as well, and as a whole, Checkmate becomes addicting and satisfying comic reading that is loaded with twists, turns, action, espionage, intelligence, and some nice surprises. There has been a good amount of acclaim laid down on Checkmate, and if you haven't checked it out yet, believe the hype and see for yourself.

I really like the way they take former heroes and villains and put them in an espionage setting. They have to make difficult moral choices because lives are at stake. Best comic of this type since Suicide Squad. Welcome back Amanda Wall

'Checkmate' is an international organization that deals with metahuman threats in a political and covert manner. The book is not a standard beat-'em-up, and readers with particularly short attention spans may find it not to their liking. But everyone else should definitely check out 'Checkmate'. The characters are intriguing, and while I can't say they mesh well, it's that friction that creates some great drama in the series. There are the agents that come from strong military backgrounds, who aren't afraid to kill. They are at odds with the agents who come from traditionally superheroic backgrounds, who are never okay with it. The book doesn't get preachy either way, taking a definitive stance on this issue or any other - instead, it lets the characters words and actions speak for themselves. The dialogue is crisp and, for the most part, sharp, and the same can be said of the art, making this one of the most well put-together titles DC has going for them right now. If you have ever wanted a more international approach to superheroic fiction, check out Checkmate. If you have ever wanted a comic that dealt seriously and without judgement about political issues and games, check out Checkmate. If you just want an interesting, fun, well-written book, check out Checkmate.

I love this book. It's not a standard superhero read: you have to pay attention to the Checkmate roles, ranks and nomenclature at first (just like in a spy novel). Great tales, a cool alternate angle to the DC Universe. Rucka is writing a winner...