Checkmate #31 - DC

I really liked this book, and I'm sad that this is the final issue. There's so much more potential with this story . . . and this series. I even have to say, with this particular issue, that I enjoyed Manuel Garcia's pencils in it. I thought they fit the feel of the story very well. My only complaint is the conclusion. I mean . . we have all this build up on this new character . . Chimera. We feel sorry for him because he's basically a soldier that was experimented on . . after some serious injuries . . and was transformed into this new creature . . I guess, enhanced soldier or hero would actually be the right phrase. But, we feel sorry for him because it seems like he's lost all of his humanity with the transformation. There's this big build up with the mythical monsters that seem to have arisen from the ashes of folklore and are now threatening to lay waste to the world. Everywhere people are talking about it, they're talking about how this is Armageddon. There's also a lot of build up with Chimera's girlfriend . . in his previous life . . Chloe. She sees Chimera on TV and recognizes the rose tattoo on his neck. So she's been doing everything she can to get to Adam and see if she can reach him. She finally reaches him, and the final creature . . Qi Yu . . a 3 headed dragon . . abducts her. So, after all this build-up . . . Chimera figures out the one thing that'll scare Qi Yu . . the Angel Gabriel . . he turns in to him, and defeats him. That's it. Armageddon was supposedly stopped, by stopping this one creature. Chloe is rescued. And, apparently, now Adam Sharp can turn back in to his human form and everyone lives happily ever after. What the Hell!? Talk about an anti-climatic ending. One page Chimera turns into Gabriel and the Qi Yu is shrieking in agony . . . 2 pages later, the stories over with. They got a neat new character his with a whole lot of potential. But, I don't really feel like Bruce Jones did him any justice with this story. I'm not sure if they just had to finish this book up real fast or something, but . . I just feel like we were cheated with this ending. And what's going to happen with our world peace-keeping organization? Will they be back after Final Crisis, or what? I liked this book, but . . I was frustrated after reading it.

Checkmate #30 - DC

Going in to this, I have 2 misgivings. First of all there's only one issue to go. That's right next issue . . #31 . . will be the final issue. That's not to say that Checkmate won't still be a presence in the DC Universe . . they just won't have their own title to chronicle those exploits. However, I would really like to see Checkmate become a staple in the DC Universe, much in the way the SHIELD is over at Marvel. I think we made a move in that direction with this series, but . . we still have a little way to go. I really hope that they don't drop the ball on this. My second concern is that this incarnation didn't make it as long as the last . . 31 issues, compared to 33. That wouldn't bother me as much if this series wasn't so much better than the previous one. They couldn't stretch it out for 2 or 3 more issues? I'm just saying. Anyways, on to issue #30 by Bruce Jones and Manuel Garcia. I really like this soap-opera here that's playing out between Adam and Chloe. This whole story-arc started because of Checkmate's need to have someone to fight all these . . creatures that keep popping up all over the globe. But I think the real story is the story with Adam and Chloe. But with the end of this issue, they may not get the chance to finish their story. If you think back, it seems like all of these creatures have escalated as Chimera has taken them down one by one. Well now I think he faces the greatest one yet, and he's got Chloe grasped within his hands. I say 'he' because this monster originated as a man . . or in the form of man. What he is . . we may not know yet. But I'm starting to think that were beginning to fall into the 'nature or nurture' question here. Is the necessity of Chimera becoming more and more apparent? Or, is his existence resulting in adversaries that are equal to his abilities? Whatever the case, it should all play out next issue . . for better or worse. As I said earlier, unfortunately . . it'll be the last issue of this series.

Checkmate #29 - DC

This issue we're still dealing with these mythical creatures that have started to appear all over the globe. Luckily, Checkmate has a new secret weapon in the form of Chimera. He used to be Private First Class Adam Sharp. But after he was on the brink of death, the scientist performed some experiments on him by injecting him with the stem-cells of several different animals. Imagine Beast Boy, from the Teen Titans, having roid-rage and your close to what this guy is capable of. He's already taken down 3 of the creatures around the globe but there still one more in China. The August General in Iron takes exception that Checkmate is sending in Chimera before they let him go to handle it himself. So he goes AWOL. At the end of the issue, he arrives in China and is standing face to face with the monster, but Chimera is still several hours away on a flight there. Meanwhile his girlfriend, Chloe, has finally gotten the attention of some important enough people that her pleas are heard by Checkmate. As it turns out the Black King thinks that every time Chimera changes shape he's loosing more and more of his humanity. So he's hoping that by throwing Chloe into the mix he may be able to bring his new asset under control. You know what they say about the 'best laid plans'. Anyways, I think Bruce Jones and Manuel Garcia are doing a fantastic job with this series. It's just hard for me to read it knowing that it's almost over. There's only 2 issues to go. I just hope that even if they don't have their own title that Checkmate remains a visible for in the DCU, much in the way that SHIELD is in the Marvel Universe. That would seem like the logical course of action to me. We'll see.

Checkmate #28 - DC

Unfortunately, I've recently read that issue #31 will be the final for this series. I'm sad to see this one go. Although I'm sure we'll see a much bigger presence by Checkmate across the DC Universe in the future. Much the way SHIELD is everywhere at Marvel. I just felt that this incarnation was much improved over the previous one. I had hopes that it would also last longer. But, like I said, if nothing else it has served to increase Checkmate's presence. Plus the structure, deployment and readiness of this organization is one that should be felt in every government and super-hero group. It appears that this final story-arc is built to introduce us to Checkmate's, and DC's, newest super-human countermeasure, Chimera. There's creatures from folklore attacking in various spots around the world. Apparently it has something to do with the state of the world we're in. Although I'm sure we'll find out what the real motivations are. Anyways, Chimera has gone to the Antarctica to fight Akhlut who is attacking a navy vessel. There have also been attacks in Peking and Venezuela. As well as weather pattern changes all over the globe. Meanwhile, Chimera's girlfriend . . or, Adam's . . has traveled across Texas to the military base to try to get some answers about Adam's reported death. Things just don't stack up for her. When she arrives she sees a newscast about the attack in Antarctica and recognizes the creature by the rose tattoo on it's neck. She know that it's Adam. I like the way that Bruce Jones has brought this character to life over the previous issues. I know he's a new weapon for Checkmate, but I have a feeling that he's going to be around for a while. I'm also coming to respect Manuel Garcia's pencils. I wasn't sure at first, but . . as this story goes along I'm coming to appreciate them more and more. I just feel like the book has a dark cloud over it since it's nearing it's end. Well . . . I'll at least enjoy the next couple of issues . . while I can.

Checkmate #27 - DC

This issue we're dealing with 2 monsters. One that Checkmate created, and one that's a product of it's environment, or . . I should say, because of what's been done to the environment. Checkmate experimented on this soldier that was badly injured. He probably would've died if they hadn't done something, but . . that alternative may have been better, had Adam been given the choice. But he wasn't, and mistakes were made with the animal stem-cells that were being tested on him. Now he's a very powerful being who has some telepathy powers, super-strength and can adjust his appearance to what those around him fear most. They call him . . Chimera. A very good resource for an agency like Checkmate to have in it's arsenal. The problem is . . he also exhibits some extreme anti-social behavior. That's the one thing they may not be able to get out of him. But, they decide to put him in the field anyway, because there's a situation that may be perfect for his abilities. The other monster? In the beginning of the story, were related a fable by some Eskimo Indians about a monster that comes to defend the land. Everything is supposed to be kept in balance, but when it's not, this Akhlut will come to fix things. It sounds like a fairy tale, when we read about it in the beginning of the book. But then Checkmate gets reports that it's already destroyed 2 villages, and it's heading West. That's when they send Chimera out to the fleet that stationed nearby. But no sooner does he land on the ship than, "I hear something." . . . . and Akhlut appears to be attacking the rear of the ship. I thought it was a pretty decent book. As usual Bruce Jones does the story, and Manuel Garcia does the art. There's really not to much more I can say about it until next issue when we find out if Chimera is up to the power of this beast of legend.

Checkmate #26 - DC

This issue is the beginning of a new character, and a new story-line. The character is Chimera. Which is literally defined as - "any fabulous creature composed of incongruous parts", or - "an organism or mass of living cells incorporating diverse genetic patterns". Well . . that's what this guy is, in a nut-shell. He's actually a US soldier that's severely hurt in the battle-field. When they bring him in, they immediately put him in the program to develop the All-Weather Soldier prototype. But, some accidents are made during the process, and what they end up with is so much more than what they expected. " . . the subject is no longer even remotely PFC Adam Sharp. Firstly, his entire memory was erased . . from brain damage sustained in action before we even got to him. His appearance was . . accidentally further modified by the gene splicing itself. Altogether 320 different species were employed. The final results . . did not produce the prototype of the All-Weather soldier . . they produced something else . . tested against dozens of similarly fierce animals . . the subject takes on the aspect of every creature tested . . with ten times the strength and ferocity . . still possessing basic human intelligence, but able to transform physically seemingly at will . . always defeating his foe, always transforming back to his original shape . . we have a valuable new weapon." It seems he's emerged at the perfect time, because something is attacking across the globe. First in Venezuela, the Antarctica and now Beijing. We don't know what it is yet, but we do know that it's huge, fierce and completely oblivious to the human cattle that fall across it's path. Of course the scientist at Checkmate is opting to send in Chimera to deal with it. This issue, I thought, providing an interesting origin for our new character. It'll be interesting to see him in action, and to find out if things go according to plan. Which, you know . . just always happens. Bruce Jones is doing an incredible job with this book, and I'm really enjoying Manuel Garcia's pencils. I've said it before, but this book is so much better than it's previous incarnation. A fantastic effort by all involved.

Checkmate #25 - DC

I love what Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann are doing with this book. They've brought in so many little nuances and ideas. This issue we're introduced to the Rooks, which basically translates to Infantry. These are the soldiers that go in and do the dirty work should all the scheming and back-room deals not work out. I'm sure they have many more, but the 4 we meet this issue are . . Tyson Sykes aka Gravedigger, Cinnamon, Sebastian Faust, and Jungle Automatic Killer-Experimental - #6.1 aka JAKE. And these guys are serious business. Last issue there was the outbreak, all over the globe, of HYDRA converts. Much like in the way of the OMACS, lots of people, infected with a virus that turns them in to serpent-people, and also brain-washes them automatically into the KOBRA indoctrination, were "turned on". But really, it was all a smoke-screen to cover up thier real work in a medical clinic in the Hamptons. There, they were breeding 12 babies to be the future of KOBRA. "KOBRA is birthing their Messiahs. Over a dozen infants genetically engineered to destroy creation. We have a team on the ground. It's under control." Batman's concerned because they're infants. So he asks the Black Queen, Sasha Bordeaux, just exactly what it is they're going to do. "I told you . . it's under control." Is all she tells him. I like that even though Checkmate acts independently, they still have some . . "Honor Alpha"s . . Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman . . that kind of monitor them, and provide a sort of "checks and balances". It keeps them honest, and neutralizes, in most situations, the argument of the "ends justifies the means". In this instance, the Rooks accomplish their mission and they're standing over the cradles of the babies. We assume that they're going to kill them. Later on, we find out that they're going to test the theorem of "nature vs nurture". Since the blood-spells that are use to bind them are weak, Faust counters it, and we find the babies still in the cradles but now they're in a nursery at Checkmate. I thought it was a little overboard to show the Rooks actually holding the babies, but . . I guess that's how they chose to show the results of their mission. Like I said, I think Greg and Eric are doing a fantastic job with this series. I also like Joe Bennett's pencils. I wasn't overly thrilled with them at first, but he's really brought a style and feel to this book that is uniquely his. In the end . . that's all we can ask for.

Suicide Squad #8 - DC

This issue wraps up the current project. I have to say . . I really enjoyed this run. I thought John Ostrander put together an excellent script, and I really enjoyed Javier Pina's pencils. Also it was good to see Waller in action again. In Checkmate she was stuck on the sidelines . . out of design . . because they knew she couldn't be trusted with ops. But, they also knew what a brilliant tactician she is, and . . you know how the saying goes . . "keep your friends close, and you enemies closer." Which is also probably the reason the Amanda chose to have General Eiling on her team. But, he still lived up to his nature and betrayed his team. They're on an ops mission to try to wrestle some biological weapons from Haake-Bruton, a corporation which resides in a Pacific Rim country. The General made a deal with the Board of Directors that he would turn on his team, if in return they gave him and his co-conspirators seats on the board . . and a controlling interest in the company. Talk about a hostile take-over. He does go through with it, but, I think, where he made is mistake is back at the base he has Cliff Charmichael to take care of Amanda and King Farraday. I don't think that was a task that he was equal to. Also, his "ace in the hole" was his control over Rick Flag. The General created him, and in the process put "key-words" into is memory that puts him completely under his control. However, Rick is nothing if not adaptable. After the first time he did that, Rick suspected that if things turned sour he may come to him again. This time he was prepared and inserted ear-plugs. So, even through all of this, the group still ends up accomplishing their goals . . Deadshot takes out the board, and they do the unexpected . . Amanda and Rick set off the bomb inside of the General's head. In the process of this insurrection, they actually lost quite a bit this mission. Vertigo and Deadshot are both hurt and surprisingly the General's brain is regenerating. But, they also lost Twister, Windfall, Blackguard, Cliff, White Dragon and Marauder. So before they can do anything else, they have to fill the gaps in the roster. Like I said, I really did enjoy this series. I thought the whole thing was put together very well . . and it was all well played. Hopefully, we'll see these guys in action again sometime in the near future. Keep your fingers crossed.

Checkmate #24 - DC

I really enjoy this book. There isn't a whole lot of spy or espionage type books out there right now. I know. There's still a lot of super-heroes in this title. In fact Superman is one of the main characters this issue, but he's actually more of a supporting character. He doesn't have a whole lot of dialogue, and he's really just there for muscle. Well that and his presence forces the Checkmate staff to use non-lethal measures. The woman on the communication board lets the troops know, "You are weapons free. Use of lethal force has been sanctioned." But then Sasha, the Black Queen jumps in, "That's a negative." We get a picture of Superman flying across the page, and she says, "Believe me, I know. And on any other day, I'd be glad for the permission to shoot the snakes dead. But today . . . today I don't think it'll be a problem." They're going after the KOBRA base because they need some information. Pawn 502 broke his silence to bring it to them, and now they just need to confirm it. Basically they've piggy-backed on Luthor's Everyman project to create their own remote control metas. They've altered their DNA so that when activated they will gain enhanced strength and speed but it'll also amp up the subject's aggression to the level of psychotic, homicidal mania. Now they just need to find out how many people they did it to . . . 7,476,204. That's an awful lot of psychotic metas to let loose at the same time. Then, later on, they find out that it's all actually a diversion. There's a medical institute in the Hamptons that producing hybrid KOBRA babies. But all of the world's heroes and groups are busy, so they have to let loose the Rooks. I'm not sure what they are, but they look pretty ominous. I guess we'll just have to wait until next issue to find out just how big and bad they are. A fantastic story by Greg Rucka. I also really enjoyed the artwork of Eric Trautmann.

Suicide Squad #7 - DC

This issue shows us what the fallout is of General Eilings plan. King Faraday and Amanda Waller were planning an assault on Haake-Bruton. They have some biological warfare that they developed with Oolong Island. General Eiling, however, saw this as an opportunity to use his considerable power to set himself up as the new CEO of Haake-Bruton, plus it would get him out from under the thumb of Amanda Waller. We found out last issue, his man on the inside was Cliff Carmichael. You remember. The ass-hole from the Firestorm series. Sorry! That's the best way to describe him. He also has a few of the Squad members already on his side. But, Plastique, whom he had confronted, decided at the last minute that she doesn't appreciate some of the assumptions he's made about her, so she's no longer willing to cooperate. In fact she'll do whatever she can to make sure that Eiling fails. Luckily the bullet that Cliff shot Faraday with wasn't fatal. He wakes up and kills Cliff, and snaps Amanda out of her stupor. When Cliff assumed control of Chemo, pushing Amanda out, it overloaded her system . . knocking her out. Now they're both hopping mad. And they know that Eiling is behind the whole thing. Meanwhile, Rick Flag is fighting Rustam . . not the one he already killed, but the father . . and the control that Eiling is trying to exert over him. Deadshot is now fighting blind, and he's in the board-room ready to take out it's members. This is a fantastic series by John Ostrander and Javier Pina. Although Jesus Saiz does help on a couple of pages this issue. All around, it's a great effort by everybody. I'm just hoping that they do something with this team . . or these characters after this book.

Checkmate #23 - DC

This is the issue that finally tells us what's happened to Pawn #502. He's the guy that's gone deep undercover in to KOBRA. Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann writes this book, and Joe Bennett does the pencils. I have to say, when Joe first came on board, I wasn't to thrilled with his style. But he seems to have adapted well to this title. And his style works great with the themes presented here. So now, I have to say, I think it's a pretty good fit. Also I think Greg and Eric are doing a fantastic job with these stories. They're doing just the right mix of character development, and "all-out" action. Plus I really like the way they've got Checkmate structured now. Before they put this series together, they must've done some major planning sessions, because I think it's brilliant how they have everything pieced together. This series is a huge step from it's previous incarnation. And I actually liked the old series. But you didn't get to know the characters as well. At least not all the individual ones. Essentially, this is a team-book, with Checkmate itself being the main character, and everyone else being it's supporting cast. Even Amanda Waller. But, she's gone now, so I'm not going to dwell on that subject. Anyways, long story short, Pawn #502 has been compromised and trying to not have a 100% casualty rate, they've deputized Superman. Which he really isn't to happy about. But he does get he pawn out, but he dies trying to give them some information. Now it looks as if Checkmate is going to have to go to war with KOBRA. This is going to get mighty messy. Overall though, I thought it was a great book.

Suicide Squad #6 - DC

I have to say, this book, and series, is a drastic improvement over it's first incarnation. Way back when. Which really surprises me, because John Ostrander wrote most of those stories back then. And he's also written this series, so far. Also the artwork of Javier Pina, really spices up the book. He's really come a long way, in a short period of time. A fantastic talent. Anyways, we find out more about Eiling's treachery this issue. But I think Rick Flagg kind of has an idea what's up. He may not know the specifics, but I think he has an idea of who not to trust. The board of Haake-Bruton won't deal with him, but he's giving them an out. "They will take it serious. And then the price to save all you worthless hides will double. My associate will provide you with a number. You'll call it and simply say, "terms agreed." There will be no negotiating anything at that point. Within Ten seconds of that call, we will begin neutralizing the attack on yourself and your assets." Which really seems out of the questions, considering the ferocity of the attack Amanda has launched against them. She's even used the nanites to personally control Chemo. But they do indeed cave, and when they call, who do you think answers the phone? Well . . . it's Cliff. He's the one, basically, coordinating the whole attack. After he gets the call, first he shorts out Amanda's connection, and then he shoots Faraday. Eiling did indeed live up to his word, with in seconds the assault is neutralized. But, this team is deep in enemy territory, and they no longer have control of Chemo. I think their exit-strategy has been blown to bits. Next issue is simply called . . . "Carnage"! Like I said, a definite improvement over the previous title. I know that was 20 years ago . . but still . . this chapter of the team is brilliant. It's very well written and drawn.

Checkmate #22 - DC

Well, this issue wraps up the story about the Black Queen's Knight . . Josephine Tautin . . ."Mademoiselle Marie". She's kind of like another Joan of Arc for France. Except that her legacy and beliefs are passed down generation after generation. Josephine has been "Mademoiselle Marie" for about nine years now. At that time, she took the name from Sabine. Which makes her about the eighth in the line, which goes back to the French Revolution. Her storyline intertwines with her current mission. The man whom she had to forsake for her higher calling, Thierry Desmarais, has had his daughter recently kidnapped by a terrorist group that is hiding out in the Bialyan mountains. She's taken on the mission of retrieving her because of her connection to Thierry, but also because of all of their connection to France. Which, ultimately, is whom she serves. It was a very touching story. It was moving and disturbing at the same time. But now that we've accomplished it, we can move on to some regular Checkmate stories. Maybe we'll find out what their plans are about this whole Amanda Waller, and the Suicide Squad. Maybe not. But whatever the case, with Greg Rucka at the helm, you can be assured that it's going to be a heck of a ride. This was a great story, and the whole series overall has been superb. The structure and characters of this incarnation are much improved over the last. But . . that was about 12 to 15 years ago . . . so . . . .

Suicide Squad #5 - DC

This time around, the Suicide Squad, looks like it may be in trouble. Amanda Waller is the leader de facto, but, there's a lot of rumblings and grumblings going on in the background. Now, I have a hard time believing that she doesn't know what's going on. So, there has to be a reason why she's letting things play out the way they are. But, as with the Wall, you never really know what she's up to, until it hits you in the face. But let me back up . . . . last issue, she told Rick that his whole Rick Flag persona was scripted by General Eiling. That's not his true identity. Never was. He was a soldier named Anthony Miller, whom Eiling decided to experiment on to see if he could create the perfect soldier through psychological means. Which he did. So now Rick's hopping mad and he goes to confront the General. The problem is, when he programmed him, he also put in a key word that puts him completely under his control. So, he's done that, and now he's holding Rick in reserves until he decides that he needs him. Also going on is a corporation, hooked up with Oolong island, that is trying to mass produce some biological warfare so it can sell it on the open market. Well the Squad's been contacted to bring them down. But before they can be sent in, Eiling contacts one of their board, whom he's familiar with, to tell them what's going to happen. He wants to get out from under Waller's thumb, and asks for a seat on the board for his information. Meanwhile, it seems as if the Squad is going full bore in to this operation. We still got 3 issues to see how it all plays out. Fantastic series, with a great cast of characters. John Ostrander is really outdoing himself with this one. It's a great story. I am also really impressed by Javier Pina's pencils on this book. I first noticed them in the ManHunter series, but I think they're even better here. I really think this book is going to end up getting a regular series, after this mini. If it doesn't . . . it should. Definitely worth the price of admission.

Checkmate #21 - DC

Well the new White Queen is in place. It's Valentina Vostok. If you're a true enthusiast you may . . emphasis on may . . remember her. She was with the Doom Patrol for a short time. A very short time. She was part of the group when they were in the Showcase title. I think it was issues #94 - #96. Anyways, she's not the real star of this issue. Although next issue we're supposed to find out who her new Bishop and Knight are. No, the real star of this issue is Josephne Tautin. She's actually Mademoiselle Marie, France's resistance hero. We learn a little bit about her legend this issue. There's been a Mademoiselle Marie around for a long time. At least since the late 1700's. It's a Sorority of sorts. Mademoiselle Marie fights for the country of France, with whom she's pledged her undying love and devotion. She does so . . until she's killed. And then, whomever she's been training takes over for her. She took over for the previous one, not because of death or injury, but because she became to old for the job. Her predecessor was Madame Sabine. She was also in the intelligence field. As I'm sure were most of the sisterhood. With this issue though, she's called back in to action. A diplomat from France, Thierry Desmarais, has had his daughter kidnapped by Biaylan terrorists. The Secretary General of the UN has called Checkmate in as a favor to help retrieve her. The Black Queen immediately assigns it to Josephine because . . first the daughter, Madeleine, is a daughter of France . . . and secondly because Theirry and Josephine were lovers at one time. She immediately accepts the assignment. But on her route to the camp, her guide turns on her as he is apparently part of the terrorist group. The issue ends with her at gunpoint and surrounded by insurgents. A great issue by Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann. With pencils by Chris Samnee. The pencils were ok. But not great. But they did set the mood for the book. And it did catch my interest so I want to see how it all turns out.

Suicide Squad #4 - DC

And sadly, this is the final book in my blogs for 2007. And, really, it's a doozy. I can't believe this is only going to be an 8 issue mini. This series has so much potential, and the creators on this incarnation are doing such a fantastic job, I can't believe they'd limit it so. But, I guess, we'll just have to wait until it's all done and see what happens. In the meantime, as I said, John Ostrander is doing a fantastic job with this story so far. I also can't believe Javier Pina isn't more well known. We got to see his stuff shine over in ManHunter. But, I think, on this series, he's doing an even better job. With this issue, Waller is done with CheckMate. Last issue she was canned, but then the Government authorized he to continue running Task-Force X. So now she's settling in to Belle Reve with all the usual suspects. Faraday joins her as does Count Vertigo. She's got Cliff Carmichael helping her on tech. Not only does she have Chemo, but she's figured out a way to put another person's consciousness inside of him to control him. Multiplex, or actually all of his doubles, are running around doing all of the grunt work. Boomerang and Deadshot are on hand, of course. She's got the Marauder guy from Aquaman on hand. They're trying to rebuild him. And of course there's General Eiling. As you can see from the cover. And there's definitely no love lost between these two. But the real shocker in this particular issue is when Amanda talks to Rick and tells him that his whole past has been fabricated by General Eiling. "You are not . . and never have been . . . Rick Flag." A fantastic issue. And a great way to wrap up the year. I'll see you all in 2008.

Checkmate #20 - DC

With this issue, the "Fall of the Wall" storyline comes to a conclusion. But, it's not what we were led to believe through the last few issue. Obviously, with the title, it means that Amanda is going to be kicked out of CheckMate. But, it doesn't happen the way you expect it to. Amanda, who likens what she's doing to a game of chess, is trying to take out 2 Kings, and a Queen, with one fell swoop. A very aggressive move for anybody. But, while she thinks she's got everything under control, and proceeding along of course of action that she's choreographed, she's actually been played this whole time by those she's trying to overthrow. She was playing straight chess, while they were playing a series of feints. They didn't have the knowledge or proof they needed to definitely take her out, so they distracted her, in another direction, so they could gather it without her knowing. A very risky move. Especially considering their opponent, but . . . it paid off. While she thought that she had all the knowledge and leverage she needed, they were actually leading her down a dead-end path, that left her vulnerable when they decided to blind-side her. So while she planned on taking out the 3 of them, they actually end up booting her and Ambassador Trautmann. They confront her with proof of operation: Salvation Run, her attack on the castle during the Gideon II tests, and that she's actually a meta because she has the OMAC nanites in her bloodstream. She quietly resigns, as long as they keep quiet about Salvation Run. And as she walks away, all she says is "I'm going to remember this." It was a great story, as usual, by Greg Rucka. I also think the Joe Bennett and Jack Jadson did a fantastic job with the art. These 2 really seem to be coming in to their own, as we go from issue to issue. I've said it before, but I really think that this incarnation is 100% better than the first. Very well done.

Suicide Squad #3 - DC

I have to say, I was a little confused during the first two issues of this book. Not so much about the story, or the book itself. But more about the timeline that it was trying to follow. It seemed to be bouncing around, and I was really having a hard time figuring out how it all fit in to the story with CheckMate and the Outsiders and all. But this issue seems to be have cleared some of that up. At least for me it did. We seem to be telling the story here of how Amanda got the Squad back up and running. And how she did all of that while she was the White Queen for CheckMate. A time when she shouldn't have been running any ops or missions. Not that that ever stopped her before though. We learn how Rick Flag survived the explosion at Jotunheim. Apparently the Scimitar is semi-sentient. When it sensed it's demise, at the the time of the explosion, it split space and time to escape. In that act, I guess, it sought out it's birthplace, Skataris, and transported Rustam and Flag with it. But it also spent it's energies. So now they're stuck here until it recharges. When it does, Rustam goes after Rick again, but doesn't hold a flag to his combat skills or training, and ends up dead. But Jennifer Morgan, the Warlord's daughter, comes to his aid and show him how to use the Scimitar to get back home. Unfortunately, he ends up back in Qurac. And that's how he ended up locked away and forgotten in an Qurac prison for 3 years. And with Amanda's promise of him becoming Eiling's boss, as the General is one of her operatives now, she pulls him back in to the Squad. I really liked this story. I was surprised that it was written by John Ostrander. Only because I haven't seen his name in a while, and he did write the original series. Javier Pina does the art . . from ManHunter fame . . . and it was beautiful. I'm not sure why this is only an 8 issue mini. I'm hoping it's just a prelude to an ongoing series afterwards. One can hope. Right?

Checkmate #19 - DC

Well Amanda Waller is really trying to shake up CheckMate. She's taken the Black Queen's Knight off the board, by injuring her with a gunshot. She's got the Black Queen in front of the UN review board, looking in to her previous actions. They're seriously talking about dismissing her. She's got picture showing the White King and the Black Queen in . . . . compromising situations. Which may lead to both of their dismissals. And she's got pictures showing that the Martian Manhunter was posing as the Black King. We all know that he wasn't taking his place. But the pictures make it seem like he was. And that the Black King's Knight, Beatriz, knew about the whole thing. Which we know she didn't. But the pictures are very incriminating. The Green Lantern from the Tangent Universe is also involved in the mix for some reason. She seems to be spying on Amanda and her operation for the August General, who's taken over as the Black King's Bishop. But she also seems to be in love with him. Meanwhile they've pieced together that the bullet that shot Josephine, was probably done by Deadshot. So Beatriz and Jessica have gone after him. Of course it's hard to get a drop on a guy that slippery. So he ends up getting the drop on them. As he holds Jessica down, with a gun pointed to her head, he says, "Checkmate huh? Waller told me about Checkmate. She told me . . . shoot to kill." Greg Rucka is doing a fantastic job with these stories. I really don't know how he keeps all the characters straight. And I think Joe Bennett, on pencils, is the perfect fit for this book. This Suicide Squad / Waller thing is really just getting started. But she could really shake things up by the time alls said and done. Fantastic series.

Suicide Squad #2 - DC

This is issue #2 of the new Suicide Squad. John Ostrander writes it. Again! I believe I'm correct in saying that he wrote the first series. Javi Pina does the pencils. I really liked his work in ManHunter. But I actually think he's gotten better here. There are some really nice looking panels in this book. Basically, last issue, Rick Flag was sent to Jotunheim to destroy it. Rustam was there. He's a member of the Scimitar. He was trying to stop Flag, but since he couldn't do that he thought that he would escape and leave Flag there to die. Apparently he can cut a hole through time and space with his Scimitar. But then we he tried to jump out, Flag went with him. Now they're stuck in . . . Skartaris. You know, the land where the Warlord lives. We know that, but they don't know where they're at. Since they both realize they'll need each other to survive, they've called a temporary truce. That doesn't stop them from arguing. But, at least they're not trying to kill each other. They forage through the jungle, fighting off the occasional dinosaur here and there. However, on the final page they find some kind of temple, or palace. But it looks like, deep in the buildings shadows, there's someone or something looking back at them. Wade keeps having flashbacks to his various experiences with the Squad. Mostly he thing of Gen. Eiling, and how often he got screwed over by him. Nobody else knows where they're at, and Amanda Waller doesn't know if he's alive or dead. This is a great beginning to the series. Unfortunately, this one's only going to be 8 issues long. But I'm sure those will be 8 action packed issue. Oh, and by the way, that gorgeous cover is by John K Snyder.