DCU Comic Book Reviews

CHECKMATE #18

Fall Of The Wall, Part I

November 2007

Written by Greg Rucka

Pencils by Joe Bennett

Inks by Jack Jadson

Cover by Kalman Andrasofszky

Synopsis

In Metropolis, Rick Flagg and Bronze Tiger, members of Task Force X, capture Scandal Savage.  Elsewhere, Sasha Bourdeaux tells Barbara Gordon (aka Oracle) that if she ever needs help, she will be there for her.  Meanwhile, King Faraday offers Scandal a chance to redeem herself by joining Task Force X.  She declines.  At Checkmate headquarters, Thinker tells three of the royals, Sasha, Michael Holt (aka Mr. Terrific), and Taleb Beni Khalid that there is evidence of Scandal’s abduction and that it might lead back to Checkmate.  Afterwards, Taleb heads out for a meeting in Tel Aviv, which his Knight Beatriz DeCosta (aka Fire) insists on going with him.  Later, Sasha and her knight Josephine Tautin have tracked down Faraday, but when they get there, Tautin is shot and nearly killed.  At the castle, Mr. Terrific attempts to find Amanda Waller, but she is no longer on the premises.  In Tel Aviv, Taleb and Fire meet to discuss Amanda Waller with J’onn J’onzz (aka Martian Manhunter).

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This is the type of the stuff (political intrigue, espionage) that Rucka does well, both in his novels featuring Atticus Kodiak and in his Queen and Country comic books.  Like Rucka;s pother material, this issue is fascinating and brilliant and a beautiful labyrinth of plots and twists.  This is not the typical stuff of super hero comics and I suppose that might explain why I like it so much, because it so different.   I have read (and still read) many mystery books and this is as good as some of the stuff I have ever read.  The reason it works so well is because Rucka places equal importance to the plot, like the shard of metal or Waller’s inexplicable disappearance from the castle, as well as to the characters, showing Sasha’s breakdown at her knight’s shooting or showing Mr. Terrific’s rage at Waller’s scheming behind the backs of Checkmate.  There are no villains or heroes in this story, just characters with their own agendas trying to do what they feel is best for either themselves, Checkmate, or their country.  And that is partly why this book is so good; there is no one that were are being told to root for (like in most super hero books which is often black and white), we as the readers will identify with whichever character strikes us as the most interesting.

I will assume that Ambassador Trautmann was named after Eric Trautmann, co-writer of the previous issue of Checkmate and (I believe) co-writer for some additional issues as well. 

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