DCU Comic Book Reviews

CHECKMATE #23

Castling, Part One

April 2008

Written by Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann

Pencils by Joe Bennett

Inks by Jack Jadson

Cover by Kalman Andrasofszky

Synopsis

At Checkmate headquarters, the Castellan receives an urgent message from Pawn 502 that his cover inside Kobra has been jeopardized and he needs immediate help.  Pawn 502 also sends over a list of names, who are either sleeper Kobra agents or potential victims.  Realizing they need to extract Pawn 502 right away, Checkmate turns to Superman for help.  The Man of Steel infiltrates the Kobra hideout and is able to retrieve Pawn 502 just as he was about killed as a traitor to Kobra.  They get him back to Checkmate headquarters, but he is mortally wounded.  Before he dies, however, he tells the Black Queen that the eight million names of the list are actually weapons for Kobra.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

There are many reasons why I loved this issue.  First, it is a continuation of a story from a few months ago and I always like it when writers pick up plot threads from previous issues and work them back into the title without too much trouble.  Second, the role of Superman in this issue makes perfect sense.  Rather than stage a protracted engagement, Rucka uses the superheroes in the DC universe (remember Shadowpact in the first part of this story?) available to conduct a mission that would not result in many casualties.  The brief action scene with Superman retrieving Pawn 502 was also handled well, showing exactly why Superman was right for the role.   Plus, Rucka continues the idea that Checkmate can deputize anyone they want, even though Sasha decides not to use it. 

Finally, a lot of the issue features the royals debating their options and what to do next and, frankly, it is fascinating to read.  The characters and the situation and the writing make the board room scene come alive.  A lot of the questions raised in this issue were not answered and may not be answered at all in this storyline, but at the very least the questions will make us wonder what may or may not happen.  First and foremost, this is a thriller and the thrills come from not knowing the motives behind Pawn 502’s initial contact.  Was his distress call legitimate?  Has he turned completely over to Kobra?  Was the call designed to lure Checkmate out into the open?  As Checkmate determines what Kobra has planned, Pawn 502’s motives may either help or hinder Checkmate’s ability to stop the threat.  And that is the core of this storyline:  how Checkmate can stop the threat while being bombarded on all sides by people and things, including themselves, trying to stop them.  We saw a little of it in the debate scene with some of the internal arguments and I suspect we’ll see more of that as we go along, which is fine by me.  This book is at its best when the royals are fighting each other even as they are fighting external forces.  And with Pawn 502 under suspicion, this should be a hell of ride coming up.