DCU Comic Book Reviews

CHECKMATE #30

Chimera:  Will of Iron

November 2008

Written by Bruce Jones

Pencils by Manuel Garcia

Inks by Travis Lanham

Cover by Manuel Garcia

Synopsis

At Checkmate Headquarters, the Black King learns August General in Iron has defied orders and gone to China to fight Qi-Yu, one of the elemental creatures wrecking havoc on Earth.   However, August General is having difficulties with the creature.  To help the fight, he is given a magical staff, but he promptly loses it to Qi-Yu and then is beaten down.  Meanwhile, the Black King orders Fire to contact the Global Guardians.  Elsewhere, Chloe rides along with reporters and makes her way to China and to the front lines.  She finds August General, who seems dead, but is then brought to life by a Checkmate soldier.  Just then, Chimera parachutes in to take on Qi-Yu, who easily manhandles Chimera and runs him through the chest on piece of wood.  However, that piece of wood is the staff given to August General.  Chimera comes back to life and easily dispatches Qi-Yu.  Nearby, the Checkmate soldier from before grass Chloe and tells her to call out Chimera’s real name:  Adam.  As she does, the soldier turns into a giant three-headed monster.  

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I hate to sound like a broken record, but this is not the way Checkmate was conceived and written, in what was just a little over two years ago.  Because of that, I am having trouble mustering enough interest in this title and, frankly, if it hadn’t already been canceled, I might not be reading this (or the next issue, which happens to be the final one).  The story itself is fine, if a bit unremarkable, but it doesn’t contain any recognizable characters from Greg Rucka’s original run.  In fact, the one Checkmate character that Jones uses the most is the one character that mostly remained in the background.  So, essentially, Jones is using this title and the characters to tell a story that doesn’t really need Checkmate to tell.  And that is the worst sin.  I would rather have a bad story with Checkmate intrigue and politics and suspense rather than an average story without the Checkmate characters.  But, then, that is just me. 

Okay, let me ask this one question:  why call the Global Guardians?  I mean, let’s face it, the creatures is a global treat, so why not call in the Justice League of America.  Or the Justice Society.  Or, hell, why not both of them.  Or what about the rest of the Chinese heroes?  It just seems silly that there is the beast, actually multiple beasts, rampaging around the Earth and Superman is not there to help. 

Any reason the title of this issue is exactly the same as the previous issue?  And what happened to the "part #" of the title from earlier in this story? Weird.

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